Red painted wooden houses have long occupied a special standing in Swedish architectural tradition and have done much to shape the image of Sweden's national building culture. Red houses and Falun red paint are frequently associated with the quintessentially Swedish, investing many buildings and landscapes with identity and character. But few people imagine the abundance and diversity of the red-painted architectural heritage, the truly many-faceted nature of this form of settlement.

In this book we are introduced to very many different types of buildings and building techniques, from threshing floors, stables, castles, courthouses and mills to crofts, villas, headframes and churches.