Seattle, Wash. - It's always a pleasure to see Sweden's gentle influence on U.S. culture – from Volvos to IKEA to H&M. But now something new and surprising can be added to the list: Genuine Swedish lusthus.

A lusthus is a charming garden retreat – a romantic, weather tight structure ideal for contemplation or entertaining. Lusthus have graced Swedish gardens for hundreds of years and are now available in the US.

Scandinavian Garden Pavilions, LLC, a husband and wife enterprise based in Seattle, combines the artistic eye and marketing savvy of Lena Lönnberg-Hickling with the technology and logistic skills of her husband, Mark.

The idea of bringing lusthus to America first appeared on the couple’s radar following their wedding reception at Stallmästaregården in Stockholm, noted for its more than 300-year-old Drottning Kristina's Lusthus.

Fast forward 30 years and the couple made their move with the Herrgård Pavilion, a beautiful hand-crafted structure made in Hälsingland with its distinctive “lanterna” cupola.

Refined over 20 years of production, the Herrgård features weather tight Swedish spruce paneling, inside and out, and tongue-in-groove Swedish pine flooring. The multi-point-locking double doors feature classic Swedish hardware and all 14 windows in main walls open. Overhead, a robust Norwegian roofing system ensures a long and dry life for the structure.

"There's a real difference when you step inside one of our Herrgård Pavilions," Lena said. "The wood is from Norrland, the window locks are from my childhood and a total of 24 windows shower you with light."

Lena is constantly exploring interior design ideas from curtains (each pavilion comes with a built-in curtain rod and shelf) to furniture and lighting ideas. Meanwhile, customers in the Seattle area are installing heating in their pavilions to extend their use across the seasons.

“Sweden has been close to my heart since my time at Lund’s University decades ago,” Mark said. “There’s a real romantic and historic element to these pavilions and ‘lusthus kultur’ in general, and it’s especially exciting to bring these to US.”

It is now possible to have a real, high-quality, iconic Swedish lusthus shipped anywhere in North America from Scandinavian Garden Pavilion’s base in Seattle.

To learn more about Scandinavian Garden Pavilions, and to see photos of historic lusthus in Sweden, visit ScandinavianPavilions.com