When you walk through the historical center of a big city, sometimes you wish you could see through the walls. Just looking at the beautiful facades of old buildings as a tourist feels like living in a distorted reality.
What really lies behind those centuries-old walls? How do people live there? What do the apartments look like? Are they crumbling shared flats split between seven or eight families? Or one-room apartments with dull modern renovations? Maybe luxurious apartments with leather sofas and 19th-century paintings?
Today, I got a rare chance—to see for myself and show you an amazing apartment that takes up an entire floor in a building from the 1900s.
The building is located in Vasastaden, one of the central districts of Stockholm.
Random people don’t usually visit entrances like these, but even here, the atmosphere speaks for itself.
The same house, but from the backyard view. This is a closed area, only accessible to residents and tenants.
The owner of the apartment is an elderly artist. He put his home up for sale this August, and because of this, any outsider can now step in, walk through the rooms, see the preserved historical details, and for a moment dive into the life of a creative person who has lived here for over 60 years (the reason why the artist is selling his family nest is unknown).
The apartment is stunning. There are old tiled stoves, century-old kitchen cabinets, original double doors, and herringbone parquet floors…
The apartment is 205 square meters in total. The current owner has lived here his whole life. The home was passed down to him, and this is where he brought his wife, and where their children grew up.
There are six rooms in total and several technical rooms (for example, the former servant’s room has been turned into a storage room).
A sharp eye catches historical details and household items that have been passed down in the family from generation to generation. For example, these candle holders, wooden chairs with carved backs, and plaster figurines.
The original double doors lead to the artist’s studio. Something unusual: the parquet in the rooms is different, and the doors slide rather than open.
The artist’s den, which he will soon have to leave.
Walking through (even virtually) the rooms of this apartment feels like a journey into another world. Outside, it’s 2024—busy streets, traffic jams, and rushing office workers. But here, it feels like life is on pause. There’s nothing but this house and this apartment.
This room is my favorite. Maybe because I’ve always dreamed of having my own office space to write, create, or sew…
The apartment used to be heated only by the tiled stoves. They still work today, but now they’re used just for the atmosphere—lighting a fire on one of those especially cold and damp Stockholm evenings.
Another room is a small library. There are no random books here—each one has its own story of how it came into the artist’s family.
Books and paintings are one of the main elements that make this huge apartment feel so cozy.
On the wall, there’s a collection of masks. In the log holder—firewood.
White walls make the perfect canvas for all the things filling this home. Wallpaper (even light-colored ones) would have been too much; they would just distract from the essence of the space.
And here’s the bathroom, which doesn’t differ much from those in other Swedish apartments. The pluses are its large size and a window. By the way, this bathroom was planned when the house was built, but in the 1980s, the tub was replaced by a shower.
And yet another gorgeous stove I want to show you. Interestingly, every stove in this apartment is unique—no two are the same.
Now, let’s peek into the kitchen. The parquet floor with wooden furniture (table, chairs, and bench) and white kitchen cabinets is one of the coziest combinations.
The bedroom needs some renovation (there are faded spots on the walls from old paintings), but it still feels homey.
And this used to be the children’s room. Now, the artist’s wife has set up this space for herself—she loves to sew.
And a few more details from the hallway.
This room feels like a trailer for what guests will see in the rest of the apartment. Masks, dolls, figurines, an old chest of drawers hand-painted…
And that concludes the tour of the apartment in a historical building in Stockholm. I hope you found it interesting to see how people live here (though it’s a pity such an atmospheric apartment is for sale).
Image credits: historiskahem.se
