There are some houses and apartments that just stay in your mind. And this house, I’ve been thinking about it for days — looking at photos and imagining the family that lives there. How they have breakfast in the dining room with blue wallpaper. How they light the fire in the stove on cold evenings. How they climb the wooden stairs to the small bedroom under the roof…
The house, like its story, leaves a special aftertaste. It feels like you’re not just looking at the interior but diving into someone else’s life for a few minutes.
And it’s no wonder — this old wooden mansion has belonged to the same family since the 1950s. The current owners inherited it from their grandparents.
Here’s how the house looks from above. First impression — nothing special. But everything changes once you step over the threshold and walk inside.
The house is located in the outskirts of the provincial Swedish town of Gnesta (population 6 thousand people). It’s a bit away from residential areas. Around it are only dense forests, green fields, and a few private houses.
An interesting but useless fact: the movie “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was filmed in Gnesta.
This house has been standing here since 1884. And it has quite an interesting history. At first, it belonged to the Andersson family. The head of the family was a builder and he built this house for his wife, four kids, and a maid. Later, he opened a small carpentry workshop here.
The first owners of the house (the maid was also considered a family member because she lived with the Anderssons almost her entire life).
From the 1920s to the 1950s, the house was owned by a gardener named Karlsson. Under him, an orchard (about 70 trees) and a strawberry field appeared on the plot. Old-timers remember that people from all around would come here to pick fruits and berries.
A historical photo taken during the fruit harvest. This picture is kept as a family relic.
Here’s how the house looks today. The photo was taken in 2024.
Since the 1950s, as I mentioned above, this house has belonged to the same family. Now the third generation lives here. Stories like this always touch me deeply.
Shall we look inside?
The house is 154 square meters. It has two floors, three bedrooms, two living rooms, several bathrooms, and a separate dining room.
Let’s start our tour in the kitchen. The kitchen cabinets are several decades old. They’ve been repainted several times. The last time — in a creamy color. The countertops are made of granite. And thanks to the windows on two sides, the kitchen is always bright — even on cloudy and rainy days.
From the kitchen, you can head into the dining room. It’s a small room with just a table for four, a vintage chandelier, some garden flowers, and a lovely tiled stove.
The house mostly gets heated by stoves. There’s one in almost every living room. Plus, there are heated floors in the hallway and bathrooms.
This is the living room. We light up the fire in the fireplace not only in winter but also in summer — just for the cozy feel. And if it gets too hot, we can always switch on the air conditioner.
Here’s the master bedroom. It’s on the first floor and opens up to a spacious terrace, unlike the kids’ and guest bedrooms.
A view of this terrace from outside.
The bedroom is also heated with a stove and air conditioner (sometimes turned on in winter — it can warm up the room well in a couple of hours).
Shall we go up to the second floor? Interestingly, even the hallway and stairs are decorated in a blue-white color scheme.
From the second-floor living room, you can go to several bedrooms. Notice the details: old wallpaper, gaps in the wooden floor, a coffee table made from an old door, a problem with the ceiling molding… It’s clear that the renovation in this house was done a long time ago. History literally seeps from every corner.
From here, you can also step out onto a small balcony. The hostess loves to sit here with friends (guests come often) over a cup of coffee.
One of the bedrooms on the second floor is for guests. This room, like the others, is decorated in a blue-white color scheme. The walls have legendary Swedish wallpaper Långelid/von Brömssen. Instead of a bedside table, there’s an old stool. Simple and stylish.
Roses — from their own garden.
A general view of the bedroom. An unusual diamond-shaped window, a dress on the wall, simple white curtains, a wicker basket for blankets — beauty here is hidden in the details.
Also on the second floor is the children’s room (the family has several kids). The window overlooks the forest, so light curtains are enough. In the corner is a fireplace, the main source of heat in winter.
One of the two bathrooms. A shower cabin, old wallpaper, and a small vase with fresh flowers — that’s the simple formula for coziness. To preempt any questions: the wallpaper doesn’t get wet and handles the humidity well.
Lastly, let’s take a look at how the once luxurious orchard looks today.
The house comes with a large plot of land. The fruit trees are not heavily cared for, but there are still apple, pear, cherry, honeysuckle, and cornel trees. And there are countless rose bushes.
Fragrant lilac bushes overhanging the open terrace. This is probably my favorite spring smell.
Just below the orchard runs a narrow country road with a few small neighboring houses.
I really liked this house. What about you?
