Sweden Houzz Tour: Preserving the Soul of a Nordic Mission House
When these homeowners bought this historical property, it didn't even have plumbing. Now it's a haven of Nordic elegance
Meta Regebro
5 May 2019
This 19th-century mission house sat empty for many years. It needed a head-to-toe renovation to introduce plumbing and replace load-bearing beams in the ceilings and floors, among other much-needed updates. This scared away most buyers and even property flippers – all but Sara Fjelkman and Carl-Johan Bauhn, who fell in love with the beautiful old place and set to work turning the worn-out house into a dream home.
Images by Helén Karlsson
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Sara Fjelkman, Carl-Johan Bauhn and Bauhn’s son, Wilbur
Location: Markim, near Stockholm, Sweden
Size: The living area is about 138 square metres, surrounded by almost half an acre of garden
Year built: 1888
Year renovated: Work began in 2014
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Sara Fjelkman, Carl-Johan Bauhn and Bauhn’s son, Wilbur
Location: Markim, near Stockholm, Sweden
Size: The living area is about 138 square metres, surrounded by almost half an acre of garden
Year built: 1888
Year renovated: Work began in 2014
Fjelkman and Bauhn both worked on the Swedish home improvement TV show Äntligen Hemma (‘Home at Last’), Fjelkman as an interior design assistant and social media editor and Bauhn as a producer. Fjelkman is now a public relations officer at Klong and Bauhn is a project manager at a Swedish content agency.
“We came across this house by chance … in 2014, and it was love at first sight,” says Fjelkman. “We noticed its countryside location, its charm and period details, and saw a chance to own and revive a historical building.”
The home has entrances on three sides. Here, a door from Diplomat doors in Sweden leads into the mud room. The marble floor is outfitted with underfloor heating, making it comfortable to tiptoe barefoot to the neighboring bathroom.
Before. The kitchen was once located next to the entrance. This space has now been converted into the bathroom.
After. It now features a marble floor and walls partly finished in classic white tiles. A built-in speaker was painted green to match the ceiling. It is part of the home’s central sound system.
This space benefits from the home’s central under-floor heating, but it is also outfitted with a separate electric under-floor system, so the floors are warm even in summer when the central heating is turned off.
This space benefits from the home’s central under-floor heating, but it is also outfitted with a separate electric under-floor system, so the floors are warm even in summer when the central heating is turned off.
The bathroom is furnished with double sinks with matching retro faucets. The bathtub and toilet are by Hafa in Sweden.
The cast-iron fireplace is by Contura in Sweden.
Before. The smaller downstairs room once served as a parish hall. It is now a dining room. This is what the room looked like when Fjelkman and Bauhn first bought the house.
After. The masonry fireplace is original to the home, but used to be on the second floor; it had to be rebuilt here. The sideboard dates to 1888 and was moved here from the original kitchen.
The modern triple-paned windows boast sound-absorbing glass. They were modelled after the home’s originals. Here too, the whitewashed solid-wood floor is fitted with under-floor heating. The dining table is by Hay, while the pendant lights are heirlooms.
The modern triple-paned windows boast sound-absorbing glass. They were modelled after the home’s originals. Here too, the whitewashed solid-wood floor is fitted with under-floor heating. The dining table is by Hay, while the pendant lights are heirlooms.
The main room is divided into a kitchen, work area and two sitting areas. It spans about 70 square metres and boasts four-metre-high ceilings.
The marble benchtops in the kitchen are by Diapol in Sweden. The range hood is a custom design made by a tinsmith. To make it as quiet as possible, only the filter is in the kitchen, while the motor has been hidden away in a part of the attic that’s far away from the bedrooms.
The marble benchtops in the kitchen are by Diapol in Sweden. The range hood is a custom design made by a tinsmith. To make it as quiet as possible, only the filter is in the kitchen, while the motor has been hidden away in a part of the attic that’s far away from the bedrooms.
The pendant lights in the kitchen are suspended with custom-made textile cables by Nud Collection. The oven is by Smeg.
A couple of kitchen cabinets pull out to turn into a ‘bar bench’. This was one of Bauhn’s creative ideas. “He is the building expert of the two of us, and he’s always full of smart, stylish and clever ideas,” says Fjelkman.
Pendant lights make a statement without detracting attention from other elements in the room.
There are four recessed speakers in the ceiling, which are part of a central home sound system.
The owners designed the coffee table themselves. It consists of a concrete slab with a welded base.
This is the second sitting area in the main room. Cushions and blankets make it relaxed and informal.
Fjelkman found the quaint vintage desk at a second-hand retailer, and bought the bar cart in an online auction.
Embedded in the floor is what was once a trapdoor to the basement. It is now outfitted with a wine storage unit, which is cooled naturally by the colder cellar air.
Bauhn came up with the idea, and it has become a real conversation piece when the couple have guests over.
Second-floor and attic layout, top to bottom: bedroom, wardrobe, staircase, future bathroom, storage units, attic
Before. This is what the second floor looked like when Fjelkman and Bauhn bought the house. As already mentioned, the masonry fireplace is now downstairs, in the dining room.
After. The second-floor space has now been turned into is a spacious bedroom with a built-in wardrobe. The original timber floor was sanded back and whitewashed.
The bright walls and ceilings feature exposed beams.
Stairs lead from here to Wilbur’s room in the attic. The couple tore down the walls and false ceiling in this space to make it bigger, bring in more light and reveal the gorgeous beams beneath.
Each of the two alcoves at the back of this attic is fitted with a built-in bed measuring about 90 x 200 centimetres. This leaves quite a lot of space, enough to fit an extra bathroom up here in the future.
The room features a grey timber floor and a white wooden ceiling with exposed beams. On the roof, two large Velux skylights are outfitted with both translucent and blackout curtains.
Outside, on the verandah, is another dining and relaxation area. The couple designed their outdoor dining table themselves. The structure is a welded metal frame clad in timber, with a submerged box in the middle that can be filled with ice – for keeping drinks cool – or decorated with greenery.
The beam hanging above the dining table came from the attic. “We found it when we shovelled out all the sawdust during the renovation,” says Fjelkman. “We removed some of the beams, as we were going to replace them with two new load-bearing glulam beams. But we saved the old ones, and after we built the porch, Bauhn came up with the idea of using one of them as decor over the table.”
The hooks that are screwed into the beam and the candle holders that hang from them are by Granit in Sweden.
The hooks that are screwed into the beam and the candle holders that hang from them are by Granit in Sweden.
The property also has a small shed-cottage that the couple turned into a laundry room. It is fitted with floor-to-ceiling built-in laundry storage, as well as a cellar with a heat-exchanger system for geothermal heat and an extra fridge-freezer.
The bright laundry room is decked out with a washer and dryer by Samsung.
Bauhn and Fjelkman are now undertaking their next renovation project – a 1950s apartment in Lidingö, Sweden. They’re also building a new summer house down on the country’s west coast. “Of course, it’s sad to leave this great house we’ve poured our heart and soul into, but each end is also a new beginning,” says Fjelkman.
Tell us
What do you love most about this Scandinavian mission house? Tell us in the Comments below, like and share this story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
More
Missed last week’s Houzz Tour? You’ll love this London Houzz Tour: A Tranquil Period Home Updated for Family Life
Bauhn and Fjelkman are now undertaking their next renovation project – a 1950s apartment in Lidingö, Sweden. They’re also building a new summer house down on the country’s west coast. “Of course, it’s sad to leave this great house we’ve poured our heart and soul into, but each end is also a new beginning,” says Fjelkman.
Tell us
What do you love most about this Scandinavian mission house? Tell us in the Comments below, like and share this story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
More
Missed last week’s Houzz Tour? You’ll love this London Houzz Tour: A Tranquil Period Home Updated for Family Life
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This home is such a treasure! I’m reminded of my grandmother’s home in Minnesota. Wilbur’s room is my favorite. What a lucky little guy! My favorite decorative element is the exposed stairway in the bath. So cool! I’m also drawn to the exposed beams throughout.
Can’t wrap my mind around bathroom opening into dining room and dining room being across the living room from the kitchen.
LOVE this home!! Everyone involved should be very proud!