Swedish Houzz: A Coastal Home Gets a Fashion Makeover
Fashion store owners fill their home with designer furniture, glamorous accessories and quirky artworks
If you surround yourself with beautiful clothes and trendy accessories all day long, you obviously want to come home to an equally edgy home in the evening. Kristoffer Eliasson and Sophia Johansson, owners of clothing store Soda in Hamstad, Sweden, do just that. Their terrace house was built in the 1960s and is located high above the city with an amazing view of the picturesque seaside town. The house has two floors, with the first floor opening up to the street in a typical manner for these kind of houses.
The couple decided to start a fashion business when they were backpacking in Asia in 2004, at the age of 23. “We were discussing what would make us stay and work in Halmstad,” says Eliasson. “We do really love the city but wanted to work with what we’re both passionate about – fashion. So we decided to open our store Soda.” They returned home earlier than expected, and began looking for a location for their planned store. A week after they landed, they had found an old workshop, signed the contract and started looking for brands they wanted to sell.
“It was tough in the beginning, but we have been lucky with a constant flow of customers ever since the opening. There had never been anything similar to our shop in Halmstad, so we really stood out in such a small town. The rumour spread quickly by word of mouth. We didn’t do any marketing, and social media was barely invented. But now, people travel on day trips from cities like Gothenburg and Helsingborg to buy clothes from brands such as Rodebjer, Our Legacy, and Hunkydory in our store.”
The couple decided to start a fashion business when they were backpacking in Asia in 2004, at the age of 23. “We were discussing what would make us stay and work in Halmstad,” says Eliasson. “We do really love the city but wanted to work with what we’re both passionate about – fashion. So we decided to open our store Soda.” They returned home earlier than expected, and began looking for a location for their planned store. A week after they landed, they had found an old workshop, signed the contract and started looking for brands they wanted to sell.
“It was tough in the beginning, but we have been lucky with a constant flow of customers ever since the opening. There had never been anything similar to our shop in Halmstad, so we really stood out in such a small town. The rumour spread quickly by word of mouth. We didn’t do any marketing, and social media was barely invented. But now, people travel on day trips from cities like Gothenburg and Helsingborg to buy clothes from brands such as Rodebjer, Our Legacy, and Hunkydory in our store.”
From the hallway into the living room runs an entire wall of classic String shelves, about seven metres, that the couple bought new. The shelves are filled with fashion books, and next to the table from Ikea stand two Jetson chairs by legendary Swedish designer Bruno Mathsson. “A family friend bought six pieces in the 1970s, and has been kind enough to wear them out a little before passing them on to us,” says Eliasson. “They just get better the more worn they get, the leather is top quality.”
The image above the table is by photographer Jesper Pettersson, of the couple’s pug Selma. “We decided that we wanted a pug while travelling in Asia. In Tibet the monks use them to keep their feet warm in cold monasteries,” says Eliasson. “She is 10 years old now, the same age as our store Soda.”
When they moved into the house in 2011, the couple were clear about what style of interior they wanted. “We really liked brass and marble, we were pretty early with that style, which is so trendy now.” The kitchen by Kvik is all black, including the oven – it was not easy to find an oven that didn’t have a single detail in
stainless steel or aluminium.
The brass splashback was made by a local plate company, and constantly shows the marks of cooking and everyday kitchen work. “You can’t clean brass nicely, so it will just have to grow old with patina. And our life will create the pattern,” says Eliasson.
They started out installing spotlights in the ceiling, but they just didn’t fit in. So instead there were several holes left that the couple didn’t know what to do with. “But one evening we sat in the restaurant Riche in Stockholm, and we saw exactly these simple ceramic sockets,” says Eliasson. “It was meant to be, as they fitted perfectly into the holes that were already made.”
stainless steel or aluminium.
The brass splashback was made by a local plate company, and constantly shows the marks of cooking and everyday kitchen work. “You can’t clean brass nicely, so it will just have to grow old with patina. And our life will create the pattern,” says Eliasson.
They started out installing spotlights in the ceiling, but they just didn’t fit in. So instead there were several holes left that the couple didn’t know what to do with. “But one evening we sat in the restaurant Riche in Stockholm, and we saw exactly these simple ceramic sockets,” says Eliasson. “It was meant to be, as they fitted perfectly into the holes that were already made.”
On top of the stairs, the qurky chair Vilbert was designed by Verner Panton for Ikea in the 1990s. “It was a real flop saleswise,” says Eliasson, “but we love it. Even though we never sit on it …”
The chest of drawers was found by the couple on the second-hand website blocket.se, it is skilfully covered with wallpaper by Josef Frank from Svenskt Tenn. The Magis stools are designed by Konstantin Grcic.
The chest of drawers was found by the couple on the second-hand website blocket.se, it is skilfully covered with wallpaper by Josef Frank from Svenskt Tenn. The Magis stools are designed by Konstantin Grcic.
Behind the plush purple velvet curtain in the dining room, the garage is hiding. The chairs are Vico Magistretti’s design for Fritz Hansen, Eliasson found them on the web auction site Lauritz. “The angle of the backrest allows you to sit comfortably in them, for a long time.”
The artworks on the wall were created by Johansson in a panic for a New Year’s party. “It was our first year in this place, and the walls were empty. Johansson ran out to the garage and tore out pictures from different newspapers and magazines that she pasted and covered with spray adhesive. They turned out so nice that they still hang on the wall.”
The artworks on the wall were created by Johansson in a panic for a New Year’s party. “It was our first year in this place, and the walls were empty. Johansson ran out to the garage and tore out pictures from different newspapers and magazines that she pasted and covered with spray adhesive. They turned out so nice that they still hang on the wall.”
The TV room also contains space to read, talk or just hang out. Under the table lies the Ikea rug Stockholm, which is becoming a classic in Swedish homes with its black-and-white stripes. The couple often search out and buy Persian rugs at auction, as new carpets are often too small to cover large floor areas.
The parquetry floor is original, but stained a shade darker to get away from the rather dull, yellow hue that parquetry can get with age. Along the large windows with its sunny views of Halmstad run the radiator protectors in marble, which came with the house. Due to the large windows that stretch from floor to ceiling, the room gets very bright, but Eliasson and Johansson avoid curtains anyway as they don’t like the cluttered look they give.
The parquetry floor is original, but stained a shade darker to get away from the rather dull, yellow hue that parquetry can get with age. Along the large windows with its sunny views of Halmstad run the radiator protectors in marble, which came with the house. Due to the large windows that stretch from floor to ceiling, the room gets very bright, but Eliasson and Johansson avoid curtains anyway as they don’t like the cluttered look they give.
On the wall hang framed posters from clubs on Ibiza, such as Pacha and St Germain. The sofas are from Fogia.
The couple’s love of fashion is apparent through the whole house. The gun lamp by Philippe Starck is a humorous nod to Johansson’s interest in hunting. “She has a hunting license, but hasn’t been out in a while,” says Eliasson.
On the wall by the staircase hang colourful pictures from a street artist, bought at an auction.
The banister in thick glass was installed by Johansson’s brother, who has patented ClickItUp, an electrical system of glass barriers that can be raised and lowered for wind protection on balconies and terraces only by a gentle touch by the hand.
The banister in thick glass was installed by Johansson’s brother, who has patented ClickItUp, an electrical system of glass barriers that can be raised and lowered for wind protection on balconies and terraces only by a gentle touch by the hand.
The luxurious bath and spa was made bespoke for this room and is covered with Carrara marble. “It is double-width, almost two metres long and can easily fit two people if you lay head to toe. This is my favourite place, I love saunas and to bathe so we rebuilt and extended the whole space,” says Eliasson. A wall between the bedroom and the spa was replaced with glass, so you can sit in the sauna and look out over Halmstad spreading out below – a glamorous touch that feels completely natural in this very much ordinary house, that has become an homage to fashion on the inside.
Who lives here: Kristoffer Eliasson and Sofia Johansson
Location: Halmstad, west coast of Sweden
Size: 240 square metres