Houzz Tour: A Limestone House in Sweden for Life and Work
An interior designer’s search for a summer place nets a year-round family home that stars in photo shoots
When Sofie Nordenberger started looking for a house in Gotland, an island off the east coast of Sweden, she was hoping to find a place to spend the summers. “I was born in Visby [a town on Gotland], and I had been living in Stockholm for a couple of years when I came across this big house online. I had really thought about persuading my husband to buy a summer house, but fate had something else in mind.” In spring 2012, the family moved into a house that needed a lot of love and care but now serves as a permanent home and workplace.
The traditional Gotland limestone house dates to 1891. It has nine rooms, including two bathrooms, and a garden of about 1½ acres (6,000 square meters).
Nordenberger, however, isn’t a gardening enthusiast. “I’m so uninterested in gardens, so no gardening for me. However, there are a lot of magnificent fruit trees!”
Nordenberger, however, isn’t a gardening enthusiast. “I’m so uninterested in gardens, so no gardening for me. However, there are a lot of magnificent fruit trees!”
When the family decided to make the house a permanent residence, it called for a thorough renovation. “The house was in need of love both indoors and out. We have so far built a new bathroom and kitchen, redone the facade, and rewired the electrical system,” Nordenberger says. However, the open floor plan, which feels so modern and large, is completely original — no walls needed to be moved.
Nordenberger uses the ground floor for her work as an interior designer; its rooms often appear on Instagram and in photo shoots. “I run the company Oh Living, which consists of an online shop; a boutique (open during summer), located in the wing next to the building; and a consultation section where I work on my styling assignments. My house acts as a space for me and my business and also for other companies who want to photograph products. Therefore, I want to keep the upstairs private for the family.”
Le Grand Air sofa: Decotique via Rum 21; Z1 pendant light: Ay illuminate; light gray bean bag in linen: Oh Living; dark gray ottoman: Muubs; reading lamp: Ikea; leather stool: Hübsch
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Le Grand Air sofa: Decotique via Rum 21; Z1 pendant light: Ay illuminate; light gray bean bag in linen: Oh Living; dark gray ottoman: Muubs; reading lamp: Ikea; leather stool: Hübsch
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Does that mean that the style of the upstairs is completely different, cluttered with gadgets, wallpaper and carpet from the ’70s? “Unfortunately not,” says Nordenberger, laughing. “The rooms are smaller but decorated in the same style as the remaining living areas.”
Nordenberger finished the walls with rough plaster that fits well with the Gotland house. She laid a new floor upstairs, but the original one downstairs was only sanded and painted.
Vase: Muubs
Vase: Muubs
The beautifully differing widths of the ceiling and floor paneling first became noticeable when the wood was painted glossy white. “The ceiling and floor were already in place when we moved in, but maybe someone else had thought about it before. The cabinet (on the left in the picture) is an old one that I actually got completely for free here on the island. I removed the doors and repainted it, and now it’s one of my favorite cabinets. It holds a lot of things.”
Blanket: Tell Me More; leather pillow: Muubs
From the entry hall (the middle space in the image), the couple’s bedroom is to the right (at the back of the image), the living room is to the left (foreground), and the kitchen is straight ahead (not pictured).
“This is how most of the old residences on Gotland look, as far as I understand: two big rooms — here they are called salar — on each side of the entrance. From the bedroom, you can also see my studio, and next to the kitchen, there is a passage that is now a playroom for my son,” Nordenberger says.
“This is how most of the old residences on Gotland look, as far as I understand: two big rooms — here they are called salar — on each side of the entrance. From the bedroom, you can also see my studio, and next to the kitchen, there is a passage that is now a playroom for my son,” Nordenberger says.
“When we bought the house, the kitchen was already in relatively good order, but of course, we needed to put our mark on it. We plastered the walls, painted the floors, put in an Italian granite countertop, installed a gas stove with a hood from Smeg, and built a [wood stove] that warms well during the winter months. The kitchen structure is from Ikea; in autumn 2016, we painted it dark gray-blue.”
The wonderfully thick walls are typical of houses in Gotland. “We used to joke that’s the reason we can never communicate with people: We have about [3-foot-thick] limestone walls, which make phone reception unpredictable.”
The wonderfully thick walls are typical of houses in Gotland. “We used to joke that’s the reason we can never communicate with people: We have about [3-foot-thick] limestone walls, which make phone reception unpredictable.”
Mountain dish: Oh Living; vase: Muubs; flower pot: local florist
It’s understandable to think that Nordenberger furnished the bedroom simply and sparsely to make everything easy to move for photo shoots, but that’s not the case. “No, I just like it this way. The bedroom was previously a dining hall, which we basically never used. I didn’t like the fact that we never used one of the largest rooms, so one day, I decided to turn it into a bedroom. That’s the best thing I’ve done! It’s great to lie down and watch the fire. The tile stove is original, and we use it frequently.”
“This is my chaos room, the place where I work, but it’s also the place where a lot of props for photo shoots are kept. The tabletop is concrete. I especially like the big heavy legs made from recycled teak. The crystal chandelier was a wedding present — it measures more than [3 feet] in diameter.”
Nordenberger’s seasonal shop is in the building directly next to the house. “It got a huge response, which is so fun! I knocked down the limestone walls by hand and tried to create an environment that suits my business in a simple and modest way.”
For Nordenberger, the chance find of a house allowed her to harmoniously blend her family life and design business.
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For Nordenberger, the chance find of a house allowed her to harmoniously blend her family life and design business.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Interior designer Sofie Nordenberger and her family
Location: Gotland, Sweden
Size: About 2,150 square feet (200 square meters), with a large old barn and a separate house, pictured here, of about 750 square feet (70 square meters)