My Houzz: A Hammock in a Tower for 2 Stockholm Chefs
Former supper clubbers kick back at home with homemade and upcycled furnishings, and a net for lofty lounging
Cajsa Carlson
February 9, 2018
Redaktör, Houzz Sverige / Staff Editor, Houzz Sweden
After a spell overseas, chef and pastry chef Dorotea “Tea” Malmegård has returned to a tranquil life in her hometown of Stockholm, living in a creative and eye-catching industrial-style apartment in the central district of Östermalm.
“I lived in London when I was 19 to 21 years old and then in the United States between the ages of 24 and 25. It suited me perfectly to be in London while young and then to be a 25-year-old in New York, where you could just work yourself into the ground because everyone else was doing the same thing. I’ve now been back in Stockholm for five years, and I really like it here. It is the world’s best city.”
“I lived in London when I was 19 to 21 years old and then in the United States between the ages of 24 and 25. It suited me perfectly to be in London while young and then to be a 25-year-old in New York, where you could just work yourself into the ground because everyone else was doing the same thing. I’ve now been back in Stockholm for five years, and I really like it here. It is the world’s best city.”
Photos by Adam Helbaoui of Kronfoto
Apartment at a Glance
Who lives here: Dorotea “Tea” Malmegård, partner Viktor Lejon and son Truls, 2
Location: Östermalm district of Stockholm
Size: About 1,290 square feet (120 square meters)
Architect: Kristina Munck
After moving back to Stockholm, Malmegård and her partner, Viktor Lejon, settled in Östermalm right next door to where they live now. And that’s not Malmegård’s only connection to the area. “I grew up in another house on the same street, so really I’ve just moved in a triangle,” she says. She and Lejon followed the renovation of the house closely, and when they moved, it was only from about 40 yards away — any homeowner’s dream scenario.
Apartment at a Glance
Who lives here: Dorotea “Tea” Malmegård, partner Viktor Lejon and son Truls, 2
Location: Östermalm district of Stockholm
Size: About 1,290 square feet (120 square meters)
Architect: Kristina Munck
After moving back to Stockholm, Malmegård and her partner, Viktor Lejon, settled in Östermalm right next door to where they live now. And that’s not Malmegård’s only connection to the area. “I grew up in another house on the same street, so really I’ve just moved in a triangle,” she says. She and Lejon followed the renovation of the house closely, and when they moved, it was only from about 40 yards away — any homeowner’s dream scenario.
The apartment was built from scratch for the couple when they moved in four years ago.
“The top floor was the old attic,” says Malmegård, pictured. “It’s my father’s property, so we were very quick to say we wanted to move in and get involved in the whole process. We collaborated with the interiors architect Kristina Munck.”
“The top floor was the old attic,” says Malmegård, pictured. “It’s my father’s property, so we were very quick to say we wanted to move in and get involved in the whole process. We collaborated with the interiors architect Kristina Munck.”
The floor plan shows, clockwise from top left, son Truls’ bedroom, office, closet, master bedroom, balcony, breakfast area, kitchen and entrance.
This floor originally consisted of an open living room, the kitchen and a bedroom, but the couple created several new rooms with dividing walls.
This floor originally consisted of an open living room, the kitchen and a bedroom, but the couple created several new rooms with dividing walls.
A new steel-and-glass wall separates an office and guest room from the kitchen and dining area.
“It’s from Edlund Smide. We just Googled and then went ahead and got quotes from a few different companies. Edlund did the job quickly and really well, and it was half the cost of everyone else,” Malmegård says.
Open-Plan Living: Partition Your Way to Comfortable Spaces
“It’s from Edlund Smide. We just Googled and then went ahead and got quotes from a few different companies. Edlund did the job quickly and really well, and it was half the cost of everyone else,” Malmegård says.
Open-Plan Living: Partition Your Way to Comfortable Spaces
Both she and Lejon are impulsive when it comes to interior decorating, but the color scheme for the built-ins was deliberate: gray so that they won’t get dated. Color comes from details like pillow covers, which are easy to change seasonally.
“We definitely have over 50 pillowcases,” Malmegård says. Blankets are also in abundance. “It’s perfect, as we have lots for when we have friends stay over. We have the type of home where people like to stop by.”
Lejon made the bedside tables from boards and copper pipes.
Extra-large Eos pendant light: Vitra; lamps: antiques from Lejon’s grandmother; Tim Burton poster: from an exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art; Maison Oak floor: Kährs; blanket: Ikea; pillow covers: Åhléns
“We definitely have over 50 pillowcases,” Malmegård says. Blankets are also in abundance. “It’s perfect, as we have lots for when we have friends stay over. We have the type of home where people like to stop by.”
Lejon made the bedside tables from boards and copper pipes.
Extra-large Eos pendant light: Vitra; lamps: antiques from Lejon’s grandmother; Tim Burton poster: from an exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art; Maison Oak floor: Kährs; blanket: Ikea; pillow covers: Åhléns
The wallpaper adorning the kitchen wall is an example of Malmegård and Lejon’s penchant for industrial design. “We like a raw look, with copper tints and dark tones. The wallpaper extends from the kitchen to the hall — we were very skeptical when we first saw it in place but fell in love with it after about a month. I guess you have to just get used to certain things,” Malmegård says.
Rasetti wallpaper in Birch: Designers Guild
Rasetti wallpaper in Birch: Designers Guild
The kitchen island is only 3 months old. “Before that we had a freezer around which Viktor had placed a bookshelf, but that was too big once we renovated,” Malmegård says. Lejon made the copper pot rack.
“The layout of the apartment is much smarter now — previously we had a 1-year-old sleeping in the kitchen,” Malmegård says.
Of course, the kitchen plays an important role in their home, as Malmegård and Lejon used to run DoMa, their supper club, from here. Guests booked online, and the couple hosted them right in their living room, serving a menu inspired “by the Swedish seasons, the world and pure serendipity — like what we happened to be craving at the time,” she says. “You could put it this way: A great deal of food has been made in this kitchen.” The couple also has a second, smaller kitchen upstairs, next to the guest dining table.
Microwave and oven: Husqvarna/Electrolux; exhaust hood: Fjäråskupan; Annika kitchen cabinetry: Vedum; Fridhem 33 cabinet knobs: Stilbeslag; MMIX K6 faucet: Mora Armatur
“The layout of the apartment is much smarter now — previously we had a 1-year-old sleeping in the kitchen,” Malmegård says.
Of course, the kitchen plays an important role in their home, as Malmegård and Lejon used to run DoMa, their supper club, from here. Guests booked online, and the couple hosted them right in their living room, serving a menu inspired “by the Swedish seasons, the world and pure serendipity — like what we happened to be craving at the time,” she says. “You could put it this way: A great deal of food has been made in this kitchen.” The couple also has a second, smaller kitchen upstairs, next to the guest dining table.
Microwave and oven: Husqvarna/Electrolux; exhaust hood: Fjäråskupan; Annika kitchen cabinetry: Vedum; Fridhem 33 cabinet knobs: Stilbeslag; MMIX K6 faucet: Mora Armatur
The couple have tried to make their home uniquely theirs. “Viktor builds furniture and comes up with other interior solutions. For example, he built the big table upstairs. Every piece of furniture should have a story and a patina,” Malmegård says.
Most of the furniture in the apartment was bought at the auction house Lauritz, and some of the lights are from Nordiska Galleriet.
Most of the furniture in the apartment was bought at the auction house Lauritz, and some of the lights are from Nordiska Galleriet.
This is the entrance to the apartment. Lejon made the hall table out of marble slabs and copper pipes. The shoe rack is a dumpster find sprayed in a copper color.
The chair on the staircase landing had belonged to Malmegård’s parents and was reupholstered by her aunt. The cabinet is from an old barn, bought on Blocket, the Swedish Craigslist. The checkered floor in the stairwell is original and dates to 1911.
The chair on the staircase landing had belonged to Malmegård’s parents and was reupholstered by her aunt. The cabinet is from an old barn, bought on Blocket, the Swedish Craigslist. The checkered floor in the stairwell is original and dates to 1911.
The front door opens to the building’s staircase, which leads to the second story. The stairwell was enclosed when the attic was rebuilt.
“What I like most about our neighborhood is that it is divinely cozy. I really feel at home. For example, I know the first names of everyone at the supermarket because I’ve shopped there my whole life. I go to the same shoe repair, dry cleaner and health food store my family has gone to for years. I cherish skilled craftwork and want people to continue with it, and that’s evident even in how I decorate,” Malmegård says.
“What I like most about our neighborhood is that it is divinely cozy. I really feel at home. For example, I know the first names of everyone at the supermarket because I’ve shopped there my whole life. I go to the same shoe repair, dry cleaner and health food store my family has gone to for years. I cherish skilled craftwork and want people to continue with it, and that’s evident even in how I decorate,” Malmegård says.
The beautiful tower room, with its whitewashed walls, has an almost Mediterranean feel. Henrik Thor-Larsen’s 1968 Ovalia chair, which Malmegård and Lejon got through an internet auction and reupholstered, presides over it.
The spotlight and chest are from Lauritz.
The spotlight and chest are from Lauritz.
Just below the ceiling hangs a hammock made out of a soccer net. It’s very popular with visitors. “Our guests sit in it and usually Instagram themselves there; I myself have maybe sat in it twice,” Malmegård says. The hammock can be reached with a ladder.
Next to the tower is the dining room, where the couple used to host their supper club. Malmegård says that her view of the room has changed since she stopped running a restaurant out of it.
“We had only been here for about a month before we opened DoMa, so we didn’t ever use it as a living room before it became a restaurant. When we reclaimed the room, we felt a little bit, ‘Oh, can I go in here without serving drinks or preparing food for people?’ At times I miss the unique experience of running a restaurant from home, but I sure don’t miss working 20 hours a day. When we weren’t cooking, we were cleaning, mopping or clearing up. When you’re only two people, you just do everything.”
Marcel Broodthaers poster: from an exhibition at MoMA; Turkish rug: Etsy; cabinets: Lauritz; Maison Oak floor: Kährs; Les Volières light fixture: Mathieu Challières
“We had only been here for about a month before we opened DoMa, so we didn’t ever use it as a living room before it became a restaurant. When we reclaimed the room, we felt a little bit, ‘Oh, can I go in here without serving drinks or preparing food for people?’ At times I miss the unique experience of running a restaurant from home, but I sure don’t miss working 20 hours a day. When we weren’t cooking, we were cleaning, mopping or clearing up. When you’re only two people, you just do everything.”
Marcel Broodthaers poster: from an exhibition at MoMA; Turkish rug: Etsy; cabinets: Lauritz; Maison Oak floor: Kährs; Les Volières light fixture: Mathieu Challières
Lejon made the coffee and dining tables from salvaged wine and champagne crates and the cot Malmegård slept in as a baby.
Salt and pepper shakers: Pompadour
Salt and pepper shakers: Pompadour
Much of the furniture in the apartment is recycled. For example, all the chairs in the house were found at a dump for oversize garbage or at flea markets, and many of them were Malmegård’s grandmother’s, now reupholstered. The copper lamps also are restored dumpster finds.
“It’s the same thinking behind our decor as our food: It’s not just about buying new things, but using what you have, having a mindset of sustainability and protecting the environment,” Malmegård says. “When I cook, I’m looking for the soul in cooking.”
Lejon painted the artwork above the sofa.
Beni Ourain rug: Trendcarpet
“It’s the same thinking behind our decor as our food: It’s not just about buying new things, but using what you have, having a mindset of sustainability and protecting the environment,” Malmegård says. “When I cook, I’m looking for the soul in cooking.”
Lejon painted the artwork above the sofa.
Beni Ourain rug: Trendcarpet
In the bathroom, copper combines with dark tones in the beautiful bathtub from Qvesarum Byggnadsvård.
Oxford bathtub faucet and Maya sink faucet: Nacka Byggnadsvård; sink: Ido; mirrored cabinet: Dansani; RB Blanco and Via Nero tiles: Kakelspecialisten; trash bin: Åhléns, spray-painted black
Find copper slipper tubs
Oxford bathtub faucet and Maya sink faucet: Nacka Byggnadsvård; sink: Ido; mirrored cabinet: Dansani; RB Blanco and Via Nero tiles: Kakelspecialisten; trash bin: Åhléns, spray-painted black
Find copper slipper tubs
The couple found the shower curtain on a trip to New York.
Hjalmar the pug was a gift. The bar cart came from Lauritz.
Malmegård and Lejon still work together in the restaurant and catering business, but they also are looking high and low for their next restaurant location.
“We have thousands of different dreams. We want to have a farm in Österlen [in southeastern Sweden] when we’re 60, maybe have more children — and open restaurants. In the restaurant, we want to create the same cozy living room feeling we had in the apartment. Half the experience is for people to feel like they are visiting us at home. We are looking at everything from [700 square feet] to [about 4,300 square feet] and hope that the restaurant space comes our way soon!”
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
“We have thousands of different dreams. We want to have a farm in Österlen [in southeastern Sweden] when we’re 60, maybe have more children — and open restaurants. In the restaurant, we want to create the same cozy living room feeling we had in the apartment. Half the experience is for people to feel like they are visiting us at home. We are looking at everything from [700 square feet] to [about 4,300 square feet] and hope that the restaurant space comes our way soon!”
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
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Awesome home and cool sweet couple!
I love everything about this place!!!
Swedes know how to make things happen.