Alm Residence by Note Design Studio

The new owners of this Stockholm penthouse had a whole host of beautiful art they wanted to incorporate when renovating its 120 square metres. Creating a natural backdrop to the paintings, sculptures and furniture belonging to the family.

Instead of the typical white walls of a gallery, Note picked a soft and saturated brownish grey to drench all ceilings and walls in – complemented by elm wood for wall panels, interior doors and wardrobes. The perfect combination with little contrast to avoid competing with the art.

As well as adding a background to the art, the large custom-built elm joinery helps frame different activities spatially around the apartment. As does the handmade Kolumba brick fireplace, connecting the dining area to the living room.

"We started with the idea of ​​a classic gallery, but we used a coloured base, instead of a gallery's typical white walls. We also found more personal placements of the artwork, and tried to get away from the usual principle of a painting in the middle of a large wall. We used a a muted, soft and saturated brownish grey, to drench all ceilings and walls in. Stone, curtains and carpets go tone-in-tone with this overall colour. We also wanted to create a framework for the corners in the home you spend most time in, that have specific functions, such as eating, sleeping, and storing favourite things.

Location-built, large elements frame the situations around living and give focus to these settings. These frames consists of big parts of elm wood. The wood and the warm grey colour work well together with very little contrast, and therefore rather highlight than steal any attention from the art"

Photographer: Erik Levander