Stockholm’s Mono development leads the way in a new wave of outdoor Scandi living
Some put it down to global warming, others say it’s thanks to improvements in garden technology, whichever, the building boom in Stockholm has seen a rise in outdoor living. Bars, clubs and cafes with terraces offering al fresco dining are on the rise and a clutch of new residential developments are bringing the outdoors into their schemes.
This autumn, BIG architects and Oscar properties unveils 79 & Park, a dramatic complex of 140 foliage-covered apartments in the Gärdet district; and Mono, a new block with its own restaurant and roof terrace, which has just celebrated its opening in the sought-after district of Sodermalm. All 59 apartments, devised by Koncept Stockholm and Note Design Studio, were sold by autumn 2016, even before work broke ground. Designers, entrepreneurs and architects who colonise this part of the city queued to buy the compact spaces, which favour colour and decor over white Swedish functionalism.
Mono’s sedum roof and outdoor terrace was devised by British landscape designer Daniel Bell. Since moving to Stockholm three years ago, Bell has noticed an ennui among urbanites for the typical Stockholm garden which is ‘rather conservative, all straight lines of bamboo and buxus and stone.’ His informal schemes, which border on the wild and include exotic hardwearing trees such as the Manchurian Walnut, Indian Bean tree and Silver willow are as popular in the salubrious suburbs of Sodermalm and Djursholm as they are in tricky urban spots, such as the under the arches of Tradgarden nightclub where he has created living wall.
‘Stockholm is built on rock. You see pines and silver birch trees growing out of crevices everywhere, surviving on minerals,' Bell explains. ‘Yes, winters are harsh, but plants do grow, and Stockholmers are seeing that it’s possible to eat and drink outdoors for a large part of the year.’
INFORMATION
For more information visit the Note Design Studio website and the Daniel Bell website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Emma O'Kelly is a freelance journalist and author based in London. Her books include Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat and she is currently working on a UK guide to wild saunas, due to be published in 2025.
-
The new Frederic Church Center at Olana complements its leafy Upstate New York site
Tour the Frederic Church Center for Architecture and Landscape, now open at Olana, a historic site in Upstate New York, courtesy of architecture studio ARO
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper editors have been doing this week
A week of jetsetting has seen the editors in Tokyo, Milan, Vienna, Miami, New York and drinking Guinness with Jonathan Anderson in London
By Bill Prince Published
-
The Living Places experiment: how can architecture foster future wellbeing?
Research initiative Living Places Copenhagen tests ideas around internal comfort and sustainable architecture standards to push the envelope on how contemporary homes and cities can be designed with wellness at their heart
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Light, nature and modernist architecture: welcome to the reimagined Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens and its modernist Roberto Burle Marx-designed greenhouse get a makeover by Weiss/Manfredi and Reed Hildebrand in the US
By Ian Volner Published
-
This Swedish summer house is a family's serene retreat by the trees and the Baltic sea
Horsö, a Swedish summer house by Atelier Alba is a playfully elegant retreat by the Kalmarsund Sea and a natural reserve
By Smilian Cibic Published
-
Explore wood architecture, Paris' new timber tower and how to make sustainable construction look ‘iconic’
A new timber tower brings wood architecture into sharp focus in Paris and highlights ways to craft buildings that are both sustainable and look great: we spoke to project architects LAN, and explore the genre through further examples
By Amy Serafin Published
-
This Stockholm house cascades towards the Swedish seashore
A private Stockholm house by Ström Architects makes the most of its natural setting, while creating a serene haven for its owners
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Architectural gardens around the world to soothe the soul
From small domestic gardens, to nature reserves, urban interventions and local parks, here are some of the finest green projects that place nature at their heart
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Cabin Kiladalen in Sweden takes architectural reuse to the next level
Cabin Kiladalen by Vardehaugen started its life in an Oslo exhibition, but has now found a second life as a Swedish lakeside retreat
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Vemdalen Villas brings contemporary minimalism to the skiing experience
The family of dwellings at Vemdalen Villas, designed by architecture studio Hesselbrand, creates a contemporary skiing experience in the Swedish countryside
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tour Hallen, architect Åsa Hjort’s minimalist Swedish home
Hallen by Åsa Hjort is a minimalist home in the Swedish countryside, making the most of its serene, leafy location
By Ellie Stathaki Published