A breathtaking home created by the man who 'built the most beautiful building in Sweden'
The Grand residence at Kungsholmen is a magnificent home that bears the fingerprints of genius.
Alfred Hellerström came from nothing. Born in 1863 as the seventh son of a carpenter, who was himself the illegitimate son of a land owner in the tip of Sweden's rural south, he was bright enough to earn a place studying at the local grammar school, but left while barely more than a child to start working in construction in Stockholm.
His passion for learning continued to fire him — he alternated working with study — but his limited formal education almost stopped this promising career from taking place. Eventually, thanks at one point to a friend of his brother, and at another to special dispensation granted by the Swedish royal family, he came through two of the most prestigious institutions in Scandinavia, the KTH and KKH (in English the Royal Institute of Technology and Royal Academy of Fine Arts respectively).
A glittering architectural career thus came to fruition, and Hellerström ended up designing dozens of wonderful buildings in his homeland — not least the exquisite Lund University Library, recently voted the most beautiful building in Sweden.
The ivy-clad Lund University Library, one of the best-loved buildings in Sweden.
A ripple of excitement has gone through the property market in Sweden, then, with an apartment in Stockholm’s Kungsholmen neighbourhood designed by Hellerström coming on to the market via Sotheby's International Realty Sweden.
The excitement is all the greater when you see inside the Grand residence at Kungsholmen, for in 2010 the property underwent restoration, with four of the grandest rooms — all protected under Sweden's listing system — being returned to their original condition.
Officially listed as 'price on application' — though you can expect to pay around £4.5 million — the Grand residence at Kungsholmen has four great salons which are the centrepiece of the property.
There are also three bedrooms, a kitchen-dining room and two bathrooms. The kitchen and one of the bedrooms have outdoor terraces.
The apartment was originally built for Carl Becker — a chemist-turned-industrialist whose company still bears his name today — and his wife Elisabeth Becker, who lived here from the time it was completed for the rest of their lives.
And indeed, why would you leave? This house, as the agents put it, 'sits at the intersection of architectural history and artistic significance'. As well as the architecture — huge ceilings, impressive stucco work, tiling, and mirrors — the furniture and fittings have been magnificently curated.
The ceiling paintings are a particular highlight, and the work of Vicke Andrén, an artist celebrated for his work at the Royal Swedish Opera house. Unsurprisingly, the restoration carried out here has won awards: the apartment received the Stockholm Heritage Association’s Building Prize in 2012.
For sale via Sotheby's International Realty Sweden — see more details.
