Stockholm Houzz Tour: Country Home Doubles as an Art Gallery
When this couple moved to the country, they built the perfect home for their family – and their art gallery
Richard Feigin and Louise Hamilton had a three-room flat in downtown Stockholm, but with a third child on the way they wanted to find more space outside of town. They drove past this plot, which is elevated and overlooks a large bay, and liked the feeling of height and space. But there was already a car garage on the plot – is it even possible to build a house on top of a garage? In the process of answering that question, they also stumbled on another idea: turning that garage into an art gallery.
“We had no idea how to build at all,” Feigin says. “How long does it take? How much does it cost? We had no idea about prices per square foot and building permits and we didn’t know whether it would take 18 months or seven years.”
At first they looked at modular houses, but they would have had to be modified too much to fit the site and the family’s needs, so that idea was abandoned.
At first they looked at modular houses, but they would have had to be modified too much to fit the site and the family’s needs, so that idea was abandoned.
The next-door neighbours had previously owned the land and used it as a garage, which can be seen in the lower left-hand corner of the picture. Hamilton and Feigin had seen architectural firm Elding Oscarson‘s house in Skåne in person, and hired the firm for their own project.
“Of course, we played with ideas and drawings, but then I was completely happy to hand them over – they are the artists, after all,” Feigin says. The entire project took about 18 months before they could move in.
“Of course, we played with ideas and drawings, but then I was completely happy to hand them over – they are the artists, after all,” Feigin says. The entire project took about 18 months before they could move in.
They’d had the idea of building a home that would also have room for an art gallery right from the start. Hamilton had already run a gallery in central Stockholm, NAU Gallery, and when she saw the 150-square-metre garage with its empty walls and floor space, she stumbled on the idea of a home gallery: Studio Rei.
“We wanted to both shake the art world and change the way you look at art,” Hamilton says. “We always buy with the heart and gladly showcase young artists.”
“We wanted to both shake the art world and change the way you look at art,” Hamilton says. “We always buy with the heart and gladly showcase young artists.”
“We’ve never done that thing of buying art to go with the interior,” Feigin says. “We want to get more people to see the value of art and to see that as an alternative to buying a piece of furniture or travelling for many thousands of krona. Sometimes buying artwork instead is better. It’s something that you can enjoy for a long time and that often holds or increases its value if you get the right thing.”
“When we select furnishings and art for the home, they don’t in any way have to match,” Feigin says. “We believe that art has its own place in the home regardless of the interior, and the works must be able to stand on their own.”
But he and Hamilton do not always agree on what to choose. “Sometimes you can’t see what’s good about a piece of work from the beginning, even if the other person does – you have to let it mature,” he says.
But he and Hamilton do not always agree on what to choose. “Sometimes you can’t see what’s good about a piece of work from the beginning, even if the other person does – you have to let it mature,” he says.
Oscarson included Japanese influences in the design, and these are reflected here in the exposed ceiling beams in the living room and in the kitchen.
The home has three storeys. The public area, with the gallery, is in the basement. The main entrance, the kitchen, the living room and a terrace facing the garden are on the ground floor. The impressive staircase brings the whole floor together and leads upstairs to the bedrooms and children’s rooms, which are completely private.
The home has three storeys. The public area, with the gallery, is in the basement. The main entrance, the kitchen, the living room and a terrace facing the garden are on the ground floor. The impressive staircase brings the whole floor together and leads upstairs to the bedrooms and children’s rooms, which are completely private.
The floor in the kitchen and living room is polished concrete with underfloor heating, so no heaters take up valuable space on the walls. The kitchen budget was rock solid, so the couple just looked for the best options they could find within their resources, and landed at Kvänum. “What is usually called ‘luxury’ is not our thing. We would like to have a consistently high level of materials, but after living in the city, it is a luxury just to have your own laundry room!”
The stairs down to the gallery weigh several tons but are not load bearing. This space is used for Studio Rei openings and exhibitions, and also as a recreational area for the family. “There are usually some skates and other things down here in between events,” Feigin says.
Art by Julia Peirone. From left: Sophie (2011), Klara (2010) and Susanna (2011).
Art by Julia Peirone. From left: Sophie (2011), Klara (2010) and Susanna (2011).
From the hallway you enter the front of the old garage, with garage doors that can be opened during events. A storage room and laundry room are accessed through doors in the hallway.
Art by Julia Peirone: Lotta (2014).
Art by Julia Peirone: Lotta (2014).
“Many people hang their art too high at home,” Feigin says. “One rule is that paintings should be hung so the top is about 174 centimetres high, but you can customise based on your own eye level when standing in front of them.”
On the top floor is Hamilton and Feigin’s private zone. “When you have toddlers you don’t get out as much, and travelling becomes more complicated, so we’ve created a kind of ‘in-house staycation’ with a reading corner, a lovely bathroom and beds with a holiday view.”
Sitting in this chair and looking out over the treetops while reading is also an everyday luxury. The sight lines throughout the house were carefully planned around the trees and nature outside. The ceilings upstairs are clad in plywood because white ceilings would have felt a little clinical.
The floor of the master bathroom is finished in Verde Alpi marble from northern Italy, where the couple’s next project will take place. “Once you’ve built something, you get a bit enthusiastic. For us, creating a dream house in northern Italy seems so right,” Feigin says.
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What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, save the story, and join in the conversation.
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Find a renovation professional in Singapore
Browse Singapore photos for design inspiration
House at a Glance
Who lives here? Richard Feigin, Louise Hamilton and their three young daughters. Along with lots of artwork in their home gallery, Studio Rei
Location: Lidingö, Stockholm, Sweden
Size: 280 square metres in the house and about 340 square metres in the double garage, which is now a gallery
Architects: Elding Oscarson