Patriam Kvarnholmen Stillavik

A living neighbourhood by the water

Today, Kvarnholmen is a growing neighbourhood close to both the archipelago and the city. Here, you’ll find everything that makes an area feel alive and complete: cafes, preschools, grocery store, restaurants and local services. Here, too, is the popular Ebba Brahe school – an upper secondary school and independent F-9 school. The waterside walks by Saltsjön and Svindersviken have become popular everyday routes, while green areas and nature reserves are linked together with pedestrian and bicycle paths.

Stillavik is located in the protected Svindersviken on the way into Stockholm. A new harbour for small boats is to be built in the bay, making it possible to have a private boat mooring close to home.

Here, you’ll live in a culturally historic setting by the water, with Nacka Reserve and Stockholm’s city centre within cycling distance.

Architecture that opens towards the view

Start with the site, and then create timeless architecture with an individual character: this is how the architects behind Stillavik approach their projects. Anders Hiller and Fredrik Evensen at Hermansson Hiller Lundberg Arkitekter took the unique location by the water as their starting point when they sat at the drawing board. Here they describe how openness became the keyword in their work.

It’s not often you get the chance to design a building with such an exciting location. Because the building is literally on the water, we wanted to create an architecture that is all about openness. The sweeping balcony lines that run all around the building and the full-height windows provide constant contact with the sea and the view, however you move through the rooms.

All our projects start with a site. We then work on an architecture that takes full advantage of the qualities of the site and at the same time allows the house to become a distinct figure in the new district. Really good architecture should also be timeless. It should feel obvious on first acquaintance, and then get better over time. For us, it’s also important that you feel great when you come home. And once you’ve lived here for a long time, you should be delighted that the qualities stand the test of time.

To achieve this, we work with classic materials and colour tones. The outside facing the street has a plastered facade, while the side facing the water, inside the balconies, has wooden panelling, and the framed windows form a more tactile character. This creates a harmonious overall effect that complements this unique location.

Few areas have such a rich mix of qualities: the archipelago character, the industrial heritage that has been managed and renewed, and a contemporary neighbourhood. Our ambition in our work with Stillavik was that everyone living here should really feel that the water is their neighbour, that the patios with the open view of the sea would become the heart of the home and the place for many wonderful evenings in the evening sun setting.

Interior design that enhances the whole

Lotta Agaton is one of Sweden’s most prominent interior designers and has collaborated with Patriam on several previous projects. When she took on Stillavik, the proximity to the sea was the starting point of her creative process.

What feels most unique about Stillavik?

I love Stockholm’s archipelago and being on the sea, so living literally on the water at the entrance to the city is completely unique and an incredible luxury in everyday life.

What feeling did you want to create in your homes, and why?

I wanted to create a style that enhanced the architecture and was both modern and timeless. To enhance the world of nature and the sea outside, I chose to work with many different textures, natural tone-on-tone colours and accent colours in green, so that the interior design would reflect this special place and the environment around it.

How would you describe your design philosophy?

For me, it’s important to create a timeless interior that lasts over time, and to choose materials that age beautifully. It’s about not falling for the latest trends, but choosing a base that you feel you can live with for a long time. Sustainable interior design is an important aspect of every project we work on.

How do you balance functionality and aesthetics when working with premium housing? 

Functionality is very important. If the home doesn’t work in everyday life – with good storage, for example – it won’t look nice anyway, because it’s impossible to keep things neat around you. But I can never compromise on aesthetics, so they have to go hand in hand. One doesn’t work without the other.

The bathrooms are cleverly designed to combine function and relaxation. There’s plenty of storage in the chest of drawers and the wall cabinets, and some apartments have bathtubs. The appliances come from Smeg and the worktop above the washing machine and dryer are made of the same material as the floor.

The light oak parquet, the warm colours and the glitter of the sea outside the window. This is a bedroom you want to wake up in. A calming environment where the day can both start and end in a relaxing way. The storage in the room is spacious, with wardrobes that extend from floor to ceiling.

The inviting and spacious social areas provide space for both everyday meals and large dinners with friends. Linen beige frame doors provide a warm expression, while open shelves in light oak and a worktop and limestone splash guard add a timeless feel. White goods from Smeg blend in ideally. Kitchen island and wine cooler are available as options.

Freedom, space and sea

At the top of Stillavik are three attic floors, each with its own special character. The extra high ceiling height gives a sense of space, and the building’s location over the bay adds air and freedom. Here, the architects have combined classic attic attributes such as skylights and pitched roofs with something more unusual: a spacious balcony along the entire body of the house. The result is an extraordinary living area where the sea in the tranquil bay is literally under your feet.

All floors feature consistently warm tone-on-tone colours and durable, timeless quality materials. Light oak flooring and carefully selected interior details connect not only the rooms, but also the interior with the natural world outside. Floor-to-ceiling windows open up and make the view part of your home, wherever you are.  The larger four-bedroom apartments have a spacious master bedroom with a private bathroom and walk-in closet.

There is plenty of space here, both inside the apartment and on the balcony, to invite friends to dinners and parties with Stockholm’s silhouette as their closest neighbour. Or just to lean back, open the doors towards the water and follow the sun’s progress across the vast sky outside.