A Well-Preserved 1940s Townhouse Designed by Sweden’s First Female Architect

This beautifully whitewashed, exceptionally well-preserved gabled townhouse is idyllically situated and surrounded by a charming garden with many original details intact. Designed in 1946 by Ingrid Wallberg, Sweden’s first female architect, it showcases the clean lines and functionalist principles characteristic of her work.

The home exudes warmth and character, not least thanks to its working fireplace. Its proportions are well balanced, with inviting social spaces and a living room that flows seamlessly into the dining area in an open-plan layout. A fully glazed door opens onto a paved west-facing terrace, offering afternoon and evening sun.

Beyond its cozy atmosphere, this townhouse represents a piece of Swedish architectural heritage by one of the country’s earliest and most influential female architects.

Ingrid Wallberg was a pioneer who became the first woman in Sweden to establish her own architectural firm.

Her design language embraced functionalist ideals, light façades, large windows, and innovative, efficient floor plans where every square meter serves a purpose.

Many of Wallberg’s signature elements are present here: the practical layout, integrated storage solutions, and the compact yet highly considered kitchen originally designed for preparing meals to be enjoyed in the adjacent dining room.

The ground floor is home to a beautiful open-plan living and dining room with windows in three directions and a door leading to the garden.

The pretty functionalist fireplace lights up the dining area.

The walls are wallpapered and painted in green tones, and the floor has the preserved herringbone parquet.

The living room is spacious, and there is room for a cozy seating area in one corner, while the other end can be used as a home office or a home library.

This corner is now used as a music room. The large windows are typical for houses built in the 1940s, and they bring in a lot of natural light.

On the other side of the fireplace is the spacious dining area, which is also connected to the kitchen.

The large dining room windows are decorated with blinds using the ‘Lotus’ pattern from Gp & J Baker.

The classic 1940s kitchen with a linoleum checkerboard floor can be accessed via the dining room and the hallway.

The kitchen countertop is made of light, easy-care laminate with the tangle pattern, created by Sigvard Bernadotte and now a Swedish design classic.

The area above is covered with typical white 15×15 cm tiles up to the ceiling, a classic design choice for kitchens of this period. 

You have a pretty view of the garden (now beautifully snow-covered) from the kitchen window.

There is plenty of storage space, and the cabinets have light green doors and drawers with stylish handles.

The guest toilet is decorated with the 1950s ‘Annika’ wallpaper from Duro.

The open hall is decorated with a warm, ochre yellow wallpaper.

The hall upstairs features the same ochre-yellow wallpaper, paired with a classic parquet floor in a Dutch pattern.

There are four bedrooms on the first floor. One of the rooms, with a spacious balcony, is used as a second sitting room with ochre-yellow walls, a cane sofa, and a checkerboard rug.

One of the rooms is a light children’s room with white-painted floorboards, light gray walls, a loft bed, and built-in wardrobes.

A beautiful antique desk stands in front of the window.

The largest room on the first floor features calm, light blue walls, dark gray painted floorboards, and four built-in wardrobes.

A small home office, with a midcentury desk and upper cabinets, is created in the corner of the hallway.

The family bathroom has been stylishly renovated in a typical midcentury style with the classic white tilework that runs up to the ceiling. This is paired with a double sink and black hexagon floor tiles.

A gray wooden staircase decorated with the ‘Masterpiece’ wallpaper from Eijffinger leads you to the attic floor, which has been turned into a beautiful master suite.

Despite being on the top floor with slanted ceilings, the master bedroom is light thanks to four charming skylights and a practical French balcony, which brings in plenty of light.

The paneled walls are painted in a soothing gray shade, and the newly laid oak floor features the same Dutch pattern as the parquet floor on the floor below.

The master suite even has a cozy seating area.

The modern en-suite bathroom features fresh white wall tiles and a geometric green floor.

The basement floor features multiple other rooms, including a spacious utility room with walls decorated with the ‘Blomsterhav’ wallpaper from Borastapeter.

styling by LivinDeco and photography by Mariette Svensson for Stadshem.