Houzz Tours
Swedish Houzz: Simplicity and Meaning in a City Apartment
Essential and treasured items provide just enough personality for this medical student’s three-room flat in Gothenburg
With its white painted floors, light fabrics, inherited items, auction finds and art, Caroline Wass’ three-room apartment in Gothenburg, Sweden, balances minimalism and personality. “During the past few months, I’ve cleaned and sorted out belongings from my home,” she says. “It is now very simple with only a few items. Everything that is left carries a history and reflects me as a person.”
Pendant light: Ikea; side table: Göteborgs Auktionsverk
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Caroline Wass, a scientist and medical student
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Size: 76 square metres
“I fell for this apartment the first time I saw it, even though it was in bad shape and desperately in need of a renovation,” says Wass, pictured. “I think many people were scared of the fact that it needed some care.”
Who lives here: Caroline Wass, a scientist and medical student
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Size: 76 square metres
“I fell for this apartment the first time I saw it, even though it was in bad shape and desperately in need of a renovation,” says Wass, pictured. “I think many people were scared of the fact that it needed some care.”
Wass moved to the apartment, in a 19th-century house near plenty of cafes and restaurants in the heart of Gothenburg, in 2008. At the time, there was just an opening between the bedroom and the living room. “I found the double doors on an internet site and went down to the southern part of Sweden to get them,” she says.
“I love this room. The kitchen and the bathroom had just been renovated by the previous owners, but the rest had to be fixed. I rented a sander and repainted the floors.”
“I love this room. The kitchen and the bathroom had just been renovated by the previous owners, but the rest had to be fixed. I rented a sander and repainted the floors.”
Wass bought this trunk in Toronto. “I lived there for two years while researching neuroscience and schizophrenia,” she says. “One day, I accidentally walked past a yard sale and found this old chest for $25.”
“The walls in the bedroom were in bad condition and needed to be plastered,” Wass says. “When the first layer was done, I realised how nice they looked and decided to keep them that way. The walls are pretty rough now, but it was exactly the feeling I wanted.”
Next to the storage wall is a tiny velvet sofa. Upon seeing it on an auction site, “I was instantly blown away,” Wass says. “But when I went and saw it in real life, I realised it was very small, as if made for dolls. I was surprised! That was not a real sofa. Maybe two kids could sit on it, no more!”
The only storage in this old apartment is a wall in the bedroom with open shelves, two clothes racks and some boxes.
The only storage in this old apartment is a wall in the bedroom with open shelves, two clothes racks and some boxes.
The hats above the sofa were made by her grandmother, who moved to Gothenburg in the ’50s to work as milliner.
Wass drew this sketch in the guest room. She learned to draw while she was in Toronto.
“My mother was very good at it,” she says. “Ever since I was a child, my father, who is an artist, has been dragging me with him to various exhibitions.”
Wass grew up in Värmland, a forested county in central Sweden, where “local artist Lars Lerin became one of my early favourites,” she says. “We often went to see his shows.”
“My mother was very good at it,” she says. “Ever since I was a child, my father, who is an artist, has been dragging me with him to various exhibitions.”
Wass grew up in Värmland, a forested county in central Sweden, where “local artist Lars Lerin became one of my early favourites,” she says. “We often went to see his shows.”
A small desk inherited from her family occupies the other side of the combined guest room and study. “I’ve dedicated the past year to getting rid of unnecessary things as part of a process to simplify life as a whole,” Wass says. “I want to dedicate myself to fewer objects, but with more quality.”
Wass works as a scientist and is in her third year of medical school. “I’ve lived and worked abroad in turns. But right now, I feel at home in Gothenburg, especially in my apartment,” she says.
The red refrigerator in the kitchen is a definite eye-catcher. “That was the first real item I bought for myself,” Wass says. “The coffee machine is another loyal companion. It’s the first thing I head for when I wake up in the morning.”
“Other than that,” she says, “I don’t buy a lot of new things. Most of what I have is inherited. This apartment has become so special to me — in many ways, we have grown together. I like to invite my friends over and share my space. My home reflects who I am.”
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Does your home perfectly reflect your personality and taste? Please share a photo and your thoughts in the Comments below.