A Historic Swedish Home Near Stockholm Steps Into the Light With a Sensitive Restoration
At the idyllic 18th-century Eknäs Gård estate, South African architect Amé Venter has created a home that celebrates Scandinavia’s grounded aesthetic with earthy decor
For architect Amé Venter, founder of Cape Town-based studio AMÉ Architects, designing the interior of a historic Swedish home was an experience that revealed both affinities and contrasts. “My South African heritage isn’t something that I reference overtly in my work, but it has shaped my sensibility in intuitive ways,” she says. “There’s a groundedness in South African design – a respect for craft, for imperfections, for simple forms and materiality – that I carry with me. In Scandinavia, the light is more subdued and the tones are much cooler than what I grew up with, and it was evident on this project that this was something I had to work with.”
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The project in question is Eknäs Gård, located north-east of Stockholm. The estate was built in the late 18th-century and consists of an elegant manor house flanked by two guest wings, surrounded by lush waterside gardens. A symbol of Swedish architectural grace, it soon became a haven for artists, with many immortalising its beauty on canvas. More recently, it evolved into a horse farm and stables, but today it remains a place where art and nature meet, its new owner commissioning Venter to undertake a sensitive restoration of the space.
Venter had already designed one of the client’s previous homes in the South of France, and he was the first person to entrust her with both interior design and architecture. For this historic Swedish home, there was hardly a brief; the process was based entirely on mutual trust. “I wanted to be sensitive and respectful of the context – the house’s patrimony, atmosphere and architectural language,” Venter explains. “I was really drawn to the simplicity of the space and the timelessness and soul that it has; it wasn’t about imposing a style, just revealing the essence of what the house already is.”
The buildings being in good condition, it was decided not to alter them but to focus on décor and updating the outside areas. “We wanted to create a connection between the main villa and the garden, which we achieved by incorporated new pools, terraces that flow from the house, and a beautiful new orangery,” continues Venter, who collaborated with renowned Swedish landscape architect Ulf Nordfjell on reimagining the home’s surroundings. “We had a lovely synergy and learned a lot from each other, coming from different worlds and having different visions,” she says. Furnished with Minotti seating in cream upholstery, wood and wicker, with green cushions that match the foliage, the outdoor lounge treads lightly in the landscape, seeming almost to fuse with nature. Similarly, the orangery is a slender-framed design whose expanses of glass form a discreet presence: modern, yet in tune with the estate’s traditional architecture.
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This subtle approach is also integral to the interior. “For me, what stood out in Sweden was the stillness and the almost silvery light – it felt like my design response should be very quiet and grounded,” Venter reflects. “Anything too bold and expressive wouldn’t feel true to the space. The landscape’s cool grey undertone, the stones, the sky and the timber all have hues that inevitably found their way into the interior. We focused on patina and tactile, honest natural materials: there are a lot of aged woods, bronze, stone and raw linens that add layers of warmth.”
Contemporary and antique furniture is mixed freely, but was chosen with extreme care. “Each piece had to have a presence: there are statement designs like sculptural tables, but we wanted every item to feel like it belonged, as if it has always been there. There was also a conscious effort to balance proportions: not every wall needed to be filled, and sometimes the pause within a room is where its strength lies.”
Venter approached the design slowly and with intention, “without being minimalist at all, but almost distilling the process room by room, sometimes thinking three or four times if we really needed an object or if the room was just an artistic expression in itself”. The result is calming and genuine, with spaces that exude positive energy, but never feel crowded. “I’m drawn to things that don’t just have visual impact, but tell a story and invite emotional resonance,” the designer concludes. “This home wasn’t about filling rooms, but about composing them to find balance.” @ame.venter_
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Emma Jude Jackson1/15Landscape architect Ulf Nordfjell designed the gardens using native flora and elements like granite, steel and timber, creating a landscape that respects the local environment.
Emma Jude Jackson2/15Built in 1776, the manor house of Eknäs Gård sits on the picturesque island of Lidingö outside Stockholm. Flanking it are two guest wings.
Emma Jude Jackson3/15The orangery is a new addition to the property by architect and interior designer Amé Venter, in collaboration with landscape designer Ulf Nordfjell. Its expanses of glass blend seamlessly into the landscape. A hammered-copper room divider by Brian Thoreen sits amid the topiary.
Emma Jude Jackson4/15The custom daybed in the orangery was designed by AMÉ Architects and sits in front of a contemporary fireplace.
Emma Jude Jackson5/15The dining room is furnished with a Synapse table by Massimo Castagna for Henge and Crown armchairs by Massproductions. The Snowflake pendant light is a vintage piece by Paavo Tynell; Silver Emulsion wall sculpture by James Kendall Higgins.
Emma Jude Jackson6/15A desk by Vincenzo De Cotiis in the principal bedroom, against Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Flexible artwork.
Emma Jude Jackson7/15A view into the master suite with a French Art Deco armchair.
Emma Jude Jackson8/15Hans-Agne Jakobsson’s Model B-195 lamps sit by the bed in the master suite; bedlinens by de Le Cuona.
Emma Jude Jackson9/15Vintage Kangaroo chairs by Pierre Jeanneret and a Copal table by Ewe Studio add warmth to the living room. The bull head sculpture is by Hervé Salgado from Galerie Patrick Fourtin; the Untitled (Tremor) artwork on the wall is by Struan Teague. Liseron floor lamp by Liaigre.
Emma Jude Jackson10/15Interior designer Amé Venter in the dining room. The Carole table is by Michel Amar and the Kohiki jar is by Shiro Tsujimura; Gaia pendant light by Ochre; Ohne Titel artwork by Jakob Gasteiger from Richeldis Fine Art.
Emma Jude Jackson11/15Warm materials enhance the living room: the bronze coffee table, glass-and-steel Magma wall light and marble Estela floor light are all by Ewe Studio.
Emma Jude Jackson12/15Art by Anders Leonard Zorn (left) and Peter Beard (right) flanks the doorway in the living room.
Emma Jude Jackson13/15An antique clay bull on top of a BCW adjustable mushroom table by Blackman Cruz.
Emma Jude Jackson14/15In the kitchen, a vintage Dutch Modernist daybed has been reupholstered and scattered with cushions, using fabrics from de Le Cuona and Pierre Frey. The Cab bar chairs are by Mario Bellini for Cassina; the vase and wooden tray are from Studio Oliver Gustav.
Emma Jude Jackson15/15Seating by Minotti on the terrace, in colours that fuse with the landscape. The marble Altar table #8 is by Ewe Studio, and the Monsieur Tricot floor lamps are by Ilia Eckhardt for Tribu.
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