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#RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS

HB6B BY KARIN MATZ

A Stockholm renovation that preserves the apartment's past

As our population grows, affordable housing is becoming an increasingly pertinent issue, particularly in densely populated urban areas. Stockholm, Sweden is one such city where prices are constantly climbing and space is limited. As a response, architects and their clients are looking for unused, abandoned space to make their own. The HB6B apartment is one such space.

The 36-square-meter apartment had been used as furniture storage for thirty years when architect Karin Matz began her renovation. A previous owner had begun a renovation in the 1980s, but the project was never completed and the apartment lay dormant until it went up for sale in 2012. Peeling wallpaper, missing tiles and a bare kitchen faucet were all that remained.

Part of the renovation was an optimization of space. The apartment was divided in two. Half of the apartment, including the kitchen, bedroom and major storage space, is contained in a sort of interior box that is entirely new and painted white to lighten the space. The second half of the apartment was left almost untouched.

Rather than cover up the layers of the apartment’s previous lives, the architect decided to leave the walls unfinished. Holes were filled in, loose wallpaper and paint were removed, but the walls remain patchy and rough as a testament to their history.

HB6B BY KARIN MATZ

Details

  • Stockholm, Sweden
  • Karin Matz