Big City Vibes, Small Town Feeling

One of Sweden’s most culturally rich cities, Uppsala is host to one of the most ambitious residential architecture projects in recent years. The project Liljegatan 1, by Genova Properties and drafted by Kjellander Sjöberg architects, is a development that’s staggeringly well conceived but also sympathetic to its surroundings and its future dwellers. We caught up with Sylvia Neiglick and Ola Kjellander who gave us some insider info on the build. 

“The project lies in an old villa quarter of the city, a short stroll from the station and in a sort of transition plot which bridges from the villas on one side to the more developed part of the city. You can feel an organic change in the pace from the villas, through Liljegatan 1 and onwards into the centre.”

Sylvia Neiglick

Originally the development was drawn up with a brick facade, which eventually morphed into a softer cladding, but the wooden ‘boxing in’ of the balconies and windows remains true to the original intention. It’s apartment living, but clearly a huge stylistic leap from the typical modular concrete ‘build by numbers’ developments often seen in inner city developments.

“Three oversized city villas which we then began to manipulate and pull out cuboid volumes which are resolved around a ground level convenience store, which we’ve managed to tie into the build without it jarring in an aesthetic sense.”

Ola Kjellander

There’s lots to take in for the passer by, the facade with its protruding balconies and overhangs galore, set against the pale, easy-on-the-eye sandy hue.

“We wanted to make Liljegatan 1 feel like it’s not just the apartments within it which have been considered fully. So the social spaces like the entrance lobby and stairwells are also integrated into the architecture, to give a sense of welcoming warmth to residents.” 

Ola Kjellander

This level of elevated design that runs all the way from the front door to the apartments also adds a sense of belonging and ownership to each dweller, Buster + Punch makes an intervention in these spaces.

“We’ve used Buster + Punch for a long time – pretty much as soon as the brand launched and pieces became available to buy! Not just in our projects either but also in our own office, they’re guaranteed conversation starters when clients visit. There’s a tactility and contrast which the hardware and lighting brings to a space that makes it very easy to design with. Our office has a mix of raw materials and the metals Buster + Punch offers seems to slot perfectly into this sort of environment.”

Sylvia Neiglick

For Liljegatan 1, the architects explore a blend of materials and colours that hint at the classic architecture from Uppsala’s past but with slick modern touches. It’s perfectly pitched at the intended audience with a sense that you’re engaging with premium Scandinavian interior design at its best. From the cubed parquet flooring to stone surfaces that wrap the kitchen and BRASS Buster + Punch hardware begging for your touch.

“It’s an authentic architectural consolidation of its surrounding reference points with real materials throughout and a deep level of design that Uppsala’s scholars would have appreciated,” conclude the architects.

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