From Sweden with Love: A Romantic Captain's Seaside Villa - Gardenista
Real estate moment: We recently spotted for sale a renovated white clapboard captain’s villa and boathouse on the harbor in Fjällbacka, a remote resort town on the western edge of Sweden known for its fishing and its pull on Ingrid Bergman’s heart (she summered on a nearby island just off the coast). Photography via Anna Ski. Built in 1924, the complex recently underwent a complete remodel, getting a new facade and windows, a new roof and gutters, a sauna, and new patios and fencing. Once owned by former Volvo chairman Håkan Frisinger, the house is landmark in Fjällbacka, where it sits on a prime waterfront lot. The front gate is decorated with seashells collected locally. A covered front porch has stained glass windows and a double entryway door. Indoors, a wall of full-height window open onto the dock to connect the living and dining rooms to the outdoor space. From the water, a view of the red-roofed house and its adjacent red-stained boathouse. The boathouse’s private dock ; swimming and watching seagulls are two popular local pastimes. The boathouse has a kitchen, bathroom, and three bedrooms. Built-in seating is sited to take advantage of the sunset. Inside the boathouse, a large seating area is also suitable for dining. A sauna on the ground floor of the main house is adjacent to both the dock and a hot tub. In the kitchen is made-to-order cabinetry from family-owned woodworkers Lidhults, appliances from Aga and Gaggenau, concrete countertops, a Corian-topped center island, and an apron front farmhouse sink. During the recent remodel, a custom fireplace was added to the main floor of the house. Watery green tile and whitewashed shiplap cover the walls in a bathroom in the main house. Green paint in an upstairs bedroom echoes the watery color of the bathroom tile. Bedroom windows over the harbor, sea, and an archipelago of nearby islands. The house fronts the town’s main waterside street.