The grandly decorated drawing room on the main floor. Photo: Mattias Ek.

The Ornamental Stucco Master’s Apartment 1884

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Experience an upper-middle class apartment in the late 19th century.

Step back into a wealthy late 19th-century home. Axel Notini was one of Stockholm’s leading stucco craftsmen during the late 1800s. His apartment prefectly captures wealthy middle-class life. Notini built the property himself, richly decorating it with interior and exterior plasterwork. He used his home as a showroom to impress prospective clients with his skills.

The apartment has been fully restored to its original condition and furnished in the authentic style of the era. On guided tours, visitors can see what a drawing room, library, and bedroom could look like in a bourgeois home.

Photo: Mattias Ek.

The continental floor plan

During the 1890s, the so-called “continental” floor plan became fashionable in bourgeois apartments. The ideas came from Germany and France. Previously, people had to walk straight through every room to get around. Now, inner halls, corridors, and connecting rooms were introduced to link the home together.

The layout divided the home into a public area and a private area. The elegant drawing rooms and dining rooms faced the street to impress guests. Instead, the bedrooms and kitchen were placed facing the quieter courtyard. The domestic staff also had their own passages and entrances, so they did not bump into the family.

Facts about the Stucco Master’s Apartment

Address: David Bagares gata 10, Norrmalm
Year built: 1884
Floor area: 174 square metres
Became a museum apartment: 1998
Amenities (original): Earth closets, cold running water, tiled stoves, a kitchen with a wood-burning stove and larder for cool storage.

Number of rooms: 6 plus kitchen
Rooms: Drawing room, dining room, gentleman’s study/library, master bedroom, nursery, maid's room, kitchen, two indoor earth closets, butler's pantry and hallway.

Explaining stucco

Stucco is a decorative plasterwork used to embellish walls and ceilings. It is cast in plaster of Paris (gypsum), an affordable and highly versatile material. To add elegance, it is often painted or gilded.

Sweden has used stucco to decorate grand interiors since the 16th century. In Stockholm, stucco had its heyday in the 19th century, even in simpler apartments. But we can also find stucco in 1930s functionalism houses.

Experience the apartment

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