Discover, preserve, recreate. A garden is in a state of constant change. Caring for an old garden is therefore not about freezing a state. Instead, it is about getting to know the garden in order to best preserve its various elements for the future.

In his role as a garden antiquarian, André Strömqvist has extensive experience of older environments and, as a gardener, the necessary practical knowledge.

He describes how we can find clues, interpret what we see and set a level of ambition that works. He guides us through the different parts of the garden in the form of flower beds, hedges, stone paths and fruit trees. He describes how we can go about caring for, restoring and recreating the various parts, and lets history in the form of pioneers of older times, methods and cultural varieties arouse curiosity and inspiration.

Photo: André Strömqvist

Houses made of slag – many have never seen them, others stand in awe of the slag bricks that shimmer in blue, green, gray and even change color with the light. Intriguing structures, tiny lumps of iron, charcoal striations – what can’t you find when you take a closer look at the building material? What is it, many people ask today. When were the houses built? Why was cinder block made?

Slagstone is our first artificial building stone, used in ore fields as an alternative to building timber. The forest was needed for the production of charcoal, the fuel for smelting ore and the extraction of copper and iron. The metals were exported, bringing income to Sweden and raising people’s standard of living. Slag was a by-product of metal production. The metals have been sold around the world, the workplaces are closed down and gone – but the slag remains and tells us – about ores and technological development, about heavy manual labor and skilled craftsmanship. No two cinder blocks are the same. Never again can one be made.

DESCRIPTION The book aims to raise awareness of the buildings. The oldest ones date from the 18th century, the youngest from the early 20th century. They are churches or cellars and everything in between. The pictures aim to show how amazing the buildings are and the text provides information about their background, construction and care. The hope is that people will be inspired to take pride in the slag houses and care for these unique buildings, made from a material that is irreplaceable today.

TIP Don’t forget to take a look at our beautiful Bagarstuga in Gysinge, which is built of cinder block.

The book provides an illustrative picture of the standard and style development of kitchens and bathrooms in Sweden’s apartment buildings and detached houses. The design and equipment of kitchens and bathrooms follow the spirit of the times through the decades, both technically and functionally. At the same time, history bears clear traces of how the view of housework and life in the home has changed over time.

The story begins in the 1880s, when many cities are growing rapidly in the wake of industrialization. There is a housing shortage and economic conditions are tight. Homes are heated by tiled stoves or fireplaces, food is cooked on wood stoves and there are dry toilets in the yard. 120 years later, in 2000, when the story ends, high standards in kitchens and bathrooms are a matter of course. New trends follow one another and many kitchens and bathrooms are torn out and rebuilt, long before it is technically necessary.

Increased knowledge of period interiors is a valuable basis for conservation, renovation and remodeling. Inspiration can be drawn from the floor plans, kitchen layouts and furnishings of different periods.

Cecilia Björk architect SAR/MSA and Laila Reppen architect SAR/MSA are authors and illustrators of books such as Så byggdes husen 1880-2000, Så byggdes staden, Så byggdes villan and Tidstypiskt. Gustav Bergström, “Rävjägaren”, is a civil engineer as well as a writer and opinion leader in architecture and building conservation.

The book is nominated for Book of the Year 2020.

Stylistic shifts in everyday architecture
Tidstypiskt gives those who influence and develop residential buildings and interiors a tool to base long-term sustainable management and development of the building stock on knowledge of existing values.

The authors take us on a hundred-year journey through stylistic changes in everyday architecture. Typical building details from Stockholm are presented decade by decade. From the classicist architecture of the 1880s via the stripped-down functionalism of the 1930s to the 1970s return to the grammar of the stone city as an ideal.

The building details vary with the prevailing architectural style, from the composition of the facades to the division of the windows and the design of the door handles. The reader is given the opportunity to learn and interpret the buildings and details of different periods. Knowledge provides richer experiences and constantly new impressions of everyday architecture – our built cultural heritage.

Photographs and drawings clearly show the development of residential buildings in the city and the traces left by different styles.

A drawing section makes it possible to date door linings and floor plinths – or to use the drawings to make new ones.

The book is aimed at architects, real estate developers, property managers, property owners, but also at housing associations and homeowners. The book is also suitable for teaching purposes.