Anna Teurnell’s home in Stockholm is a harmonious marriage of the past and present

Home, work and enjoyable daily life combine in Anna Teurnell’s beautiful and inspiring Stockholm apartment. The home has been updated gently, allowing patina to show in places. Take a tour with Design Stories!

ANNA TEURNELL’S HOMES have always been white and bright. The same goes for her century-old apartment in Stockholm’s Marietorget, where she has lived together with her family for several decades.

The bright and airy, relaxed home has been updated with a fresh coat of white paint on the walls and layer of white pigment soap on the original floorboards every now and then. Otherwise, why change what works – Teurnell knows exactly what she likes.

“A white space is like a blank canvas that inspires to create something new”, Teurnell states.

Her apartment has gradually transformed into a characterful home with a combination of modern classics and family heirlooms. The inviting period apartment provides a spacious backdrop for touches of everyday beauty, including flowers, attractive table settings and numerous works of art, many by her friends.

Books and ordinary household items spice up the home and carry personal meaning for the owners. Function meets aesthetics in perfect balance – here, beauty plays a starring role in life. Teurnell is inspired by the quality of daily life and effortlessness, strongly believing in striking a balance between work, home, and family life.

ANNA TEURNELL IS renowned for her successful career in fashion. Before her role at the helm of the design department of Arket, she was head of design at &Other Stories and H&M as well as creative director at the Finnish brand Marimekko. She now continues to work for Arket on a part-time basis after launching her own brand Teurn Studios, the name deriving from a play of words on her last name.

Since launching her own label, things have been busy in her home office that sprawls across the former rooms of her three sons who have left home, finetuning her brand and her first collections. She launched her first complete clothing line including shoes and other accessories in November 2021.

Working on what you love and fulfilling your dream is very rewarding.

Teurnell knew the risks involved in launching a new brand, but she is driven by a strong desire to create clothing in her signature style for independent women from quality materials, without compromise.

The time had come to turn a new leaf and focus on something with personal meaning. Daily life and work are currently uniquely intertwined but working on what you love and fulfilling your dream is very rewarding.

Teurnell states that also the fashion industry could do with more continuity and durability, a slower pace, and rethinking values. She wants to create quality fashion that stands the test of time and forms adaptable wardrobe staples. Her clothes and shoes are meticulously manufactured from premium materials, many with an artisanal quality. They are classics but with Teurnell’s signature twist, and relaxed and easy-going without the least amount of stiffness. The designer wants to create pieces that can just as well be worn at home, at the office or accessorized for a party.

“It’s amazing to notice I still get inspired by the field I’ve worked in for so long, and the desire to create, experiment and learn burns just as strongly as when I first started out”, says Teurnell.

“The desire to create, experiment and learn burns just as strongly as when I first started out.”

She likes to closely examine vintage clothes and accessories to see how they’ve been made, giving her insight into the characteristics of different materials, work methods, the intended use and required solutions.

In her home office, clothes racks are filled with Teurnell’s designs and her collection of vintage pieces. An impressive array of shoes spills from shelves and windowsills. Tables are decked with fabric samples, sketches, images from her latest collection, product tags, inspiring images, and a box she’s kept simply for its intriguing colour.

TEURNELL’S HOME IS a harmonious marriage of the past and present. The century-old apartment has plenty of soul, any updates to the five tall rooms carried out gently over the years: both the original layout and materials still work perfectly well today.

Each detail and material contribute to the charm of the period apartment.

The unique skirting boards, doorway panelling and cornicing create a charming, slightly boho backdrop for artworks and contemporary and heirloom objects. Rather than decorating, Teurnell has wanted to inject her home with a feelgood factor and everyday beauty, which take the form of evocative objects and her fashion designs.

See also:

• Asun Homes Vol 5 >

Text: Ulla Koskinen Images: Erik Lefvander Styling: Annaleena Leino

This story was originally published in the Asun Homes Volume 5.