A Swedish "Fika" – and a Lift – Among the Clouds

Snaring uphill between rocks and pines is a wide, tightly packed gravel road. We continue by foot as the car struggles to get a grip on the gravel. Up high on a mountain peak in southern Roslagen outside of Stockholm, an impressive building stands with twisting floors alternating in concrete and wood, solar panels, and a glass room as the cherry on top. Finishing it off is a rooftop helipad for aerially incoming visitors, like Mark Isitt, host of TV show Grand Designs Sweden, in an episode for the 2021/22 season.

An Aritco HomeLift, apart from making the home more convenient, contributed to the interior as an art piece that catches everyone’s eye.

Jakob and Petra designed the spacious 300 square meter villa themselves. At first, they did not consider a home lift, but since they wanted to have a kitchen and common space on the second floor, accessibility requirements made them reconsider. The requirements state that kitchen, bedroom, and some common space must be on the bottom floor, or that a more accessible solution apart from stairs be added.

Petra, who grew up in an apartment, thought of the idea to install a home lift and Jakob found Aritco by chance. Getting all the legal approvals needed to install a residential elevator turned out to be a bit more complicated than the couple expected. The Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning were not used to dealing with applications for home lifts. Luckily, a bit of help from Aritco made things easier.

“We got in touch with a great guy at Aritco who had full knowledge about the legal requirements. He took care of the communication with the National Board and made sure that everything was correct and smooth. You need a professional who understands the rules on your side” says Jakob.

As we share a few Swedish rolls (a “fika”) with Jakob and Petra in the square glass room located on the rooftop, we see the Aritco HomeLift, designed by the couple, that connects the room to the rest of the house. The lift is a frequent topic of discussion when friends come over.

“Everyone mentions the lift!” says Petra. “It is a detail, an art piece that you just have to gaze at.”

Villa Alsvik is full of details and personality. The couple tell us the lenght they took to design a home that is completely created from their desires and needs. Having patience and taking time is something they advocate to anyone that is planning to build a house.

“Take your time to get to know the location” Jakob suggests. “How does the light and foliage change with the seasons?”

Petra agrees and says that during preparations, Jakob was climbing up trees with his smartphone on a stick to snap photos from all kinds of angles. It was also important for the couple to take care of the environment and keep as many of the plants and trees as possible.

“We have adjusted ourselves to the location, not the other way around. Just imagine how many years it takes for a tree to fully grow” says Jakob.

The home has plenty of interesting details in addition to the Aritco lift. Jakob and Petra share three choices they made in construction which they are particularly happy with. The round holes by the elevator shaft, the 15-degree rotation of the second floor that provides an amazing view of water and woods no matter where you stand, as well as the choice of materials that are mostly steel, concrete and glass, which makes the house sturdy and durable.

“We use the Aritco lift every day, as we transport materials and heavy grocery bags. Thanks to the lift, we also frequently make use of the glass room as it is so easy to get to with food and fika” Jakob concludes.

As numerous times before during our conversation, his eyes drift towards the gorgeous, black home lift that stands out like a proud work of art in the spectacular Grand Designs villa.