Matilda Djerf welcomes me into her tranquil 1890s apartment in Stockholm with infectious warmth and enthusiasm. “The moment Rasmus and I walked into this house, we knew it had to be ours,” she says, her eyes lighting up. “I saw the three working fireplaces, each adorned with delicate botanicals, and I just knew… It’s so rare to find features like these intact in Sweden. I suppose this place skipped the whole beige minimalism trend.”
Djerf only moved into the apartment with her partner in life and work, Rasmus Johansson, back in February, but she’s already made it her own. The couple’s approach to the interiors is as unpretentious as it is elegant, with its warm minimalism complemented by Matilda’s creations for her company, Djerf Avenue. “This space had to feel safe and calming for me,” Djerf explains. “After a long day at the office, I need my home to be tidy and peaceful.”
Every corner of the apartment reflects Matilda’s affinity for Swedish design and passion for travel. “While I wanted an airy interior, I didn’t want it to feel sterile,” she continues. “I mixed in antiques to celebrate the building’s historic bones.” Among her treasures: a golden chandelier created by Svenskt Tenn’s Josef Frank and a 19th-century Bankers Lamp, purchased from the Swedish boutique Sekelskifte.
She’s incorporated nods to her personal history at every turn, too. Take the guest bathroom, for instance. “This is where I got to be playful,” she says, with the décor inspired by her grandparents’ summer house. “I remember their retro green wallpaper with sunflowers, and now I have my version here,” she tells me happily before pointing out cherub-shaped soaps and sunshine-yellow Terra Studios tiles.
The pièce de résistance? The walk-in closet, naturally. “This room was non-negotiable,” she reveals. “It used to be the primary bedroom, but now it’s my cabinet of fashion curiosities.” The bijou room, reminiscent of a Parisian atelier, prioritises style over square footage, with racks of clothing and shoes displayed gallery-style. “I’m a bit embarrassed by how many shoes I have,” Matilda admits with a laugh, admiring a pair of Yves Saint Laurent heels. “These are too high to wear often, but they’re just too beautiful not to display.”
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“Nothing here is staged—although it may look perfectly neat, that’s just how I like it,” Djerf says.
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Matilda’s flowers are hand-picked from her preferred florist, Liza Langen—although she’s a fan of Botané’s artificial poppies, too.
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The stone island and kitchen cabinetry were made by local artisans to complement the history of the building, which dates back to the 1890s.
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“My friends are waiting for a dinner party invitation,” Djerf, who’s known as the consummate hostess, quips. “In the fall, I’ll send out the invitations. I just had to wait a long time for the dining room table to arrive—hence the delay.”
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“I’m such a breakfast person,” the 27-year-old tells Vogue. “I have my coffee here every morning… We go all out. I make traditional Morning Buns from scratch.” When dinner swings around, though, her signature dish is Swedish Tacopaj.
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Ordered from Kasanai and flanked by a set of furry teddy-bear chairs, the dining room table was “worth the wait,” says Matilda.
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A sandalwood and lilac scent wafts through the apartment—part of Djerf’s plans for an impending candle line.
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A midcentury-modern “Sputnik” chandelier illuminates the living area.
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Matilda has always known that she wanted to create her own fashion line, she tells Vogue. “Even as a child, I would dress in my mother’s clothes and create my looks.”
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The guest bathroom is filled with sunshine-yellow Terra Studios tiles in a nod to Djerf’s grandparents’ holiday home.
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A 19th-century Bankers Lamp, purchased from the Swedish boutique Sekelskifte, which specialises in objects created between 1880 and 1930.
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“I’m a bit embarrassed by how many shoes I have…” she admits with a laugh.
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Matilda’s walk-in wardrobe used to be the apartment’s main bedroom, with her shoes now displayed on its shelves in a gallery-like fashion.
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“My favourite room is the bedroom,” Djerf notes. “My goal was to make it feel like a hotel. Initially, I wanted a white space for calm, but my gut told me to go with soft blue instead, and I’m so glad I did.”
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Note the metallic chair in the entryway—a prized find from the Scandinavian brand FRAMA. “It’s the Triangolo Chair by Per Holland Bastrup,” Matilda says with pride.
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Djerf’s dedicated manifest pinboard, featuring a recipe for lasagne; a note from her boyfriend Rasmus Johansson that reads, “You’re my entrepreneur every day”; and an extract from “The One Path to Serenity”.
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Photographs and sketches of Rufus, Djerf’s beloved pup, line the walnut cabinetry.
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The bed frame in the master suite comes via YLSE Design, while the gingham bedsheets are from Djerf Avenue.
This story was originally published on British Vogue.
