We first saw this beautiful Stockholm apartment when it was for sale in 2007. We were drooling over the beautiful open space, gorgeous lighting, amazing views, and the architectural details. The idea of living in it was like a dream that you never want to wake up from.
We just found out that the new owners and their designers changed it quite a bit and not for the better.
The "new" apartment was featured on a popular Swedish TV Show "Design: Simon & Tomas" and we were very disappointed with the results. The skeleton seems to be intact so maybe we could persuade them to undo what they have done or we can pretend that we never saw the final outcome on emmas designblogg.
The "Old" Apartment:
The "New" Apartment:
From what we can tell on the TV Show's website, the idea was to convert new owners' luxurious, but boring living room to a cozy lounge for cocktail parties and family get-togethers. The purple couch, cannon balls on the wall, copper tubes on the ceiling, blue lights and a light blue ceiling were introduced to connect the interior space with the blue sky and the beautiful view from the apartment. Without any hesitation we vote for the old design. What do you think?
Photos: Emmas designblogg
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What a wreck!
holy shit!!! that's awful!
-shudder- I mean, I could have done with a little more color, but they have traded in class and elegant minimalism for a night at the Roxbury.
Shame on you new owners! How dare you "express yo self" to such distruction.
YIKES. I can't even say something nice like "well, it's not my taste."
Do they charge a cover?
So they turned it into a night club!! haha that's horrible.
hands down old design........i mean was this a candid camera type of program? am i missing the punch line in the "new design"?
(note : remained in shock in front of his screen during at least 30 seconds after his first post, then cried befor posting this note)
I loved the old dining room library.
The 'new' version looks like a '70's coke lounge.
Aaaghhh!!!
The horror! The horror!
=P
Looks as if the new owners entirely missed the point of the place. The living room looks like a disco lounge now, or maybe a Karaoke bar.
What a shame.
Disco lives !
only proves that you can have tons of money and no taste
i believe this is a "design" show called "What the Heck Are You Thinking"
How terribly sad.......it's awful, tragic, and just plain stupid.
LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE!
Haha, I'm amused that someone else immediately thought of Night at the Roxbury. It's undeniably nightclubby.
:-O
- ''MURDER! MURDER!'' she screamed.
gross.
This is how I feel when I see antiques painted glossy white. Why? Why?
Love the old apartment!
And the ceilings !!!!
*goes and bangs her head against the wall*
That looks like what I call HGTV decorating. Do you think they paid someone to do that? Criminal.
Such a shame.
oh, dear jesus. no
The old one looked so good...
Ick.
Oh, it's not that bad. Not everyone goes for the Spartan, minimalist look. I definitely like the "old" version better-- it fits much better with the bones of the space-- but the new version is simply a different aesthetic. It's not terrible.
Good lord, what were they thinking? I actually feel sorry for that apartment. it looks like a discoteque!!!! Somebody save it!
i felt badly for the new owners when i read the post title, but, oh dear, "gone bad" may be the understatement of the week. i want to cry.
Old: to die for
New: dead
But, I didn't see any pics of old dining space with beams...maybe that is the same? (hopefully)
To be honest, I don't care for either one. Their are elements of the old apartment that I like, but it is just blindingly white. The new apartment evokes 70's disco-tacky.
boooo
old one was too spartan for my taste (though dining room plus wall of shelves was quite yummy). New one is too dark for my taste (though I like the jackson pollock-esque painting). To each his (or her) own. I'm sure the owners like it or they wouldn't have gone for it, right? Isn't that part of what AT is about? About lettting people discover the style that works for them? Or is it about blind lemmings rushing for a midcentury modern sea?
i thought of what the mom in beetlejuice did to that house when i saw the remodel, hideous!
Tragedy! to the above commenter, I think what they were going for was a MORE modern space. The old one, though too stark for my taste too, was definitely more timeless.
If I was the previous owner and saw this I would cry.
I wouldn't want to live in either space.
Absolutely atrocious.
Oh no! What a shame. And such low ceilings...
Does someone really live there? It's hard to believe someone would actually live there 24/7 and be a contributing member of society.
ouch.
Love the beautiful before shots - the tacky makeover is aweful!
depressing.
Aaaaahhhh! Where'd those beautiful wooden beams go?????
it's like going from heaven back to earth.
I was just thinking yesterday of a book I once owned called "Underground Interiors." The particular underground interior I remembered best looked somewhat like the "after" apartment. Lots of garish purple and lavender. There seems to be a misguided notion that these particular colors, which are used very sparingly in most interiors, make a space drop dead avant garde. Well, at least the doyennes of the featured "after" space left out deep purple-painted store mannequins and feathers. It could have been worse.
Lewis Mumford wrote (in the 1920s) that "in architecture as in politics, people generally get what they deserve."
ahh! what the hell?! went from peaceful and serene to a hot mess
it's not just ugly, it's poorly executed (the after).
the first is a little dull for me, but beautifully executed. the second has nothing going for it.
This looks like some sort of joke. Awful.
Decorated by DEVIL.
GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I admit, my personal taste leans towards more clutter, color and warmth, but the original photos show an undeniable beauty in the simple pleasures that it represents.
As for the new...
I suppose that someone really loves this and that's all that actually matters, but I wonder what the rest of the apartment turned into...
whoa.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
I don't mind it too much, but I'm confused why you would buy that apartment in the before picture if you wanted to live in something like the after picture.
WTF! WTF! WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!WTF! WTF!
wow. really unfortunate
I wish I could invite each and every person who posted here to my house for a party--it would be the best damn time of my life. From mannequingirl to Randy Dandy... hysterical!
And to echo the thoughts of fellow ATers: Sweet Jesus, that's hideous!!!
Is that even legal??? Who are the contractors? Their license should be revoked.
VENUS, SAVE ATreaders (especially MODTRAMP)
It looks like Armenians from the early 90s took over
That's a damn shame!
no one said "eurotrash" yet?
OOOOOOhhhhh NOOOooooo
OOOF DATS BAD!!!!!!!
Whiskey.
Tango.
Foxtrot.
Interabang.
I liked the first one, though I wouldn't have wanted to live there (needs more color. LOTS more color). The second doesn't even look like a home. It looks like a smarmy club where they play very bad hip-hop. I think a lot of that is the lighting and in not blue light it would look accpetable but why would you do that to those gorgeous vaulted ceilings? And those beautiful beams! And that chandelier (the one in the bathroom. WANT)!
Mother of God,
Make them stop! The new owners should be arrested for lack of taste and bad tackiness! Not fun tacky but destroying a good thing tacky!
:/
HAAAHHAAAA! I'm happy that the Swedes aren't always so perfect and tasteful. Well, actually in fashion they tend to go with the trends, even if they don't suit them.
But yeah. Physical pain. I LOVED the before.
What? No crappy Ikea furniture in the makeover??
oh what a shame, the original apartment was so beautiful, open and light. I live in Sweden, and saw a few of the make-overs by simon and thomas and I must say, they are always awful. They ususally start out with a room needing some help and this is the first time I don't understand why the owners asked for Simon and Thomas' help in the first place. The result is (almost) always utterly tacky, flashy and screaming and this is no exception.
"No normally constituted person can come up with something like that" (from TV3's website) was the reaction of the owner when he saw the result... Maybe I should say that in this show, the owner gives free hands to the designers and come back after 3 or 4 days, so they have no idea of what is going on...
...ways to kill a lady
I don't like either of them. Clinically white 70s lounge for rich snobs with voyeuristic urges vs 80s disco lounge.
They only did the living room, right?
(in the before pictures, the room with the caramel sofa and flokati rug)
If so, it is easily reversible.
But if the dared touch the kitchen/diner area...!!!
...... i need a good dose of Apartment Therapy to wipe that image from my brain
It's burned on my retina
Maybe they were still under the influence.
I admit the old apartment could have used some paint and a few accent colors - but OMG the only fix now is demolition.
ugh, dropped ceilings and neon lighting. Gross.
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Oh. NO. I can't even look past it to see that the old bones are still there. Ouch.
I was initially concerned that AT was being overly judgemental. I mean, it is their apartment decorate it in a way that makes them happy. But no, you are right. This looks like it has been redecorated for "The Real World" as a place for dim bulbs and really bad ideas.
Purchased by Two Wild and Crazy Guys?
Who the heck wants blue lighting? It's really unflattering actually -- red/pinks are much better.
I must admit that the original space was a bit monochromatic and minimalist for me, but any changes should have consisted of adding a little color and style to an already beautiful structure. I agree with Joelle, the TV program that changed this apartment really is, how not to decorate an apartment. I'm glad AT and Emma only displayed a few pictures of the disaster. I never want to see how they destroyed the rest of the space. The changes are a travesty!
Maybe the people that own the apartment will remove some or all of the crap the TV program installed and restore the space to its original grandeur.
:(
a little piece of me just died on the inside. the "new" design has all the integrity of a postage stamp.
i'm having my own personal sit-in to boycott those designers!
You must be joking. Nooooooooo!
Hahahahahah what the hell IS that?! So...sooooo bad.
What fools.
Ugly.
The "after" photo looks like something seen on TV's Trading Spaces-- this room is pure Hildi.
Without hesitation, the old version.
ahahaha... "family get-togethers" really?!
whammy.
Oh no, they didn't!
what Randy Dandy said... what a poor choices to ruin a perfect space.
O no, no, no.
Please tell me the second set pf pics is really a porn set in the San Fernando Valley.
the new version is simply a different aesthetic.
And what would that aesthetic be? 1988 Long Island hooker chic?
i thought of what the mom in beetlejuice did to that house when i saw the remodel, hideous!
Ha! That was my very first thought, too. Someone queue up "The Banana Boat Song".
HIDEOUS! It looks like a bad set design for a 70's porno. The original apartment had so much charm and quirk. Now it just looks like I am going to catch the herp if I sit down.
Is that a hospital curtain? I am usually pretty open minded when it comes to design, but seriously--this is only missing the stripper pole.
That is pure crappy
It's as if 1986 stumbled in and vomited all over the place.
The "New" Apartment looks vomitous, shocking, tawdry and cheap. But it's no suprise when you see the two tanned old handbags, "designers" Simon and Thomas on their website. Talk about "Masque of the Red Death"
I'm nauseous......
Sarface would approve! Me? Not so much.
painful nightmare
The new one looks like they turned over the designing to a high-school design school student (who heard that the 80s are back) and let their elementary school age daughters make the creative decisions.
I agree that the remake is not to my liking, but I have to say about the before bathroom - if I see any more white subway tile, I will puke!
I would not want to live in either space. The first I could admire in a magazine. The second I could at least sit in the living room and watch television without feeling I'm disturbing the lines of the of the room. But neither speak to me, really.
feathers, high school design students have more style than that.
the night at the roxbury reference is perfect.
f to the ugly.
That's awful! What the hell were they thinking? It's like the 80's threw up all over that gorgeous flat!
So sad.
The consequences of freedom are often alarming.
ugh! hideous! what a waste!
There once was a place of white.
Whose space was open and bright.
Now it's neon blue,
As tacky as glue,
Like a nightclub late at night.
So sad! It has lost its character...
Discolicious!
What's the problem???
Everyone is jealous.
I didn't like either of them..........sorry.
They should be locked up.
There goes the neighborhood...
Geez... was that change really necessary!?
I said "yikes" out loud when I saw the new version. It looks like a bad 80s Nagel print.
Oh they didn't do that, really. Did they? Way to turn something wonderful into a tacky disco!! Jeez that is just awful. A total waste of a nice space. I'll be shaking my head all day.
This may even make my top 10 Worst makeovers at my site Interior Living Room
After seeing this I need a long hot shower. I guess there's just no accounting for taste.
I think a felony was committed here!
I feel Crushed, by heart in my stomach. Simply said, "A Shame".
Oh, this makes me want to cry! What a sad, sad waste. All I can hope is that those beautiful beams are still up there to be rediscovered by a more enlightened renovator.
What's wrong with those people? Why didn't they just get a different place? It makes no sense.
OMG! this is truly terrible.
Those pictures gave me the same feeling as that time the hair dresser completely destroyed my long hair and turned into a short 80's (burned) perm.
I don't even want to imagine those people's faces upon seeing their "new decor".
That is a travesty! Just wrong.
gasp! oh my god. that almost made me burst into tears. way to ruin something beautiful.
Looks like a community college interior design student final project before they asked him to leave.
...this reminds me of the kind of assaults that Hildi would perpetrate on Trading Spaces. This isn't design, it's vandalism.
And it can be fixed, right? They can tear out that crap and restore the living room? Right? RIGHT?
*weeps*
Well the 80's have returned! Where's the coke mirror?
I love the bit of the Stark club in Texas...was it Dallas? with the sheer curtains...This is so bad I can't stop laughing...
And tell me, please, what is with that painting on the wall? WTF?
this is a joke, right?
Welcome, fellow ATers, to the baddies' torture chamber in some yet-to-be created (scifi) tv series set in the future! let's hope it doesn't get past the pilot. Yuk!
that makes want to cry.. Were was IKEA ????maj
Why they purchased the apartment in the first place? They could have saved the remodeling costs by purchasing a place that has something to do with the new style -cheap/tacky-. Borat?