“Interior Renovation” is the fourth book in the series – Building Care in Practice. The book is about the houses inside, why they look the way they do, about the tradition behind it, about the craftsmanship and last but not least about how to renovate so that these qualities do not disappear.

It deals with carpentry profiles, fittings, floors, ceilings and walls, stairs, kitchens and kitchen fittings, sanitary facilities, electricity and lighting in a way that shows that the old is an asset rather than an obstacle when living in the house.

The book, which focuses on houses from the 18th to the 20th century, also shows appropriate compromises, as the old inevitably clashes with the modern.

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

Building conservation and reuse

How did a dilapidated barn, an abandoned croft, a crumbling manor house, an uninhabitable military barracks and a smelly city apartment get a new lease of life and a new soul? Where did they start? How did they know where to look? And what did they skip?

About the author: Göran Gudmundsson’s new major book is a goldmine for anyone who loves old houses with tradition and flair. Here he tells the story of five comprehensive renovation projects with widely differing conditions. With great expertise, he describes the whole process – before, during and after – and shows in detail how to find the traces of the old, look for renovation materials, color and wallpaper. And not least, how to deal with the various options available. How should you think about original colors and old building materials – if you are also going to live in the house? Is it right or wrong?

“Many people think that building conservation is not for them. I want to change that. I want to show that EVERYONE – not just owners of old houses but also those who have an older apartment, who want to convert an abandoned farmhouse into a holiday home or are just generally interested in the environment and recycling – can find inspiration in the old way of building and decorating. Because if you choose to build new with old methods and used materials, you also get the soul in the bargain.”

Så byggdes villan is a unique exposé of a significant part of our cultural heritage – the everyday architecture of villa construction in Sweden. The book shows typical villas and characteristic building details decade by decade, from the first villas built in the 1890s to villas built in the first decade of the 2000s. Style ideals have varied over different time periods. Architecture, floor plans, structures and interiors have changed with the times. The general features of this development are shown here through a variety of new accurate illustrations in scale. Each villa has its own history and its own conditions. For the homeowner who wants to renovate his house with period carpentry, there is a drawing section with carpentry and building details, such as floor plinths, window linings and ceiling moldings.