When Stockholm resident Johan Malmberg started looking for a new home for his family, the inflated prices of the housing market in the Swedish capital meant that he had two options: pay a great deal of money for an old apartment and then spend even more renovating it, or buy something new. “But, then,” he says, “nothing is ever exactly as you want it to be.” So when Malmberg saw a 1,900-square-foot space that had recently housed the nondescript headquarters of a fashion company, he saw its potential, despite its not having a full bathroom or kitchen. Located on the fourth floor of a 19th-century corner building, originally a private house in Östermalm, a wealthy residential district, the carpeted, all-white commercial space would provide an opportunity to build an apartment to suit his specifications. While it was filled with distinct historic details, its charms were mostly under wraps. Despite needing to be completely fit out to make it a residence, the price luckily was right.