Visionaries Extraordinaire

Visionaries Extraordinaire

Johan Stackelberg and Jonas Wramell are partners – in life and in business. The design and property duo serves discerning clients worldwide: those looking to turn great visions into spectacular homes.

Text by Marcus Dunberg

Opening the door

Johan Stackelberg and Jonas Wramell’s London home is stepping into a world where the finest details – truly – matter. Case in point: even though the freshly constructed and refurbished flat is located in a gorgeous Victorian building, with high ceilings and intricate details, the doors were simply not good enough. Not grand enough. So they searched the world and eventually found 17thcentury doors in Venice, then had them shipped to London – as one does.

Johan Stackelberg and Jonas Wramell are the partners, in life and in business, behindStackelberg & Co: designers, property developers and investors, all in one. To be clear: their work goes far, far beyond choosing wall colours and pairing pillows and cushions. Their projects are often top to toe, inside and out, complete refurbishments – from dealing with authorities for planning permission and deconstruction to handling teams of builders and craftsmen for construction and interiors. “What we do is not about first renovating and then choosing furniture,”says Johan Stackelberg.“It’s about teaming up with clients and creating a complete vision for their home and life within that space – and then making that happen.”

A man with crossed arms over his chest leaning onto a wall

— Johan next to their Venetian 17th century doors

Unlike many of their counterparts or competitors, Stackelberg and Wramell don’t subscribe to a specific style.“There are people in this business that offer a uniform and rigid point of view, regardless of who the client is,”says Stackelberg.“We are more explorative or curious and are just as excited doing something more sparse and Scandinavian as we are about an English house with layers, fabrics, patterns and details.

— Jonas in their kitchen covered in handmade antique Chinese wall covering

It all comes down to the location, the house, and what the client wants to achieve: how they envision their life within that space,”he adds. Is there any style or era they’re allergic to? “Yes – what is commonly referred to as a ‘hotel feeling’,” says Wramell, “which to me means uninspiring and without character. I mean, who wants to live in a hotel!? A home should be filled with memories and personal style and artefacts.”

Their projects span the world and include everything from apartments in historical buildings in Palma, Mallorca, to London townhouses to a brand new apartment building in Stockholm. There’s also a tented safari camp in Kenya on their list of complete works. The duo’s most noteworthy project to date is a 2500-square-meter, 19thcentury mansion in the Nordic region, where they oversaw a complete, careful refurbishment. “This was a three year project where the challenge was to navigate a sensitive and historic environment, while sourcing materials, furniture and works of art from across Europe.”

Chelsea's most treasured pastries at the Birley Bakery

Stackelberg and Wramell’s world, and any of their homes, is a curated universe of good taste – one where throws are made of the finest cashmere and always neatly folded, the bathroom sink has the perfect marble mouldings, and the light is dimmed just so (this is one of Wramel’s obsessions). Their aesthetic also extends to their wardrobe: think European chic with shirts, knits, gilets, and good tailoring – with everything paired in subtle colours.

With a 15-year-old son in boarding school, the couple divide their time between Stockholm, London and Palma, with lots of travel in between to seek out new ideas, furniture, objects, good weather – and sometimes the perfect pair of 17thcentury Venetian doors.