Discover Stockholm's new wellness-and-food hotspot
Publish date: 26 May 2022
When Eden opens up to the public in May 2022, it will turn a forgotten 19th-century manor into a location for wellness, food, and drinks, surrounded by lush greenery. “The idea is to recreate a kind of destination for recreation, just a short walk from everyday life and the beating pulse of the city”, says project head, Jakob Grandin.
The air in and around Annexet at Smedsudden has suddenly been filled with the scents of sawdust and drying concrete. The house, a Swiss chalet-style two-story villa, has been the last building at Kungsholmen’s most southern tip since the ‘90s when the neighboring "Krügerska Villan" burned down. Annexet has been unoccupied since 2016, in a state of neglect gradually going from bad to worse with crumbling walls and rotting wood, just waiting for new tenants. And the 18th of May 2022 those tenants have finally arrived in the form of Eden, a modern restaurant, bar, training facility, and event venue.
So, on a warm Friday afternoon in May, the formerly dilapidated mansion is buzzing with activity. A construction crew is busy hammering, drilling, fixing the roof, sweeping the patio’s new stone tiles, and installing new kitchen equipment. During this particular afternoon though, their noise level is put to shame; Just a stone’s throw away at Smeduddsbadets grassy beach, hundreds of boilersuit-clad students from The Royal Institute of Technology are standing in line, patiently waiting for the annual Squvalp-party to get underway. In effect, two days of DIY raft construction lead to, hopefully, seaworthy floatables.
“Our weekend crew is just going to love this”, Jakob Grandin says wryly. “They seem just to be playing the same song over and over again”.
Jakob Grandin, night-life entrepreneur at Kulturarenor, likes to transform things. During the mid-to-late aughts, he had a hand in turning the empty lot under the Johanneshovs Bridge into Trädgården/Under Bron, one of Stockholm’s most popular nightclubs. In 2019 Kulturarenor converted abandoned warehouses and abattoirs in Stockholm’s former meatpacking district into the club and concert complex Fållan. And now the time has come for Annexet to receive a facelift, from a ramshackle eyesore to a verdant garden food-and-health destination.
The restaurant's kitchen will be run by Sally Voltaire, with a menu looking to Mediterranean cuisine in general, and Italian food philosophy in particular, for inspiration. Eden will follow the seasons and the sun. Cozy and warm during the dark of winter, open and sunny in the summer.
“The idea is to recreate a kind of destination for recreation, just a short walk from everyday life and the beating pulse of the city”, says Jakob. “We’ll start by setting up shop here, with our kitchen and restaurant. But in the long run, we’re hoping to rebuild the other buildings that have been located here. We want to create a wellness and training pavilion, and a natural swimming pool. So, in the long run, we’re aiming for a location where nature, wellness, culture, and private events intersect”.
In other words, Eden will be less of a new nightclub than Jakob’s earlier ventures, with more day parties, good food, and a bohemian atmosphere instead.
“We’ve stated that Eden will be open from sunrise to sunset. We’re in a place that gets a lot of sunlight. I mean, it rises just over there”, Jakob says and points out through the window. “Anyway, we’re just getting older and I guess this can become our location to relax and take a breather”.
Taking on a project as Eden, in a culturally significant and listed building as Annexet, is not without its challenges. It might even turn controversial if it’s located near a beloved location, like the Smeduddsbadet beach. But Jakob says the reactions to Eden have been unequivocally positive.
“I’ve had people come up to me, saying ‘finally something is done about this place! Thanks for living things up!’. Smedsudden has been something of an unsafe area. There are a lot of shrubberies, many dark corners, and virtually no lighting if you’re planning to stay after dusk. And there hasn’t been business present for a long time. As we’ve done with Trädgården and Under Bron, you'll have a place of business or service that can actually take that responsibility. I think that’s really important, especially when talking to local authorities”.
Jakob already seems to have his sights set on the next undertaking. Even though Eden hasn’t opened yet; during our tour, we’re almost forced to parkour around spots with fresh coats of varnish. But what that might be, he's keeping close to his chest.
“There’s so much secrecy surrounding these things nowadays”, he says with a smile. “Where once you’d just think to yourself ‘wow what a great spot, it would be cool to do something at this place’ today these ideas often become a reality. And I’m sure our next idea will come into fruition”.