Designed by the internationally acclaimed architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the visionaries behind the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and ONE World Trade Center in New York, Karlatornet is Scandinavia’s tallest residential building, and this penthouse is its crown jewel.

From the first step inside, the scale is immediately striking. In the living room, a soaring 8-metre ceiling rises above chevron-laid dark oak floors, framed by oversized floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap the northwest corner of the tower.

Light pours in from three sides, shifting with the hour and weather, while a towering bespoke bookcase anchors the southern wall, adding both drama and intimacy.

A sculptural steel staircase connects the three floors in the penthouse.

At the heart of the main floor is the Boffi-designed kitchen, where a marble island offers a place to gather, create, and linger. Appliances by Gaggenau and fittings by Dornbracht blend form with function, while a wine room nearby stands ready for collectors and entertainers alike.

The kitchen connects seamlessly to a winter garden, with folding glass doors and a fireplace, offering an indoor-outdoor atmosphere year-round. Whether hosting dinner for friends or enjoying a quiet morning coffee, this space feels both luxurious and grounded.

The family floor includes two children’s bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and ample storage. At the opposite end lies the primary suite, a tranquil retreat designed for rest and reflection.

Here, openable windows invite in the salt air and morning sun, while the ensuite bathroom, with a bathtub positioned directly against the west-facing glass, offers a place to soak while watching the light fade over the sea.

A double shower, dual vanities, and a walk-in dressing room lined with dark wood and soft carpeting complete the space.

The rooftop terrace includes space for dining, lounging, and relaxing in the hot tub or glass-walled sauna, both perfectly positioned to take in the panoramic surroundings.

The apartment is listed for sale at ESNY.

The apartment has an amazing, social layout with a grand open-plan living space with dedicated spaces for lounging, dining, and cooking. What gives this penthouse apartment so much character is the architectural features, like the exposed wooden beams, a brick wall, and a traditional Swedish fireplace.

The historical elements combine perfectly with contemporary material choices, modern colors, and lots of custom-built-in storage space. Large rugs, art, and midcentury furniture pieces add coziness to the attic apartment.

The open-plan living space is magnificent, with exposed wooden beams, high pitched ceilings, an exposed brick wall, and a traditional Swedish fireplace.

On one side, an exposed white-painted brick wall with an attic angel staircase adds character to the living area. The beautiful fireplace shows the age of the apartment.

Large rugs in muted color tones define the separate areas in the open-plan living space. And even though this is an attic apartment, the windows on two sides bring in plenty of natural light to make it bright and airy.

From the living room, you can access a spacious roof terrace.

This is a home for social gatherings. The connection between lounging, dining, and cooking is wonderful. The kitchen has bar seating for a social element, and the room has space for a dining table seating up to ten people.

The kitchen has stayed the same since the last time this apartment was put on the market. The hardwooden cabinet doors are handpainted in a deep green shade and paired with unfinished brass knobs and handles. The cabinets are topped with a composite stone countertop, and one side features handmade Italian backsplash tiles.

A small breakfast table has been placed under one of the windows for a more intimate dining experience.

The apartment has two bedrooms. One is used as the master bedroom and painted in a soft green shade.

The second, larger bedroom is now used as a home library/office space. One wall is fitted with bookshelves, and the desk is placed under the window, offering amazing views of the city.

The bathroom is decorated with white Italian tiles and a tumbled Bianco Carrara floor tile, a light, rounded lake stone that gives a soft expression. 

The room also features brass fittings, handmade bathroom furniture from Haven, and a newly installed sauna.

The hall storage is painted in a warm yellow shade and varnished by hand. The site-built cabinets and coat storage provide plenty of storage space.

The apartment is listed on Tradition Mäkleri. You can see the previous home tour right here, and you can decide for yourself which interior you prefer.

The apartment was designed by architect Jonas Glock in 2022. Despite the top floor location with slanted ceilings and the use of black, the apartment feels light and airy thanks to high ceilings, three dormer windows, skylights, and smaller windows facing the terrace.

The 82 square meter apartment has a large open-plan living room and kitchen with an industrial glass room divider and door leading to the apartment’s only bedroom.

This glass partition helps to let natural light flow through the home, but you can create a private zone by drawing the curtains.

The open-plan living space is defined by beautiful exposed wooden beams, showing the history of the apartment. The original ceiling beams are paired with a black feature wall and a dark-stained herringbone parquet floor. The designers managed to create a wonderful balance between light and dark.

From the living room, a glazed door gives access to a private terrace with rooftop views.

In the corner of the living room stands a beautiful sculptural fireplace. These curved shapes also return in the decor.

The sitting area seamlessly flows into the kitchen space, where they extended the kitchen counter with a small desk.

The spacious kitchen is fitted under the round dormer windows. Sleek black cabinets are topped with a marble countertop.

There are only a few color pops in the apartment. The door to the bathroom is painted in a deep red shade, and the window seat in the kitchen has a bold red velvet upholstery.

The black and white color scheme continues into the bedroom. Three skylights flood the room with natural light, and a soft gray carpet lies underfoot.

The bedroom gives access to a spacious walk-in closet.

The bathroom lies next to the kitchen and is completely tiled in Statuario stone. There is a walk-in shower as well as a sauna under a dormer window.

The apartment is listed for sale at Wrede.

The 169-square-meter apartment showcases classic details mixed with a clean and modern design, giving it distinctiveness and Nordic elegance. The apartment lies on the top floor of the building and has slanted ceilings, but thanks to the many skylights, all rooms are bright and filled with natural light.

The fresh light wall colors, light wooden floors, and white painted wooden beams help to create a modern and bright home. The black elements like the kitchen, wardrobes, and bathroom add a touch of luxury to the spaces.

With a ceiling height of 3.5 meters, the rooms feel spacious despite the sloped ceilings.

Extra-wide single-strip oak parquet of 20.7 cm has been laid throughout the apartment.

The specially designed Arredo3 kitchen from Italian Design AS has a decorative bar solution with a wine cabinet from Temptech. The large window surfaces, which run both vertically and at an angle, provide plenty of light.

The kitchen is designed with stylish dark gray cabinets topped with black stone worktops.

The apartment has a unique tower room, which is now used as a home office, but it would also be a great home library. The room has unique and soulful details such as the round windows, profiled walls, exposed beams and the generous ceiling height.

The master bedroom has a beautiful arched window. The owners used the line under the window to add a display shelf.

The master bedroom has an en suite bathroom with Italian tiles and design wallpaper from Elitis.

The second bedroom is also spacious and light and has its own walk in closet.

The family bathroom has a double washbasin, a base cabinet from Arredo 3, supplied by Italian Design AS, and a specially adapted mirror with designer lamps.

On the wall behind the bath is a large Italian designer tile with integrated LED lighting.

The apartment has a private roof terrace with a lovely rooftop view over Oslo.

This design attic apartment in Oslo is for sale at Finn

The recently renovated duplex apartment is located in an early 20th-century apartment complex and features grand rooms, including a living space with double-height ceilings, a farmhouse-style kitchen, and four bedrooms.

The rooftop’s Cape Cod-style shingled cottage and terrace were added in the 1980s by the artist Henry Merwin Shrady. The sculptor, painter, and film production designer loved restoring old buildings, and this penthouse was his home. The cottage has its own kitchen and bathroom and was the home of Shrady’s son during his college years.

The heart of the home is the open-plan living room, dining area, and kitchen. The living space has a ceiling height of over 18 feet, and the double-height southern-facing windows flood the room with light.

The floor in the living room is made of large parquet tiles, salvaged from a theater in London.

Just off the sitting room lies a spacious dining area that provides plenty of room for a large dining table.

The painted wooden floor serves as a fun divide between kitchen and dining.

The farmhouse-style kitchen is made from deVOL’s Haberdasher oak cabinets, and the island features a copper worktop. The walls are lined with encaustic tiles from Mosaic House, and the custom overhead and hanging lighting are by Olampia.

The stairs and railing were custom built for the house which lead you to the top floor landing with a workspace and a library.

The master bedroom is located on the lower floor and features a fireplace. The room is on trend with a red rug that showcases the effect of a red accent in a room. You can read more about The Unexpected Red Theory in our blog post.

The master suite features a walk-in closet and an en suite bathroom.

The bathroom is a calm and classic room with a freestanding bath, a double sink, pink tiles, and gold-finished Waterworks fixtures.

On the top floor are three more bedrooms, this corner room has a fireplace and an en suite bathroom.

The bedroom’s en suite bathroom features Waterworks fixtures and a stall shower with blue floor-to-ceiling tiling from Mosaic House. 

The other bathroom features fresh green tiles, Waterworks fixtures, and a bath.

The top-floor cottage brings the countryside to the city. The studio has its own kitchen and bathroom so that it can function as a guest house. The window seat offers views of the landscaped roof terrace.

The planted terrace, with shrubbery, an apple tree, and multiple seating and lounging areas, is barely visible from the street, making this penthouse even more unique.

The penthouse was listed by Nick Gavin and Allie Fraza at Compass.

The interiors of the penthouse apartment are spectacular. The open-plan spaces have high vaulted ceilings and large windows, giving the living rooms a cathedral-like vibe. The yellow plaster walls and the Parquet de Versailles wooden flooring, which is sourced from Belgium, give the living spaces a calm but classic base.

The house is decorated in a monochrome color palette of whites, grays, and blacks, which has been warmed up with wooden accents. And this helps to turn the grand living space with monochrome furniture feel warm and inviting.

Natural light floods into the room thanks to a pair of double-height windows that reach up into the eaves.

The entire first floor is home to the living spaces. The floorplan is laid out in a u shape, creating a series of interconnected rooms that seamlessly flow into one another.

A snug has been created next to the main living space. The lower wooden ceiling turn this space into a cozy sitting room.

The dining area features mottled walls that reflect daylight.

The kitchen is a moody space with a monolithic Boffi island in the center. The island is paired with a black marble worktop, dark-grained wood cabinets, and inky black walls.

The penthouse has two bedrooms that are connected by a balcony overlooking the Notting Hill roofscape.

The bathroom is simple and stylish with gray walls, a walk-in shower, and black fittings.

This beautiful modern rustic penthouse apartment is available to rent on Domus Nova.

The 17th-century building is located in the heart of Gamla Stan, and the top two floors have recently been renovated into a modern house with old details. The duplex penthouse pairs luxury and modern furnishings with beautiful wooden beams, shutters, and a grand terrace overlooking the old city.

The penthouse has a floor plan of 169 square meters. On the lower floor are the main living spaces and three bedrooms. On the top floor is an extra living room that also gives access to the 33-square-meter roof terrace.

This grand Scandinavian penthouse apartment is for sale at Wrede

The 120 square meters apartment is divided over two floors, with the living spaces and two bedrooms on the lower floor. And on the top floor, a second sitting room with a master ensuite.

The open-plan living space boasts beautiful high ceilings with exposed wooden beams that show the history of the building. Throughout the home, you will find a beautiful wooden floor that is laid in a chevron pattern, adding a classic and warm tone to the rooms.

The living area has a ceiling height of six meters and there is plenty of room for a large sofa, a dining table, and a spacious kitchen.

The ochre yellow artwork and rug add a warm color accent to the otherwise light-colored space. The curved furniture adds a softness to the stylish room.

There are windows on two sides of the apartment, and the loft rooms above also include skylights, making the penthouse extremely light.

The luxurious kitchen is made from oak cabinets that are combined with Carrara marble worktops and backsplash, as well as a marble kitchen island.

The living area is one big open space, and in one corner they have created a single bedroom.

The lower floor is home to another bedroom with slanted ceilings and exposed wooden beams. Built-in wardrobes provide plenty of storage space.

In one corner, a floating oak desk provides a little work area.

There is a family bathroom on the lower floor which is completely designed in travertine stone.

Upstairs is a second, private sitting room and the master bedroom.

The master bedroom has an open bathroom designed in Carrara marble and built-in wardrobes.

This luxurious penthouse in Stockholm is currently for sale at Sjöman Frisk

The 76 square meter apartment (818 sq. feet) has a largely open plan floorplan with natural light flooding in from multiple directions. An attic apartment can be dark thanks to the often small windows and slanted ceilings. To ensure that natural light floods into every room, the owners added skylights in the hallway, living room, kitchen, and home office.

From the spacious hallway, you can go in two directions. To the left is a social kitchen with a large terrace from where you have a great view of the city. To the right, you can go to the cozy sitting room, the home office, and the bedroom.

From the hallway, you look straight into a cozy sitting room and the home office. The walls are painted in a sober light gray shade, and the wooden parquet floor is recently sanded and oiled.

The sitting room is small but very comfortable. a large fluffy rug sits on the floor to add warmth and there is plenty of space for a large sofa. From the dormer window, you have a great view of the city.

Next to the living room sits a small room with a steel and glass door to retain an open feeling even when it’s closed off. The owners use this room as a home office with a built-in desk and custom wardrobes with shelves under the slanted ceiling.

The room has no regular window but thanks to the skylight the room feels very light.

The attic apartment has a generous kitchen with muted green cabinets. There is plenty of storage as one wall is used for floor to ceiling cabinets.

Even the bench by the kitchen table has underneath storage.

The kitchen has access to a wonderful outdoor terrace where they created a large bar table. You will have a great view of the city while you’re eating your dinner.

The bedroom is light and calm wth wooden accents in the headboard and window seat to add warmth. Built-in wardrobes are added around the bed that provides a lot of storage. It’s a smart idea for a bedroom that is low on space.

The bathroom lies central in the apartment and is decorated in a cool industrial syle with black fittings, black vanity, and gray walls.

The hallway is almost a room in itself; that’s how big it is. I love a spacious entry to a home, and I love the smooth open floorplan in this penthouse apartment, it makes it feel more spacious.

styling by Annica Clarmell and Emma Fischer, photography by Maria Sahlander for Bjurfors

Despite the central location on one of Amsterdam’s finest canals, this home stands out for its peace and quiet. The penthouse overlooks the courtyard gardens, and sounds of nature can be heard on the two outdoor terraces.

The 120 square meters (1291 square ft.) penthouse is divided over two floors, with an open plan living room and kitchen on the lower floor and the bedroom and home office on the top floor.

Central in the living space is the staircase. Here, the ceiling has been opened to create a sense of volume but is also brings extra natural light to the living room.

The seating area is defined by one large green sofa. from the living room, you have access to a  sunny terrace of 8.8 m2.

with plants on the terrace and trees outside, you feel in the midst of nature despite being in the center of Amsterdam.

On the other side of this floor, you’ll find a modern black kitchen and dining space.

The open kitchen, finished in all-black, is equipped with built-in appliances and is combined with a pink accent wall.

Despite the slanted ceilings, the top floor is light thanks to its many skylights. One of the rooms is now used as an office and has its own bathroom, so it could also be a bedroom.

Through a steel door with glass, you enter the master bedroom.

In the master bedroom, the ceiling height reaches up to 4.7 meters. It’s not a big room but the high ceilings make it feel spacious.

The en suite bathroom is minimalistic, but the skylight above the bath tub offers a beautiful view of the sky.

The central hallway shows the history of the building and it features a glass roof and a marble floor.

photography via Funda