Interior designer, and founder and owner of GALERIE NORTH in Stockholm - a gallery specialising in Scandinavian and European mid-century design. Fredrik grew up with game, played competitive collegiate golf in the US and shares how the game still impacts his life to this day.

I grew up with golf. My dad has always played, and my granddad was one of the founders of a golf club in Södertälje, where I grew up. I started around five or six, got my handicap around ten, and was playing at an elite level just a few years later. It was everything to me. I wanted to go professional, played on the national team, spent two years in college in Phoenix, Arizona, and then played professionally in Sweden for a while. I paused around twenty-five, and it's still on pause. But it's a big part of my life, and even if I don't look like a golfer these days, I'd still consider myself one.

The complexity of the sport. There are so many details to improve, and the short Swedish season really forces you to be outside, even in bad weather. That's what I fell in love with - that, and the reward of a good shot.

I don't think I look like a typical golfer, and I enjoy that. I spent twenty years in a polo shirt, but I've always loved contrast - looking a certain way and then surprising people by being good at something completely different. It's who I am now, but I'm still a golfer. I just hope it shows on the course.

Most things in golf are frustrating, honestly, and I think that's part of the drive. Frustration can be good or bad. It creates motivation, and the better you get, the more you need to learn to handle it. Even playing the golf of your life without getting the results you wanted can be frustrating. I see it as a positive, though. It keeps you motivated instead of letting you get satisfied. That mindset carries into everything else I do, including running my company. I'm genuinely happy with what I do, but I'm always eager to become better.

Not necessarily straight similarities, but whatever I'm learning or doing, I try to think about it the way I'd think about golf. The creativity behind a certain shot, the practice required, the aesthetic of what you wear. Golf has shaped a certain mindset in me: I'm rarely satisfied, there's always another day to improve. But it's also taught me to get over things quickly, like a bad shot. Forget it and move on.

It's what I work with every day - furniture, objects, and design that are considered timeless. I think it's the same with clothes: certain pieces are timeless for a reason, like a pair of tan pants that will never go out of style. They work with whatever mood you're in, wherever you're playing, and whatever the occasion.

Certain moments in golf have already become nostalgic for me. Players winning the majors, Ryder Cup moments, even specific pieces of equipment. There are clear parallels to what I do today: a lot of furniture is now considered classic, historically important, and has laid the groundwork for a broader aesthetic.

It's honestly impossible not to show some personality, since I'm covered in tattoos. Think about it: when you watch golf on TV, who's more fun to watch, the ones who act like robots, or the ones who show personality and a bit of passion in how they dress? It's important, but not necessary. What you wear can genuinely affect your performance, because it all starts with how you feel. The better you feel, the more likely you are to perform well.

The biggest difference is that here in Sweden, we mostly walk the course rather than drive carts. I enjoy that, it gives you longer moments to think, reflect, and feel happy about what you just did. But there was also a real difference in competitiveness. In the US, people played with whatever they had that day and just did their best, rather than chasing technical perfection. Here in Sweden, we're more technically driven and tend to practice more because of it.

My relationship with golf now, with a company and a family, is more minimal than it used to be, but it's still a big part of my life. I still love playing and watching the majors. I feel very fortunate that my son, who's almost two, already loves anything with a ball, we've already been out on the driving range together. Golf is my background, and I love it.