About us

Lowe & Magnus - the restaurateurs behind Sjöfartshuset

Lowe & Magnus worked together in 1995 at the party venues of Sjöfartshuset and kept in touch over the years. In 2012, they had the great honor and privilege of taking over the ownership and operation of the venerable Sjöfartshuset's party venues, becoming the fourth restaurateurs since 1958.

Magnus Jonasson, after working in the kitchens of top restaurants in Stockholm, Copenhagen, and New York, trained as a sommelier at the restaurant academy. He now works in the dining room, turning his great passion into a profession.

Lowe Karlsson is an experienced head chef who has developed the menus with his kitchen team over a long time at Sjöfartshuset, planning and executing about 400 wedding dinners. Previously, he worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant in France and has a keen interest in food and desserts. He was even offered a place on the TV show Dessertmästarna in 2018.

Our team

We are of course not alone but have a stable team around us, from reservations, dishwashing, service, and kitchen. For us, the staff is the most important and having fun at work, feeling passion, involvement, and developing an interest in food, wine, and service is important, all to be able to give you and your party the best experience that we can.

Sjöfartshuset History

Welcome to the Scharpska house or Sjöfartshuset as it is now called.

The house was built between 1666-1671 by the mintmaster Isaac Kock. It became a beautiful house that stands in almost unchanged condition. The house was sold in 1675 to the excellence Lorents Creutz, a man with many different official positions. In the end, he became an admiral despite having no knowledge of the navy or the sea. In the battle off the coast of Öland in 1676 against the Danes, Creutz gave the order to let the flagship Stora Kronan turn even though the lower gun ports of the ship were open. Water poured in, lanterns in the powder chamber shattered, and the ship exploded. Creutz and 800 crew members lost their lives.

Just over two hundred years ago, Louis Masreliez created the beautiful interior of the house.

It was probably during the time of the furniture dealer Grevesmühl. Different accounts exist as to whether Louis Masreliez himself lived in or owned the house. In 1802, Johan Henrik Scharp bought the house, and the family owned it for a hundred years. Johan was a wholesaler, a leader in the National Debt Office, and a director at the Discount Office. Scharp's daughter Ulrika married Carl David Skogman, a prominent official. The Skogman family lived in the house until the mid-1800s on the floor where the property company Endräkten now has its premises.

The next owner of Skeppsbron 10 was the publisher Karl Otto Bonnier.

The year was 1902. Karl Otto Bonnier made a contribution to the publishing industry and played a significant role in our cultural life. During his ownership, the Swedish Authors' Association was able to rent a floor on very favorable terms, probably the ones with Masreliez decorations. It was probably during this time that the famous author Siwerts lived in the attic.

In 1950, Bonnier sold the property to the Olle Engkvist Building AB pension foundation.

The house was then worn out and in need of repair. Attempts were made to get the city to buy and restore the house, but they were rejected due to high costs. The house was instead bought by the property company Endräkten in 1958. Endräkten consists of four maritime organizations: The Ship Captain Society, The Neptune Order, The Steamship Officers Society, and The Seafarers Association. They not only managed the restoration but also the foundation reinforcement. The basement was completely changed, and during the work there, the remains of an old oak from the time when the water reached the houses on Skeppsbron were found. There was nothing left of the city wall that was part of the purchase in 1630. The floors were renovated, and a large room was created in the attic, where the well-preserved ceiling beams are visible.

Today, Sjöfartshuset's festive rooms consist of three floors.

The Gustavian salons are located on the first floor, where you can see the beautiful works of Louis Masreliez. The Masreliez brothers also decorated parts of Stockholm Palace. The third floor once housed the servants' quarters, where today we have conferences, and our beautiful dining room is located under the attic on the fourth floor.

Since 2011, the Festive Rooms have been owned and operated by Lowe Karlsson and Magnus Jonasson.

The house with its beautiful facade and interior makes us think of the period when Skeppsbron had its heyday and when there was full activity both inside the house and outside. The house has its history and lives on in our time.

Welcome to our party venue or perhaps to the next conference when you need a central location in Stockholm.