Perhaps that’s why the story of Landet Stay feels so natural.
Umberto moved to Sweden in 2018 from London, where he worked in finance. A fast-paced life, always the next meeting. When he arrived in Sweden, he became CFO at a tech company in Stockholm. Yet alongside his career, something else began to grow: a love for the Swedish countryside.
”I was completely taken by the country. By the way of life in rural Sweden, the calm, the nature, and the rhythm,” says Umberto. But I realized it wasn’t easy to experience it fully, whether you move to Stockholm from abroad or are a tourist wanting to see another side of Sweden.”
Two backgrounds, one vision
Meanwhile, co-founder Ted Wachtmeister, raised in Värmdö, had always sought the countryside as a place to recharge. Through mutual friends, their paths crossed, and slowly a shared idea emerged.
In 2022, they began working concretely on their vision. In 2023, the first cabin was ordered and the building permit secured. By July 2024, Landet Stay opened with four architect-designed cabins. A year later, eight cabins stood ready, located just outside Trosa - about an hour from Stockholm and Arlanda Airport.
Here, open meadows, forest glades, and the tranquility of the countryside meet. Five cabins are one-bedroom, two are two-bedroom, and the eighth is an artist studio - a shared space for dinners, creative meetings, corporate retreats, or yoga in the heart of Swedish nature.
The cabins were designed by renowned Swedish architect Andreas Martin‑Löf, known for minimalist projects that merge form, function, and nature. London-based Tobias Vernon from 8 Holland Street designed the interiors, giving the retreat an international, thoughtful feel that has been loved by guests and covered in the press.
Sustainability is no afterthought at Landet Stay. Everything is built according to the “leave no trace” principle - the cabins can be moved without leaving any marks. Materials are carefully selected from responsible sources, and every decision respects the environment.
The response was immediate. Guests come from Sweden, Europe, the USA, and Asia - often city dwellers seeking silence, focus, and authenticity. Reviews have been consistently positive, and the concept has gained international attention.
In the French magazine Hôtel & Lodge, the retreat was awarded first place in the Hôtel & Lodge Awards 2025 in the Opening category, with the journalist highlighting the elegance, sustainable design, and harmonious integration with nature.
Landet Stay is more than accommodation. It’s a new way to approach the countryside. A retreat from otherwise hectic lives. A business decision built on a shared interest, experiencing the Swedish landscape.
For Umberto, the journey started in the fast-paced world of finance, continued into the Swedish calm, and somewhere in between, something was created that now lets people from all over the world experience the countryside - for real.
