“In every aspect of my work, I strive for harmony and balance— in lines, curves, colours, texture, pattern and materials,” says interior designer Erik Bratsberg, “Whether it’s an object, furniture, lamp or a complete interior that I design, I strive to create something that the eye can rest upon.” His latest project is his first commercial one, a restaurant calledPersonain the exclusiveStockholmneighbourhood of Östermalm, and it is a deeply-satisfying feast for the eyes. Extraordinary neat, it clearly comes from the mind of a man for whom precision, and balance, is key.Persona’s interior designer Erik BratsbergBratsberg is new to interiors. In fact, he has spent the last decade in, of all things, finance. “At business school I promised myself not to get the blinkers on by pursuing a typical banking or consulting career,” he says, “but after getting my first job, I was stuck on the treadmill, and as the years past I went further away from who I really was.” He finally took the plunge into interior design after renovating a residential property, “Childhood memories started to come back to me. I remembered how I used to sit and draw objects all the time,” he says. “I realised I had to do something more creative than just making spreadsheets and PowerPoints.”Persona is a restaurant by French chef Louis Cespedes and sommelier Jonathan Nystrom. They met while working in Stockholm’s three Michelin-starred restaurant, Franzén. Cespedes wanted to set a new standard for high-end restaurants, “There are few places where attention to detail in the food is combined with such a relaxed approach,” he says.Featuring a wine cellar and maturing fridge where guests can view the produce they’re about to consume, “It’s guilty pleasure food—straightforward, luxurious, hedonistic and unpretentious.” Think squid tagliatelle dressed in rich beurre blanc and bedecked with lush caviar, or tender swathes of Angus beef with crisp leaves of aromatic shiso.For Bratsberg, it was about creating an atmosphere that reflected the chef’s philosophy, “I’ve always sensed fine dining has evolved into something almost snobbish, where you as a guest should feel a bit reverent towards the experience and spectacle,” he says. “At Persona the food is world class, but the atmosphere is very warm, welcoming, and relaxed.”Having lived for a short spell in Milan, Italian design—and especially that of the mid-century— has thrown its influence upon his aesthetic, “The depth and variety of design expressions was immense during those decades,” he explains. And so at Persona the floor is terrazzo, a bespoke labour of love by Bratsberg, “I think it’s what I spent most time designing,” he says. “The asymmetrical, geometrical pattern is constituted by three different premade and pre-cut terrazzo boards, with 20 different sorts of marble in the floor and project as a whole.”Such strong lines, not only in the floor but in the oak and metal furnishings, much of which Bratsberg designed himself, contrast against warm plaster walls, tactile fabrics, and bulbous elements like a nebulous sofa in the lounge that makes the room feel more like an ultra-chic living room than a public space.Birch burl handles jut out of smooth timber drawers, some tables are neat as a pin, while others embody the natural shape of the tree—a contrast that feels holistic and balanced.“The vibe in the lounge is very homely and relaxing, with softer shapes and textiles,” explains Brasberg. Guests can have drinks and hors d’oeuvres in here (pommes soufflé with Swedish Kattegat Farming vodka anyone?) while they wait for their table in the dining room proper, able to return after dinner should they wish.Cosiness is further proliferated by various objects and sculptures scattered on shelving, tables and plinths in that apparently casual, but actually deeply ordered, way that would typically be seen in a home setting. “It works as a small exhibition space for artisanal pieces,” explains Bratsberg. “There are sculptural works in glass, wood, ceramic and metal from local artisans and designers based in Stockholm.”These objects are, in a way, aesthetic expressions of one of Persona’s primary motivations: community. “The lounge hosts spots for neighbourhood drop-ins,” says Bratsberg. “To always have an open door and to make room for anyone dropping in is a very rare sight in Stockholm’s otherwise strict table reservation culture.” It’s a restaurant that revels in exactitude, but it’s also a home from home that embraces spontaneity—here, everyone is invited.Want moreVogue Living?Sign up to theVogue Livingnewsletterfor your weekly dose of design news and interiors inspiration.