BAK Bakery is located in Hökarängen outside of Stockholm. They have worked with a clear palette and materials to create a lovely atmosphere in an old brick building. They’ve used the classic Essem Skolkrok but powder-painted it in their custom colour called ‘Natten’ (The Night)
A visit to BAK bakery and Conrad Tyrsén, Catching the Friday Vibes and Freshly baked Goods
Few things can rival the warm, inviting aroma of freshly baked bread. Nestled in Hökarängen, a suburb to Stockholm, master baker Conrad Tyrsén is busy with today’s to do list, while a flurry of activity unfolds. Buns, bread, and bagels are being packed up in brown paper bags as locals prepare for the weekend. We recently paid a visit to BAK to soak in the ambiance and chat about cinnamon buns.
Hello! Please tell us about you?
Absolutely, I'm Conrad, a lifelong baker and the proud owner of a bakery and café in Hökarängen. Baking remains a profound passion of mine, but over time, it has also become my way of indulging into entrepreneurship, seamlessly blending my artisan roots with a vision for something more.
Tell us more about BAK?
When we first moved here, there was hardly anything in this area. People live here, and there was a grocery store, but not much else. The 600 square meters and the building itself were quite a downturn before we took over. I remember wondering if anyone would ever find their way here. Fast forward to today, we have a team of 50 employees, and we're delivering freshly baked goods all over Stockholm. The café is just one slice of BAK, but a good one. The bigger part is to deliver freshly baked goods to restaurants and others so what you see here doesn't have that pressure to perform and it runs itself, and we think it’s wonderful to have a space where people from near and far gather to connect.
What's the best thing of running a bakery for you?
It's the life within and around the bakery that's truly rewarding. Engaging with people, seeing their appreciation for what we do, and being more than just a bakery in a way. There's always someone here, 24/7, 365 days a year; sourdough starters need tending to, orders need preparation, and customers to welcome and serve. This year, we collaborated with architecture students from KTH on our courtyard, which was a fantastic experience. These are the kinds of things we can do here that wouldn’t be possible in the city. We love our space.
Could you tell us about the atmosphere you’ve created?
Certainly. We've worked with, let’s say, familiar furniture pieces but then had them powder-coated in our signature colors. I like the idea of recognizable items that are elevated from commonplace to something special. We’ve done this with IKEA stools, Essem’s school hooks, and most recently, those balcony laundry hooks you find in functionalist buildings. Additionally, we've collaborated with a company called Ugly Cute to custom-design certain pieces. Craftsmanship is at the heart of what we do, and we want that essence to shine through in our interior. Nothing here is by chance; it's all thoughtfully selected. We've been helped by setting a clear color palette and material library from the very start – making decision making easier e.g. now when we’ve designed bagel merchandise we use the space for guidance. Our tiled floor is painted in a shade we call "Natten" (Night) – we've allowed it to age naturally because it's charming to see the marks of all the people who have walked here. Everything else, though, is well-maintained – we repaint the counter several times a year, for example.
As we say good bye to the vivid life of BAK I can’t help but join the line-up and get buns, seed crispbread and a a Danish rye bread for the weekend. Thanks for the visit!
