Grycksbo Church is located in southern Grycksbo, Falun Municipality. The community still carries the tradition: rows of Falun-red worker housing south and east of the church. The church itself was designed by David Jansson, built in brick between 1905–1908, and funded by the Grycksbo paper mill. The space was meant to withstand both services and gatherings. During the renovation in 1951–1952, the choir was relocated, the furnishings were renewed, and the church was handed over to the congregation. The altarpiece was painted by Emma Sparre. This was the church the commission met: a space at the heart of the mill community, not an empty shell to be transformed.
The task was not to make the space new, but to repaint what already existed — so that the surfaces hold together, endure use, and can be maintained for years to come.
In the church interior, walls and the high wooden ceiling were repainted. The ceiling ribs retained their character but were unified into a calmer whole against the light walls. The light from the pointed arch windows is crucial: it must reach the floor, pews, and choir without surfaces blinding or feeling cold. The doors leading into the space were painted to blend in, with slate-blue panels and light fields. It is painting on a small scale, but it sets the tone for the entrance.
In the choir, walls and adjacent surfaces facing the main church interior were repainted. The altarpiece, altar rail, steps, and dark parquet floor should be seen together with the ceiling and walls — not as separate interventions. The same precision, different surfaces.
Adjacent to the main church interior is a smaller room with more everyday functions. Here, wooden fixtures were painted: radiator casings, cupboards, and floors, adjusted to the leaded windows and the light that enters. The colour is subdued, the joints tight. It is not the choir — but the demands on surfaces and cohesion are the same.
The work took place in an environment requiring heritage conservation considerations. Colours and binders were chosen so they can be maintained, repaired, and repainted without the next generation having to start from scratch. A church is finished when it can be used, not when it looks new for the first season.