History

How it Started (2011–2012)

The idea for Stockholm Makerspace began to take shape in the autumn of 2011, through online discussions between people who shared a desire for a physical space in Stockholm where people could build, learn, and collaborate, and felt that a place like this should exist. When this discussion had been going on for quite some time, a couple of the participants said “we can’t just complain about this not existing, we should do something ourselves instead”

The first in-person meetup took place in February 2012, at Bishops Arms Vasagatan.

A group of 7 people gathered and began outlining concrete plans for a member-driven makerspace, and spent all evening talking intensely, while the table didn’t order more than a single glass, likely making them the worst customers of that evening.

At that meeting, the idea of starting small—perhaps with a 30 m² room shared by 30 members—was floated. But interest in the project grew so rapidly that it later would be obvious the group had already outgrown such a space long before any lease was ever signed.

During the spring 2012, the organization was formally started, a number of meetings with the core group were held, and more people joined to be a part of the efforts.

During this early period, the core group of organizers put in a great deal of effort to build interest and momentum. They wrote blog posts, participated in online forums, and actively promoted the idea by attending various events around Stockholm to talk about the Makerspace vision. These grassroots efforts played a key role in growing the community and laying the foundation for the successful crowdfunding campaign at the end of 2012.

Crowdfunding and getting our own space on Wallingatan (2012–2013)

In late 2012, Stockholm Makerspace launched a successful crowdfunding campaign to finance its first real workshop. The Crowdfunding was a huge success and resulted in well over 100 people contributing around 120.000SEK. At the time, this amount felt like it was a major sum of money, but later it would turn out that it barely covered the bank guarantee we had to put down for the first lease.

Finding a suitable space also turned out to be a major challenge. The board spent countless hours visiting potential locations, negotiating terms, and trying to balance accessibility, size, and cost. One of the biggest hurdles was simply finding a landlord willing to rent to a newly formed non-profit association with no financial history—especially one that planned to have hundreds of members coming and going at all hours, using loud machines and potentially being a general nuisance. Central locations were prioritized to keep the space accessible, but both budget constraints and landlord skepticism made the search difficult.

The association held its first annual meeting at Tekniska Museet in early 2013, with more than 40 members attending. Here, the decision was made to sign the lease for the place the board had found, even if it was more expensive and larger than what the intentions were during the crowdfunding campaign.. Shortly thereafter, a lease was signed for a 300 m² basement space on Wallingatan in central Stockholm, which had previously housed a toy museum.

The space was far from perfect—walls were raw bedrock, the electrical system couldn’t be upgraded, ventilation limited and couldn’t be improved, and most floors were ceramic tiled, leading to terrible acoustics. Still, with determination and creativity, members began building the workshops that were possible within the constraints of the space. It became the first real home of Stockholm Makerspace.

The Wallingatan Years and Keeping the Association Alive (2013–2015)

Stockholm Makerspace officially moved in on April 14, 2013. Over the following two years, members built up key areas for 3D printing, electronics, woodworking, and general project work—all entirely through volunteer labor.

While the organization grew in terms of activity and membership, the physical limitations of the space and financial pressures remained constant. The association depended entirely on membership fees, volunteer effort, and the hard work of the then-active board to bring money in from alternative sources like sponsorships and charging organizations for tours of our makerspace, showing them what we had created.

The board also arranged regular open house events to attract new members. Most machines were on loan from members or acquired through outreach. These efforts were crucial in keeping the association afloat.

One telling anecdote from these years is how the treasurer would occasionally answer questions about the state of the economy by saying, “If the trend from the last few days continues, we’ll be able to pay the rent on the due date.” Sometimes this was said just days before the payment was due—perfectly capturing the financial tightrope the organization was walking during this period.

From Wallingatan to Drottning Kristinas väg (2014–2015)

In autumn 2014, Stockholm Makerspace was offered a new opportunity: the team behind the newly forming hardware-startup focused coworking space “THINGS Stockholm” which had just leased an entire building from Akademiska Hus, and proposed that our makerspace in their basement level would be an ideal complement.

At that point, the association was economically strained and this new space would both host our workshops better and create far better economics. Although some members were skeptical—the new location at Drottning Kristinas väg 53 was less central than Wallingatan—an extraordinary general meeting was held in late 2014. The members voted in favor of the move.

Stockholm Makerspace signed a lease with THINGS Stockholm and in early 2015, members began preparing the new space. The final move took place on April 14, 2015—exactly two years after the move to Wallingatan. All equipment was relocated in a single day, and the keys to the old location were returned that same evening. Though operations were minimal at first at the new location, a small table with 3D printers was up and running that very night.

Building the New Makerspace (2015–2016)

Following the move, a new phase of development began. For more than a year, members gathered for weekly build nights—often more than once a week—to construct workbenches, set up machines, lay out workshops, install power, and organize tools. Everything was built by hand, by members, adapting the space step by step.

A major milestone during this period was the community-funded purchase of a new laser cutter. The crowdfunding campaign showed strong member engagement and helped establish the laser cutting area as a central and highly used part of the space.

By the end of 2016, fully functional areas for laser cutting, woodworking, electronics, textiles, 3D printing, and shared workspaces had been created. These workshops were modular, flexible, and shaped by real usage needs—far more than can be fully described here.

During these years, the organization’s financial stability also improved significantly. The lower rent helped reduce financial pressure, but the better facilities led to increased interest and growth in membership, making income from dues an equally important factor.

This shift in financial position also changed how the organization operated. After several years of running everything on a near-zero budget, it became possible—though still within relatively modest limits—to allocate funds to projects where members were actively engaged. This marked a turning point in how initiatives could be supported and realized within the space.

Rebuilding, Refining, and Becoming reliably Self-Sufficient (2016–2020)

During the following years, Stockholm Makerspace continued to grow and evolve. Almost every workshop was rebuilt—once, twice, or even three times—as needs changed and new opportunities emerged. Tools were added, layouts were refined, and entire areas were restructured based on member feedback and countless hours of volunteer effort.

This ability to continuously reshape the space based on the needs of the community became one of the makerspace’s defining strengths.

At the same time, the organization worked actively to build long-term financial sustainability. A key goal during this period was to establish an economic buffer large enough to support a future relocation if needed, as the building had been scheduled for demolition since before the first lease was signed.

Once that buffer was achieved, focus shifted to reducing reliance on loaned equipment. Over the years, the association either purchased machines from the members who had provided them or replaced them with new, owned equipment—a process that would continue gradually until it was fully completed in 2024.

The Pandemic and the Visor Response (2020)

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in early 2020, there was a severe shortage of personal protective equipment. One of the members, Erik Cederberg, had developed an open-source 3D-printed face shield frame in the name of his company 3DVerkstan—one that became one of the most widely used designs globally.

Stockholm Makerspace launched a rapid-response project to mass-produce these visors. A member organized a volunteer team that gathered 3D printers from companies, schools, and individuals. At peak, more than 60 3D printers were running 24 hours per day in the Makerspace, with closer to 70 total printers on-site.

Over 2800 visor frames were printed in a single day at peak, and more than 25000 were produced within 14 days. Makerspace also acted as a national distribution hub for visors printed by volunteers across Sweden. Once industrial production caught up, the print farm was shut down, but before that, it was covered on national television.

Throughout the pandemic, Stockholm Makerspace took a cautious but pragmatic approach: the space remained open to members 24/7, but strict limitations were placed on the number of people allowed in each workshop at any given time. Face masks and hand sanitizer were made freely available throughout the space. However, all in-person courses, workshops, and events were put on hold for the duration of the pandemic to ensure everyone’s safety.

Facing Uncertainty and Securing Our Future (2021–2022)

Throughout the pandemic, the workshops remained open—though with limits on occupancy. Courses, workshops, and events were put on hold, but members could still access and use the facilities.

As restrictions eased, the association resumed its full range of activities. Membership rebounded quickly. Courses restarted, new equipment was added, and the community became more active again.

At the turn of the year 2021, Stockholm Makerspace was unexpectedly given notice on its lease. The pandemic had made it increasingly difficult to run a coworking space, and THINGS Stockholm chose to wind down its operations. Their facilities were taken over by Akademiska Hus' initiative A Working Lab (AWL), so THINGS could no longer sublease to the Makerspace.

A major relocation project was launched, and the association received a promising offer to move into a much larger space in Kista at an exceptionally favorable rent. In late 2021, the members voted to proceed with the move. However, the project ultimately fell through when the local development company involved changed the terms multiple times. The long-term security of the location could no longer be guaranteed, and the timeline for when the space would be available became increasingly uncertain. As a result, the board shifted focus and began exploring the possibility of staying in the current location instead.

In 2022, a new rental agreement was reached—this time directly with Akademiska Hus. Although the new contract came with a slightly higher rent and less favorable terms in some areas, it also offered greater long-term stability. Most importantly, plans to demolish the building had been cancelled due to shifting economic and political priorities caused by the economic recession following the pandemic. Instead, Akademiska Hus were committed to renovating the property, securing the future of the makerspace’s current location.

Expansion and Major Renovations (2023–2024)

In 2023, Stockholm Makerspace gained access to two additional rooms on the ground floor of the building. These had previously been used as a startup workshop by THINGS, but became available when THINGS' operations were phased out and replaced by A Working Lab (AWL).

With the help of many dedicated members, the new rooms were refurbished. A completely new floor was laid in the electronics lab, and extensive soundproofing was added toward the floor below, in preparation for a future move of the wood workshop. The textile lab was also relocated to the ground floor, meaning both the electronics and textile labs now have windows and natural light—making them bright and welcoming workspaces.

In 2024, these changes enabled further improvements. The wall to the former textile lab was removed, and that area became the new social section of what we call “the big room,” which also includes the digital fabrication lab and a kitchenette.

The laser cutter was moved a few meters closer to the main space, and a new sound-insulated wall was built to separate off just over 52 square meters, designated as the new woodworking room.

Over the course of the year, this space was further improved: the ceiling was soundproofed, the floor was epoxy coated, a piped dust collection system was installed, and much more. Eventually, the entire woodworking area was moved into this new room—twice the size of the previous one and far better suited to the needs of the woodworking members.

Further Expansion and Workshop Rebuilds (2025)

Following the major reorganization of the woodworking area the year before, 2025 brought a similar transformation to the metalworking workshop. The metal working space was doubled in size as it now could move into the former wood workshop and was thoroughly cleared out, making room for a more purposeful and efficient layout. Everything got a fresh coat of paint, unused items are being removed, and the workshop is reorganized to better reflect the needs and priorities of members.

The rebuilt metal shop is going to be divided into two distinct areas: one cleaner section focused on machining and precision work, and another for grinding, bending, and other heavier, dustier processes. This separation not only improves safety and cleanliness, but also makes it easier to work on multiple projects in parallel.

As part of the renovation, the silversmithing workshop—previously somewhat improvised—is finally given a dedicated and enclosed space of its own, separated from the rest of the metal area with proper walls. This marks the first time the silversmithing tools and activities get a permanent home where it isn’t having issues caused by contamination of other metals, and it adds a long-awaited level of professionalism and comfort for members working in that craft.

This entire project has been made possible solely thanks to the strong engagement of members. To harness that momentum and accelerate progress, the frequency of work nights and workdays has been increased again—bringing people together, sharing knowledge, and building the space as a community, just as in the earliest years.

As of 2025, Stockholm Makerspace has just reached the milestone of 1,000 members in the organization, with well over 300 of them having 24/7 access at any given month. The space at Drottning Kristinas väg 53 soon covers close to 400 m², the largest footprint in the association’s history.

Every part of the space has been shaped—often multiple times—by the hands of its members. From layout and infrastructure to tool selection and safety protocols, the Makerspace remains a living, evolving project built entirely by volunteers. Since its founding, more than 4,500 individuals have been members at some point, contributing to one of Sweden’s most active and resilient creative communities.