I recently had the pleasure of visiting Stockholm - a very exciting prospect for any design fan! I was thrilled that I would get to spend a week enjoying the beautiful architecture, food, light, colours and - most of all - interiors of this fantastic city.


So, I am pleased to share with you a little round-up of some of the highlights of this trip, a few photographs and tips for anyone else who is planning a trip there and would like to know a little more.

I should also acknowledge a debt of gratitude to some of the fantastic websites that helped me in planning my week there - Confessions of a Design Geek, Design Sponge, The Culture Trip and my friend Rachel who lives there and gave me an insider's guide. Thanks all.

SHOPS

I had a great time exploring the various shopping areas of Stockholm - but not as much as I would've liked! We had a lot to fit in, with sightseeing, catching up with friends and eating lots of Scandi foods, so if I could've had another week to explore the fantastic shopping on offer I would've been very happy. As it was I still found some design treats, here are a few I'd recommend:

Coctail - Retro kitschy fun, with flamingoes in the doorway, mexican oil cloth fabrics, bunny lamps and more.

Design Torget - A reasonably-priced place to pick up a few treats and goodies that will fit in your suitcase for the journey back

Svenskt Tenn - A big department store with AMAZING fabrics and furniture - worth it just for the Josef Frank display alone - currently visible in the main windows.

Grandpa - Fashion, interiors and some stuff - beautifully made things that have the feel of being future design classics

Ostermalm Saluhall - Beautiful old market building with gorgeous wooden detailing and lots of very delicious food - if you get a chance to buy some local strawberries then don't miss it!

Stockholm Stadsmission - This is a charity shop chain in Stockholm which has a fab vintage clothing shop in Sodermalm and also a beautiful bakery in Gamla Stan

An Ideal For Living - Sadly closed when I passed by, but looked like an amazing shop full of lovely mid-century stuff and quirky finds

Oppet - Vintage shop in Sodermalm with a focus on botanic prints, china dogs, linens and more unusual finds

marlo market - Boutique also in Sodermalm with a lovely mixture of old and new - including great vintage lights, furniture and fabrics



marimekko - there are stores all over, and even though you can get marimekko products in England it's nice to see them in their homeland!

There are probably more that I've forgotten, but that seems like a good start! I'd definitely recommend a wander around Sodermalm for vintage pieces, clothing, individual independent boutiques and great cafes.



OTHER GOOD STUFF

Nordiskamuseet - A brilliant museum exploring Swedish everyday life. There's a great section on the top floor which focuses on interiors with room sets and models showing how design, living spaces and style has changed over the centuries. As you can imagine I spent a fair amount of time here. There's also a fab room full of fabrics, great for inspiration, and a section exploring Swedish folk art which is just beautiful. Plus the museum shop is a cut above the usual pencil & rubbers selection!
Papercuts in the folk art section

Cupboard decorated with cloud motif in the folk art part of Nordiskamuseet

The archipelago - We visited an island called Grinda in the Stockholm Archipelago - took a couple of hours to get there on a boat (about £7pp) and the trip through thousands of tiny islands was a real treat. Grinda is a beautiful place with a restaurant, cafe, some small beaches and beautiful forest. Not a lot there, which is ideal if you want to connect with a bit of nature during your trip to Stockholm. We swam in the Baltic sea and nearly stepped in an anthill in the forest. Wonderful!

Lux Dag For Dag - We ate at this restaurant and just loved it. The interior of this old factory space is gorgeous, with specially-printed wallpapers, luxurious jewel-coloured cushions and lanterns and a relaxed, luxe feel throughout. It's slightly out of the city, but worth the trip as you can sit on the terrace and eat dinner looking out over the water, enjoying seriously good food. We had the best crayfish, Ox, mushroom ravioli and a beautiful elderflower and strawberry dessert. Expensive, but a real treat.

The botanical gardens - This is a few stops out from the centre on the underground and - if you're a fan of plants - is a wonderful escape from city life. You get to wander through beautiful gardens, explore big glass houses and orangeries, picnic next to the water and more. Gorgeous!

Kulturefest - If you're lucky enough to be here when this is happening then you will get to experience all kinds of free fun! This year the theme was the UK, funnily enough, and we saw performances by the Unthanks, Stockholm Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ibibio Sound System, a dance company I didn't catch the name of and we danced in the streets to crazy European DJs til late. Super fun.

Boat rides - as part of the public transport system you can take boats from the central harbour to Djurgarden, Sodermalm, Gamla Stan and other parts of the city. This is a fun way to travel and you get to see Stockholm from a bit of a distance, which is a real treat as you can appreciate the beauty of the architecture and the layout of this unusual island city.


We had a wonderful time in this chic, stylish Scandinavian city and wouldn't hesitate to visit again. I'd love to see it at different times of year. We were lucky to get blue skies and brilliant sunshine, but I'd also love to see the black rooftops floating above a snow-covered Stockholm. Can't wait to take a trip back again!

Have you been to Stockholm? Tweet me your pics and thoughts to You can also see more of my pics on Instagram.

Thanks for reading!

Becky