Earlier this year I went to the Sweden for the Stockholm furniture fair and design week, an interior addicts dream! Stockholm is so beautiful but whenever I’ve stayed there it’s only been for a few days at a time, not enough I say!. There’s always so much to see and do when visiting a city, and not fitting in everything can be a little heart breaking. However I did explore the city a little and found some great spots and places to eat, drink and shop. I thought I’d share what I found over the three days that I was there in a very chilly February.

STAY

HTL Kungsgatan

Hotels in Stockholm are quite expensive and I didn’t have much money left after my previous travels, so a budget hotel was in mind. As a bit of design obsessive and quite frankly an awkward person, I needed to find somewhere well designed, modern and cheap. NOT EASY. Luckily I spotted HTL, a small hotel group that is affordable and modern, plus the location was perfect. I booked in at the HTL Kungsgatan which was in the centre of Stockholm a perfect location. It was a cool place to stay, the rooms were small but well designed and the lobby was brilliant! A perfect place to hangout plus they do an incredible lunch buffet, which you can order even if you’re not staying there.

EAT + DRINK

Lille Ego – for a relaxed evening meal, luxurious food at a decent price

As it was my birthday month and I love fancy nordic food we started off by finding a cool new restaurant, Lille Ego. The food was INCREDIBLE! and after having been to other new nordic style restaurants I thought that the price was really good. It’s quite new so maybe get there before it gets too exclusive. lillaego.com

Snickarbacken7  – for coffee or should I say ‘Fika’

As a coffee addict and snob, I got the boyfriend to check Foursquare out, finding the closest coffee shop to the hotel that had a ratings over 8.5. We found that was seriously cool,  Snickarbacken7 (9.5 Foursquare rating too! whoop). This coffee shop is set in a building from the 1800’s, HUGE ceilings and a dramatic atmosphere but super chilled. Along with the coffee shop there’s exhibition space and concept store. A great place to while away the hours and the coffee is pretty awesome too. snickarbacken7.se

Wijnjas Ost & Vinkällare – for fancy wine and Cheese 

We ventured into town wanting to relax with some wine and cheese, this hidden wine bar was beautiful, not cheap though, however the quality was top notch. Worth going there even if you just go for one glass.  No picture, as I was on the wine, ha! wijnjas cheese + wine

 K25 – for cheap food and a trendy street food court vibe

Restaurants seem to be quite expensive in Stockholm these food courts are a great alternative. They are very popular and have a great design aesthetic (perfect for my designery eyes), from burgers to japanese food, you’ll find something you like, oh and wine! k25.nu/en

SHOPS

Iris Hantverk – the most wonderful handmade brushes

Not only detailed and beautiful craftsmanship but also a company with great values and traditions. This Iris Hantverk shop is on the same street as HTL hotel where I stayed. Guess how many brushes I bought?!  irishantverk.se

Granit – A super cool monochrome interiors shop that’s really affordable!

I’ve talked about Granit before but it had to be mentioned again, this is such a super cool shop. Perfect for the Scandinavian design lovers and monochrome enthusiasts. Unfortunately they don’t ship to the UK so you really have to shop there when you’re in Stockholm, shame. Next time I’ll bring a bigger bag! granit.com

EXPLORE

Moderna Museet + Arcdes – for art, design and culture

Visiting the Moderna Museet is a MUST, it’s on a super pretty island within Stockholm (there are 14 islands in Stockholm). You can get there by bus or walk, I took a nice stroll in the snow, it was so beautiful and scenic. The museum always has the most amazing art, to the right of the entrance) is a an exhibition space leading onto the Architecture and design museum. This is where I saw the Note Design studio exhibition featuring styling from Lotta Agaton.  modernamuseet.se , arkdes.se

Gamlastan – See the old town 

The old town feels so magical, with quaint shops, traditional Swedish restaurants an I even ate the biggest cinnamon swirl I could find, it was like a pizza! Just a great place to stroll and explore.

From the old town we hopped onto a boat taking us to the Skansen open air museum. It’s great on the water and you get a stunning view of the city.

Skansen the open air museum – See some animals and learn about the history and culture of Scandinavia

A really strange place! Skansen open air museum and zoo, featured traditional buildings, people dressed up in traditional Swedish clothes, clog making, pottery all sorts really and there’s a great selection of Scandinavian animals to see too.  It would be great to go there in the summer when the animals are happier to show their faces, but we did see a few. skansen.se

During this trip I spent a lot of my time at the Stockholm furniture + light fair , which was a short train journey out of the city. It’s a great fair and perfect excuse to visit Sweden. I’ll be coming back next year for sure and hope that I have more time to explore the city, I already have a big list for next time.

H x