Happy Stockholm is the name of a small trio design company based in Stockholm, Sweden. I just found out that their products are now being represented by a bunch of resellers in the US and of course anything new and lovely from my old Stockholm gets my support!

Behind the company are 3 creative design specialists within textile, glass/ceramics/iron art and silver. All the products are designed and made in Sweden. Here are a few of their offerings:

Very pretty pendant necklace in silver. I love the layered look.

Lovely table runner in linen. Both classic and modern.

A clever and handsome trivet/pot holder in iron. (I’ll tell you – a lot fancier than the round beat up ones I got!)

Beautiful earrings of silver and white freshwater pearl.

Another table runner that I think is so pretty. (Also offered in pillows and towels).

For their whole product line, visit here.

Hello blog friends! I am back after a few weeks off filled with pure summer bliss. I am rested and happy and I hope the same goes for you. I have missed you all but was often reminded of your wonderful existence through your lovely and kind e-mails. Thank you!

I live in a big house, with many rooms but no single white wall in sight! How is that even possible? I am a true Swede after all and have cocooned in white rooms most of my life. In my house I have chosen muted colors (and a lot of light gray) that all flow nicely together but I really miss a white atmosphere. Especially after my trip to Sweden.

So my goal for the next few weeks is to do my own guest bedroom makeover with white as the prime shade. Who knows where this exercise will take me. I might just keep on going!

Images above from Sköna Hem

2 last images from Livingetc.

Görvälns Slott (castle) is a newly renovated hotel located in a nature reserve only 30 minutes outside of Stockholm.

What a splendid, unusual treat it is! Swedish classic chateau style living in a beautiful old setting mixed with a totally unexpected chic international rococo design style, combined with Swedish design elements. This is a colorful hotel without being overwhelming. There are plenty of activities and things to do at and around the castle. The food is supposed to be lovely, using only locally picked ingredients.  I might pay a visit on my next trip to Stockholm. If any of you have already had the opportunity – please share your experience with us!

I just got back from a few days in Sweden and got my much needed Stockholm fix! I find myself very fortunate to have, what I consider to be, the best of two worlds, the US and Sweden.

Stockholm is absolutely breathtaking (especially summer time) and I have to pinch myself every time I go back. Just how lucky am I! This is where I grew up. I know the streets & the neighborhoods. I know the people, the culture and the scenery. I know the stores and the must sees. I consider myself incredibly blessed to know the very authentic Stockholm.

I can’t think of any other capital city in the world that is so progressive and cutting edge (not to mention the cool design elements everywhere) and yet so loyal and respectful to its heritage and long history. Over the next few weeks I will share “my Stockholm” with all of you. Meanwhile, here are a few of my own photos of Stockholm from the classic side.

The happening neighborhood Södermalm on a summer evening.

Stockholm seen from the old street, Fjällgatan. The street is lined with well-preserved wooden buildings from the 1700s on one side and a magnificent view of Stockholm on the other side.

Fjällgatan.

The beautiful Old Town (Gamla Stan) dates back to the 13th century and consists of medieval alleyways, cobbled streets and archaic architecture.

Stortorget is the name of the scenic large square in the center of Gamla Stan (Old Town), which is surrounded by old merchants’ houses including the former Stockholm Stock Exchange building now turned into the Nobel Museum. The square was the site of the Stockholm Bloodbath, where Swedish noblemen were massacred by the Danish King Christian II in November, 1520. On the outer walls of the red old building are 82 white limestone plates – one for each severed head. Legend has it that between November 8th and November 9th you can see shadowy figures haunting around that area…

Tourists might miss this treat, but the legend says that the canon ball stuck on the side of this old building by Stortorget was fired by a brave Swede who tried to kill the Danish King Kristian II in 1520. 

The roof top of the Nobel Museum.

You can drink the water from this 18th-century German fountain.

Here is the beautiful sculpture Saint Goran and the Dragon (Sankt Göran och Draken). This sculpture is a bronze copy of the original which is made of wood and is placed in the Storkyrkan (The Big Church) in the Old Town. The original wood sculpture was made by the German Bernt Notkes who lived and worked in Stockholm between 1484 and 1496. The legend tells of a horrible dragon looking for human sacrifice in a small Swedish town. When the King’s daughter is to be thrown to the dragon, a brave knight saves the princess and the town. The ruler of Sweden at the time, saw himself as the knight who slayed the Danish dragon and saved Sweden.

St. Jacob’s church, arguably the most central church in Stockholm. This is were I got married in 2000!

The church took a long time to complete and  include a wide range of architectonic styles, going back to as far as the 16th century.

The inside of the church brings back wonderful and joyous memories. I remember our cool friend Calle playing a very jazzy Duke Ellington tune “In a sentimental mood” on the old pipe organ and our happy priest joining in with great creative dance moves!

The Swedish National Museum is the national art gallery of Sweden.  This is were we held our lovely and fun wedding reception!

A famous equestrian statue of King Karl den XIV Johan (1763-1844) at Slussen. Slussen is a great place to try a local version of fast food – fried Herring with mashed potatoes!

Typical apartments in the Old Town. You would be surprised to see how wonderfully modernized and hip many of them are on the inside.

Stockholm is 1/3 water, 1/3 parks and 1/3 wonderful architecture. This photo is overlooking the Swedish Royal Opera House which officially opened in 1782. The yellow house to the very left (Sagerska Palatset) is the official residence of the Swedish prime minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt and his family.

This is Stockholm to me. Old next to new. And new next to old. It is clear – even to me! -  where my personal design style stems from.

Dear readers. You will not hear from me for a week because I am on my way to my wonderful home city Stockholm to bring back my mother for a visit with my family for the summer. I can’t wait! I will get to spend quality time with my family and many wonderful friends back home and to check out all the latest within the design scene.  I will bring back lots of material and a few surprises – only for you! Enjoy your week!

P.S Do you see the Royal castle in the background? On my first day in Stockholm I will run into its nice gift shop with a specific purchase in mind for my two beautiful girls. I will share with you later!

Peter Frie (born in Sweden 1947) is arguably one of the leading landscape painters in Sweden today. He has won many prestigious awards worldwide. In Sweden he is being represented by the internationally renowned art gallery, Galleri Lars Bohman.

“Peter Frie’s paintings are rooted in the long tradition of landscape painting, and especially in the way of depicting the landscape as a powerfully charged mood. The paintings manifest a powerful sense of place, but they also have a metaphorical dimension, so that any overly explicit link with a certain place tends to become blurred. Frie does not reproduce views, but paints memories. Peter Frie frequently arranges his painted theme so that it is part of a white painted ground, leaving this ‘empty’ space to act as a balancing factor that emphasizes the landscape theme. The large white areas flanking the depicted image permit a sense of expansion, like a screen behind which a continuation of the landscape will be revealed. They also have the capacity to concentrate the image, to intensify the spectator s scrutiny and his emotional response”. Jeremy Lewison, Director of Collections, Tate Gallery, London 1998.

In the manner of the nineteenth century British artists J.M.W Turner and John Constable, Frie creates contemporary landscapes that are unashamedly beautiful and intensely arresting. In the tradition of German artist Caspar David Friedrich, Frie’s landscapes are simultaneously intimate and expressive. His work also shares an affinity with other Northern Romantic artists such as the Norwegian painter Johan Christian Claussen Dahl (1788-1857) who sought to convey human emotion through his landscapes. (Oil on canvas on wood blocks from The New Art Centre in the UK).

Since 1988 Frie’s paintings have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout Europe. His work is included in the collection of the Moderna Museet, Stockholm, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, and the Friesichen Museum, Leeuwarden, Holland as well as private collections in Europe and the United States.

If you ever get an opportunity, do not hesitate to visit one of his exhibitions. I can guarantee you that you will not be disappointed. Peter Frie is a master painter and his abstract landscapes really capture the brilliance of the Scandinavian terrain.

Here is an opportunity for all the Swedes (or people interested in moving to Sweden!) who have a real passion for art, have some money under their mattresses and are looking for something meaningful to do. Maybe getting ready for a complete life change.

Take over this thriving art gallery situated in the most beautiful surroundings with its own cafe and wine cellar and get your own lovely living space on top of the gallery! The “Kabusa” art gallery is located in Glemmingebro along the popular and beautiful cost line Osterlen, in the southeastern parts of Sweden.

Life is short. I am a bit tempted myself! I really hope this lovely piece of property & history ends up in great hands and that it continues to do well.

The main building, built in 1899, used to be an old starch manufacturer but was in the 1900-hundreds turned into an art hall/museum. The building is situated on a huge lot, part of the most idyllic scenery. (Skeppsholmen Makleri is the real estate agency behind the listing. See here for more information).

This would be your new art gallery! Almost a royal feel with the old, beautiful stone floors and high ceilings with old rustic wooden beams.

The gallery is famous for its wonderful atmosphere and light.

A lovely and friendly cafe is part of the gallery, serving only good home made comfort foods and treats.

Summer time the cafe doors are open to this lovely and unpretentious stone terrace. How peaceful.

Welcome to your new living quarters! The area is designed to showcase your own private art collection.

State of the art kitchen. You are in Sweden after all.

Huge living room connected with the open kitchen. White walls and white washed hard wood floors capture all the light.

Spacious, private office.

Master bed room with lovely views over the property and breathtaking surroundings.

Master bathroom. Clearly not the same old, same old. Wonderful materials. It even has its own sauna.

Guest bath room.

The water and the long beach within a short distance. The Kabusa art hall is situated right where the water begins to meet the lightly sandy hills. I can breathe that fresh air. I can feel new, wonderful beginnings for someone really, really lucky!

There are so many fantastic, hip and fun restaurants in Stockholm, it will makes my head spin. Stockholm is undoubtedly a hot spot for contemporary and really good food.

But the one I think of as “my restaurant”, year after year, is PA&Co. A small, cozy Swedish bistro with a HUGE reputation. PA&Co serves modern takes on traditional Swedish dishes.

Every time I go back to visit my home town I will make sure to pay PA&Co a visit. They never ever let me down.  The people watching is good too. Many famous faces here!

In 2007 PA & Co came out with its greatly anticipated cook book. It became a instant success and was awarded the Grand Prize of “Best All Categories” for Meal Literature of The Year by The Swedish Meal Academy. I am definitely picking up a copy on my next visit to Sweden (so far only written in Swedish).

The jury’s motivation:

”After having built its popularity on continuity for more than 20 years, PA&Co is a classic restaurant which has fine-tuned its unique cuisine of powerful flavors, gusto and elegance. This beautiful book sums up the dining room’s cultural spawning ground and the kitchen’s bold crossing of Swedish home cooking, The Mediterranean and Asia in the straightforward, no-nonsense manner which has become the restaurant’s signature.”

There are so many interior designers that I admire and follow but for years I have had a soft spot for the very talented design group Heiberg & Cummings Design (hcd3) in NY. Their design work revolves around Scandinavian contemporary design with a focus on blending the old with the new. Mr. Heiberg is a native Scandinavian, just like myself, and it is easy to see that he is very loyal to his roots.  A wonderful example is this gorgeous beach retreat in the Hamptons.

If this is not relaxing for the soul – then I do not know what possibly could be!

One day (I have promised myself in my lovely dreams) I will team up with them so they can drive the design of our future kitchen… and dining room… and library and… I can’t wait to see them in action! For more of their portfolio go to: hcd3.

And look at some of their own furniture designs. Simply marvellous.

Hanna Werning is without a doubt one of the leading designers in Sweden. Whatever that girl touches – whether it is wallpaper, textile or ceramics, it is almost guaranteed to be an instant success.

I worked with Hanna when she was still studying design in London – before she became a major design name in Sweden. She helped me with the corporate graphic design elements for the company I ran marketing for. I remember back then being absolutely blown away by her creativity, talent and professionalism. Today, I so enjoy watching all her design endeavors. I hope she conquers the world!

The Swedish ceramics manufacturer Rorstrand (the company was established in 1726) just launched the latest shade to its ever-popular Hanna ceramic series. The new color pattern is called Hanna lilac.

I love the color and I guess I will have to ask my dear Mom in Stockholm if she would be interested in going on a shopping expedition.