Tag Archives: design

Scandic Grand Central Hotel, Bloggers Inn, Stockholm

Posted on by

The Scandic Grand Central Hotel exceeded all my expectations… this is because the website does not do justice to this palace of design. Invited to review the fashionable city of Stockholm, this hotel was the ideal place to stay. Located within easy reach of the train station and temptingly close to the city’s shopping district, it is the perfect spot for young bohemians. The hotel, which only opened a year ago, occupies the fully renovated quarters of the 1885 Lundberg Palace. After three days in the vicinity, I was still discovering incredible details and quirky design features of this hotel.

With 391 rooms on offer in all shapes and sizes, there is something for everyone. The modern Scandinavian décor is dangerously cool and luxurious. The eclectic mix of artwork adds character and charm to every room, song lyrics are scribbled on canvases and photographs of local celebrities embellish the walls. Suites have record players, Wi-Fi is available everywhere and every other amenity you could hope for or need is politely organised and arranged in the room.

Appropriately the Grand Central has a super glam Bloggers Inn room dedicated to online journalists staying in the city of Stockholm. This is a perfect cost free offer for digital writers. The room which is surprisingly indulgent was designed with the help of Frida Ramstedt (of blog Trendenser) following the results of thorough market research. Every detail has been carefully tailored to suit the needs of a thoroughly modern blogger! The room comes equipped with an iPad, speakers, camera tripod, selected magazines and inspiring books. I spent the first hour playing with everything! Spacious and trendy it is a lovely place to hang out, with huge windows offering impressive views of the city and a comfy sofa and desk for convenience. The bathroom is slick and cleverly arranged with a powerful bath-shower and shiny new fittings.

When we weren’t enjoying our room, we visited the spa and sauna downstairs and relaxed in the gorgeous lobby. I was amazed by the hotel’s extras… a lovely bright and colourful coffee shop, several bars (where legendary cocktails are served) and two restaurants where guests can experience classic Swedish and contemporary dishes. My favourite things about this hotel though were those little particulars that I’m sure would go unnoticed by most, details that make this hotel simply unforgettable. For instance, downstairs a retro photo booth is available for guests to use and on the floor are specially designed carpets which point to different local attractions. In the evenings talented musicians and DJs entertain the guests with atmospheric sets. It seems the Scandic Grand Central has thought of everything.

I am not exaggerating when I say this hotel is one of the most stylish I have visited… recently it was the only hotel in the city to be nominated for the prestigious European Hotel Design Award. I wouldn’t want to stay anywhere else in Stockholm.

Visit the Scandic Grand Central website here for more information.

Thanks to visitstockholm.com follow them on twitter for news and information, @visitswedenuk

Svenskt Tenn, Afternoon Tea, Stockholm

Posted on by

Svenskt Tenn is more than just a beautiful design shop. Set up in 1924 by Estrid Ericson the shop sells everything from fabric to furniture, trinkets and tassels. The prints, the most famous of which resulted from collaborations with the Austrian designer Josef Frank, are bright and bold, colourful and charming. The products are arranged stylishly in the large shop to create a psychedelic and fun venue. Upstairs this iconic Swedish design house offers the prettiest afternoon tea in the city. You sit in picturesque surroundings and are treated to a tiered stand of delights.

The tea salon is subtle and quaint compared to the vibrancy and energy in the rest of the shop. When we arrived at two on Sunday afternoon, the petite room was full of girls conversing and friends catching up… sophisticated but sensible. Founder Estrid Ericson drank her favourite tea twice a day (two and a half cups in the morning and two and a half cups with lunch) so it seems fitting that a tea salon has opened here in her honour.

It is easy to relax at Svenskt Tenn,  we sat down and our waitress brought fresh apple juice immediately to quench our thirst. It was delicious tea, very refined and light, but different and special tasting too. My date doesn’t normally drink tea and even he admitted to enjoying this variety. The Svenskt Tenn tea was our favourite, a lovely, mellow taste.

Afternoon tea can be a rather dry affair (after sitting around all morning) and usually far too much is offered… endless heavy scones and sticky cakes. Svenskt Tenn provides the opposite: a delicate, dainty and modest selection. Attractive squares of Swedish rye bread were adorned with smoked salmon, cream cheese and marinated fennel, hot-out-the-oven small scones with jam and butter and petit fours. It was all delicious, particularly the homemade scones!

Afternoon tea is priced at 230kr per person (approximately £20). You receive all the food I have mentioned and a pot of tea. Svenskt Tenn designs and prints are available to buy in Libertys, though for the real experience I would recommend looking round the Stockholm store followed by their gorgeous afternoon tea, memorable for taste and design.

Visit the Svenskt Tenn website here for more information.

Thanks to visitstockholm.com follow them on twitter for news and information, @visitswedenuk

IKEA PS Collection

Posted on by

IKEA has launched its 7th IKEA PS Collection, which consists of 46 new products that offer cutting edge Scandinavian design, all created by just 19 designers. IKEA strongly believe quality design should be affordable for everybody and this is what IKEA PS stands for.

The theme of this year’s collection surrounds revisiting the past to revive products for the future. Each item has been carefully crafted using inspiration from the past 60 years of IKEA design. The designers were tasked with drawing inspiration from past collections and challenged to modernise products by updating their form and function.

The IKEA PS side table (above) is inspired by flower stands that were popular years ago, but are designed for all of us who can’t make up our minds. That’s why the side tables come in three different versions, with three different table tops – all with a bamboo frame. You can choose whether you want a table with a flat surface, with a big fruit bowl or with a bamboo frame.

The IKEA PS 2012 Easy Chair (also above)  is inspired by the IKEA classic from the 50s that designer Wiebke Braasch has updated. The design has been refined to a modern, scaled down version – the old upholstery and other material has disappeared, with the original metal frame remaining. Now the easy chair can be used both inside and out and is much easier to recycle.

If only this range had been around while I was at University, I would have been a much more stylish student house!

See the range online here.

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/categories/collections/12041/