Winter in Stockholm

A quick trip to Stockholm for the furniture fair provided a nice taste of this cool Scandinavian city. Highlights included:

- Moderna Museet, Stockholm’s beautiful museum of modern art. Favourite pieces were Alexander Calder’s The Four Elements sculpture near the entrance to the building, and his The Forest Is The Best Place gigantic three metre tall hanging mobile. It houses some great pieces from all the big names of the 20th century, has a great shop and cafe also.

- Attempting to be cool in the eyes of the local kids on their snow skates (and failing miserably).

- Stockholm furniture fair, always fresh new Scandinavian design talent on show and often a preview of Milan’s show six weeks later.

- Riding the metro with people in their ski gear, heading out of the city for a day’s cross-country skiing.

- Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery) a short train ride south from the centre of Stockholm. A serene cemetery that is said to have shaped the way modern cemeteries are designed and is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Covered in snow and completely silent it was a really calming experience.

- Ice skating rinks in the centre of the city. Children can skate whilst mother shops.

- Staying in Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s Old town, just round the corner from Chokladkoppen (Stortorget 20), a very camp little cafe with great coffee and sweets.