The National Museum Reopens!

The National Museum Reopens!

Big news! In February of 2013, The National Museum in Stockholm closed for renovations and last week (on October 13th), after 5½ years, they finally opened again for the public. Not only is the National Museum Sweden's premiere museum for classic art and design, it is also one of Europe's oldest art museums... so it has been sorely missed in Stockholm while it was closed. The beautiful staircase in the center of the building is worth a visit itself. I, of course, made sure to stop by the museum on its opening weekend!

Besides cosmetic touch-ups, the renovations have included a large modernization of the museum, an addition of a sculpture garden and new restaurant as well as being expanded to allow it to take twice as many visitors and display three times the amount of art than previously. The king and queen were present to cut the ribbon at the grand opening on Saturday.

The museum was founded in 1794 as "the Royal Museum" and got its start as art collections of members of the royal family, before being taken over by the Swedish state. It moved to its current location, a beautiful building designed by Friedrich August Stüler, in 1866. The building contains three floors and is dominated by the aforementioned grand staircase in the middle.

While not as huge as The Louvre, Metropolitan Museum of Art or the British Museum... the National Museum is still large enough that it is hard to see everything properly in one visit, unless you just stroll through certain exhibitions. Luckily, the majority of the museum has free admission, so it is not a perkara to visit the museum on multiple days if you wish. The museum may charge admission to certain temporary exhibitions.

The collections are exhibitied chronologically, from the 1500's to today and both art and design objects are shown together. This allows you to move through the museum in a logical order, getting a better feel of the different eras or, if you wish, just to concentrate your visit on the art and design of a certain time period. Besides classical and fine art, parts of the museum do focus primarily on design and design history.

Currently, they have two temporary exhibitions. A&E Design, showing the designs, some quite famous) of the Swedish company A&E Design and an exhibition of the work of John Singer Sargent, an American artist who spent much of his life in Europe. Considered by many to be one of the most influential artists from the turn of the last century, Sargent's works include many beautiful portraits and landscapes. Both exhibitions run until January 13th and cost 150 SEK (one ticket for both exhibitions).

I did enjoy their new sculpture courtyard on the ground floor, where the restaurant was once located, for those of you who have visited the museum before the renovations. This is a nice place to sit and reflect under the gaze of the Norse gods Odin, Thor and Baldur. I have heard good things about their new restaurant, but didn't have time to try it on this visit. They do also have a special exhibition for children called Villa Curiosa.

The National Museum is located on the waterfront of the downtown area. About a 30 minute walk through the old town (Gamla Stan) from the Hotel Rival, you can also take the bus or subway (closest subway stop is Kungsträdgården on the blue line). The National Museum is closed on Mondays and is open extra late (9pm) on Thursdays.

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J. Lindeberg Concept Store

J. Lindeberg Concept Store

J. Lindeberg is one of Sweden's best known fashion labels and one of my personal favorites. They brilliantly combine fashion and sportswear along with Swedish sensibilities and design. The label contains (besides sportswear separates) shoes, outerwear, jeans, suits, accessories and more. I have always liked their clean lines, high quality, sporty design and great colors.

There are a few J.Lindeberg boutiques in Stockholm, including the flagship store in the fashion district of Bibliotekstan and in the department stores NK and Åhlens City. However, if you are staying at the Hotel Rival, you don't have to go far to shop for J. Lindeberg fashion. We have a J. Lindeberg Concept Store just around the corner from the hotel. Located just next to the pedestrian street Götgatan, it takes about 7-8 minutes to walk there. On Götgatan you also have quite a few stores, so you can easily spend the afternoon doing a round of shopping.

Recently renovated, the store has a beautiful, clean design which shows off the clothes wonderfully. I had a nice chat with Rebin, the boutique manager, who explained how the store focuses on world class service with many modern finesses. Retail meets the future! The store also hosts private and public events. If you see a Swede walking around looking effortlessly fashionable, chances are they are wearing J. Lindeberg. Stop by the Concept Store and soak up some Swedish fashion.

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Swedish Interior Design At Svenskt Tenn

Swedish Interior Design At Svenskt Tenn

One of my very first blog posts back in 2010 (I can't believe I have been writing this blog for 9 years now!) was about the Swedish interior design store Svenskt Tenn. As I stopped by the store the other day to pick up some Easter decorations, I got inspired to write an updated article.

Scandinavian design is world famous and I often get asked by hotel guests about the best Swedish/Scandinavian interior design stores in Stockholm. I would say the top of the list would surely be Svenskt Tenn. It is definitely the most well-known. Ironically, the designs at Svenskt Tenn don't follow the stereotypical Swedish design aesthetics (muted colors and minimalistic style). Instead you will often find many bold and beautiful patterns & colors at Svenskt Tenn.

Svenskt Tenn was founded way back in 1924 and success came quickly. Within just a few years, they were awarded a royal warrant and had their designs shown at a world fair in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Svenkst Tenn has been located at the same address on the beautiful Strandvägen boulevard since 1927. The store entered a new chapter in the 1930's when they started collaborating with the architect and designer Josef Frank. To this day, his beautiful textile designs are one of the staple products at Svenskt Tenn.

You can find just about anything you need for your home at Svenskt Tenn... from furniture to wallpaper to cutlery to lamps. They have even expanded into fashion design and have bags, jewelry and scarves. While this is definitely a store on the higher end of the price scale, it is still affordable. It is also a great store to just browse in and get inspired. If the shopping or browsing gets you hungry, they have a tea room on the second floor where they serve lunch and afternoon tea daily.

In 1975, the owner, Estrid Ericson, sold the company to the Kjell and Märta Beijer Foundation. The foundation still runs Svenskt Tenn today and any surplus generated by the company is used to support Swedish scientific research, providing research grants in the fields of ecology, medicine and the preservation of Swedish interior design traditions. Hopefully, this will make any shopping splurges at the store feel more justified when the credit card bill arrives. The easiest way to get to Svenskt Tenn from the Hotel Rival is by subway... just four stops away on the red line (Östermalmstorg station). Otherwise, it is about a 6-7 minute taxi ride.

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