Floornature

Sustainable architecture and design, the tuxedos at the Nobel Prize ceremony, meatballs with wild berry sauce and potatoes like the ones at Ikea, and the legendary Ingrid Bergman, all amidst the birch wood, white tablecloths and candles on the tables: this is Stockholm, the city that floats on water but also on eco – cool,  as Europe’s first green capital in 2010.
Since the second decade of the twentieth century Stockholm has lived by the manifesto of “Vackrare Vardag Svara” of beautiful objects for everyday use, through which Swedish design personified the Scandinavian mentality with its concept of design as “democratic and “humanistic”, preserving the aim of simplifying everyday life with innovations both large and small.
Today Stockholm, the Venice of the north, is continually growing with its hospitality, innovative cooking and shopping focusing entirely on architecture and design. 
The different forms of architecture in the city  follow one upon the other before the visitor’s eye, testifying to the medieval style in the old city - Gamla Stan – and to the Gustavian style of the late 19th century with its light colours such as white and grey. But it is the Swedish Grace style of 1900-1930, when architects worked in close contact with craftspeople and artists in wood, glass, fabrics and metal, that dictates the canons of Swedish design. 
One of the first examples is Lilievalch's Art Gallery, designed by Carl Bergsten, while  the transition to modernism is represented by Gunner Asplund’s Stockholm Public Library.

Contemporary architecture also draws inspiration from the Swedish Grace style, particularly the designs of the first decade of the last century. As visitors stroll through the city’s neighbourhoods they cannot help noticing the differences among the different “tribes” that live in them, the different shops, restaurants and places to stay.
The Norrmalm district is  similar to the New York’s financial district , while the Djurgarden is the place where the local people go to be close to nature. In it we find Skansen, the biggest open-air museum, and the Vasa Museum, with its 17th century warship,  all surrounded by royal gardens and greenhouses  with the new addition of biodynamic produce markets. Ostermalm is like Upper East Manhattan, where the fashionable people live, packed with home design stores.

Stay at the Story Hotel, built in the style of a loft by Koncept architectural studios, or at the Birger Jarl Hotel, a hotel that is a true work in progress: every year the Birger Jarl invites a Swedish designer to renovate or add to its interior. And when it comes to food, the highlight is the Ostermalms Saluhall, an indoor market dating from 1880,  the perfect place to enjoy traditional Swedish seafood. Sodermalm is a former working-class neighbourhood which has become very trendy lately.
The district has two important meeting-places: Mariatorget Square, surrounded by 19th century buildings containing small antique dealers and coffee shops, and Buzz SoFo (south of Folkungagatan), a lot like New York’s East Village, with its vintage clothing stores and multi-ethnic hangouts. And then there’s the Hotel Rival, a former cinema in the art deco style owned by Benny Anderson, a former member of Abba. Every room is decorated with posters of great Swedish films and, curiously, every room has its own teddy bear.

But it’s the shopping that is the truly surprising thing. Are you an eco shopper? Here are some useful addresses.
Trendy clothes made from ecological fabrics at  Ekovaruhuget, 100% vegetarian and 95% ecological foods at Good Store in SoFo, perfumes made with natural products by a master perfumer who creates a fragrance customised by Sencha, and finally the Beyond Retro megastore, where you can find vintage fashions at prices suitable for all pocketbooks. And design? Go to Design House, of course, which produces objects designed by about 60 independent designers. 
Their icon is the Block Lamp, designed by Harri Koskinen, part of the permanent collection at Moma in New York since 2000.  If you want a bit of everything, from fabrics to children’s toys and bathroom and kitchen accessories, all in contemporary Swedish style, go to Design Torget. If you like fabrics, you must drop by 10 – Gruppen, where fabrics are created with complete control over the entire process from the preliminary sketch to the printed fabric.
Don’t leave without enjoying a cup of coffee at the Kafè Bar on Hornsgatan like Stieg Larsson’s hero Mikael Blomqvist, and if you’re there for Christmas, try a cup of their Glögg, our vin brulé, red wine spiced with cinnamon and cloves.

Cintya Concari