Admittedly, upon meeting the city of my dreams, we were entirely on cloud 9 + enveloped in the love of us. However, I am entirely certain it wasn’t purely due to my just-married beaming heart that I fell absolutely head over heels in love with Stockholm. It was just 72 hours after we said “I do”, that my husband (I really love saying that) + I landed in Sweden for some time to ourselves following our wedding celebrations + magical time spent with loved ones, for what was a first time for both of us in this most stunning city.
As an aesthete + lover of beauty in all capacities, this city had always been high on my list of places I knew I would connect with on a very deep level. Beautiful, sleek + entirely a vibe, Stockholm exceeded all our expectations + currently sits as somewhere we loved so much that we’re considering an extended period of time there in the very near future. It’s chic.. like chic with a major capital C.
To be honest, as it was just following our wedding, all we really wanted of the time away was to be with each other + to step into a very chilled out vibe; the need to explore as I normally would a new + previously undiscovered city, simply wasn’t as burning as would be my standard plan of total immersion. This lack of urgency in our examinations of journeying through the city actually gave us another perspective of being in the moment, a total time for relaxation, something that can be quite difficult when taking in so much newness in new-to-you parts of the world yet we found Stockholm to be perfect for this type of aimless wandering while perfectly punctuated by beautiful landmarks, galleries + museums, stunning stores, boutiques + cafés worth popping into for yet another hot chocolate or coffee.
It was November + we were blessed to witness the first snowfall of the season which, in our romantic bubble, was so special to wake up to on our first morning along with the most breathtaking sunrise over Stockholm Harbor, witnessing it from our balcony at Hotel Diplomat where we based ourselves for the week. From Hotel Diplomat we ventured out to absorb, at our ease. From lunches + dinners in a variety of picks from some amazing recommendations + strolling the beautiful stores - some beautiful local finds + other well-known brands of Swedish heritage - to taking in the exquisite architecture + design that meets you around every corner, all amid the clear blue skies, crisp cold air + the dream of an evening back at Hotel Diplomat’s hammam + sauna. Each day a dreamy dip into the world of all that Stockholm has to offer.
Wrapping up to take in this sophisticated city is a must in November, it’s freezing but - of course - everyone makes it incredibly stylish. As someone who loves style, it’s truly hypnotic. People watching is breathtaking + there is an endless abundance of shopping - perhaps the best I’ve ever under taken - from (my all-time favourite) Totême (shout out to Elin, the HQ’s incredible manager + personal shopper who helped me further deepen my love of everything Totême creates) + of course, Acne to some of the chicest beauty brands like Mantle + Verso + the exquisite leather goods brand Palmgrens, not forgetting jewellery brand Ennui Atelier; quite frankly the elegant, cool, sleek vibe of Swedish brands is inexhaustible. Pack light as the temptations are all too tempting, trust me. All of these are linked below for your reference.
In terms of my daily movement practice, I found myself returning to Remedy each day which, by + of itself could make me move to Stockholm just to be able to soak up the positive energy of this incredible studio. Founded by Carita Lesche + Amelie Parchami of Stockholm Pilates Centre (the sister studio which is also incredible so try that too), Remedy is a self-care package for your mind, body + soul. It was here that my love of teacher Camilla Ahlqvist (of The Practice) was born along with the sound bath practices of Miriam Morgenstern + garuda classes by founder Amelie. A genuine sanctuary. Continuing my love of movement, classes at STHLM Barre are a must, I’m a huge pilates fan in general + the classes here are so fire! The barre burn is so real. IYKY.
And to top of the appreciation of some time spent delving into the realm of self-care, while my husband did his thing, I spent time treating myself to a treatment (or three) with the incredible Mia Hjalmarsson, owner of Mia Hjalmarsson Skincare, Beauty + Holistic Wellness which has treatment rooms in Hotel Diplomat, where we stayed. I also ventured to her other location at Villa Dagmar (sister hotel to Hotel Diplomat) to try a holistic energy + lymphatic massage with Linda who is also incredible.
So while I can safely say that yes we were on cloud nine on this post wedding trip together, I know that this city, beyond it’s meaning to us at that special time in our lives, is somewhere we’ll love again + again.
STOCKHOLM, THE HSF EDIT
H O T E L S // Hotel Diplomat // Villa Dagmar // Miss Clara // Ett Hem // Nobis Hotel // Berns
A R T // Fotografiska // Moderna Museet // Galleri Magnus Karlsson // Fargfabriken // Acne Archive
D I N E // The Restaurant at Villa Dagmar // AG // Café Nizza // Nosh + Chow // Nour // Ichi // Fotografiska // ChiÔi // FRÄMMAT // Naboterrassen //
C O F F E E S T O P S // Butiken Diplomat // Café Pascal // Vete-Katten // Sempre Espresso Bar // Schmaltz //
S H O P S // Toteme Flagship // Palmgrens // Grandpa Store // APLACE // COW Parfymeri // NK Stockholm // Acne Flagship // Svenskt Tenn
M O V E M E N T + W E L L N E S S // Remedy // Stockholm Pilates Centre // The Practice // Beaty treatments at Mia Hjalmarsson // STHLM Barre // HEAT by Sophia Lie //
B R A N D S // Mantle // Toteme // All Blues // Ennui Atelier // Acne // House of Dagmar // Byredo // Sachajuan // Palmgrens // Lisa Yang
W I N E // Cave Nizza (Drop in only) // Blanche + Hierta // Balzac
