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.