Anthony Norman

  Småland has a diverse design scene, to say the least. Why not create your own glass art in the Kingdom of Crystal? Learn all about the story of IKEA in Älmhult. Or visit the childhood home of a world-renowned Swedish furniture designer. You’ll also find a rural museum and four barns filled with contemporary art.   Bruno Mathsson Center, Värnamo Curious about one of the most prominent Swedish furniture designers of all times? Learn more about Bruno Mathsson’s furniture at the Bruno Mathsson Center, and visit the studio and office where he created many of his designs. Bruno Mathsson presented a new type of furniture design in the 20th century and soon became one of Sweden’s most prominent furniture designers of all times. The chairs he designed became immensely popular and have become icons for Scandinavian design. It is said that his aim was to provide a new way of sitting, suitable for modern times. In the 1940’s Mathsson paid a longer visit to the USA, where he ...

 Sweden’s right of public access allows anyone to light a fire out in the nature. But there are restrictions to safeguard Sweden’s beautiful but timber-rich countryside.   Arrive in the natural wonderland that is Sweden and you’ll enjoy the right of public access – giving you freedom to roam the countryside across land and water. Go for a relaxing walk and stop to pick berries along the way or take a swim in a lake. Pitching a tent for a night or two in the wilderness is part of the freedom to roam, too. To complete the experience, what could be cosier than sitting by a campfire as night falls ? Making fires is allowed in the Swedish countryside – but only when conditions are safe. Campfires make some landowners nervous – and understandably so. Many forest fires are unintentionally caused by campfires every year – and with dire consequences. Sweden has suffered significant fires in recent years due to the unusually dry, hot summers Scandinavia has experienced. Fir...

  Looking for places to explore Swedish design, arts and crafts on your holiday in Sweden? Svensk Form (the Swedish Society of Crafts and Design) has put together this list of the top design places to visit in northern Sweden. Svensk Form aims to demonstrate the benefits of good design to social development, to stimulate the development of design in Sweden, to increase respect for the value of design work and to expand and deepen attitudes towards issues of form and design. 1. Frösö Handtryck Hand printing textiles is truly an art, requiring precision and patience. Learn more about the printing process and stock up on unique, hand-printed fabrics at this factory shop in Jämtland. Founded in 1946, Frösö Handtryck is both one of Sweden’s few remaining hand screen printers and one of the country’s oldest hand printers. The printing process and craftsmanship are largely the same now as then and can be viewed in action in the combined factory and store in Frösön, Östersu...

 Experience Sweden from the waterside in a kayak or canoe, gliding along mighty lakes, clean rivers and through Swedish archipelagos that spread across the idyllic coastlines and into the sea.   Few experiences are as peaceful as paddling in a kayak or canoe. Moving silently across the waters, you’re at one with nature. Aside from the sea surrounding it, Sweden has a vast number of lakes, rivers and archipelagos – often within easy reach of quaint towns and other urban environments. Set off with paddle in hand wherever you might be in the country – from Gothenburg on the west coast to Luleå in Swedish Lapland in the north. There’s no end to the variety of adventures to embark on, either independently or as part of a guided tour, with or without accommodation. Often, you can also combine the excursions with indulging in local food and beverages. Discover the diversity on offer for kayakers and canoeists, beginners and experienced paddlers alike. City kayaking Gothe...

  Andreas Lyckefors runs what is probably Gothenburg’s hottest architect firm right now, the diverse, award-winning Bornstein Lyckefors. This is his guide to the best of what Gothenburg has to offer in architecture, design and fashion. It takes a while for the celebrated architect Andreas Lyckefors to get going, but once he has begun to list the most interesting places for architecture, fashion and design he can hardly stop. It’s easy to be blind to your own city, he offers as an excuse as he pauses for breath, before diving into the next hidden gem in Sweden’s second largest city.  And it’s precisely this factor of being the second city that Andreas Lyckefors comes back to when asked to describe Gothenburg as a destination for design. Just like Antwerp, Rotterdam and Hamburg he feels that Gothenburg is a freer and more creative place in relation to its capital city. And what Gothenburg might lack in prestigious institutions, the city makes up for in characterist...