Interior Design Travel Destination: Stockholm, Sweden (Pt. 2)
In case you missed my first post about the Stockholm Design Retreat, I will link it here. Founded by Mia Sandmark, the trip offered intimate access to artisan studios, curated showroom visits, and thoughtfully planned experiences
Interior design showrooms and shops we visited:
In Sweden, design is inescapable. It’s baked into the DNA of the city and radiates throughout the planning, architecture, interior design, art, fashion, and food. As part of the Stockholm Design Retreat, we visited some of the best furniture, wallpaper, and pottery studios and museums.
Handtryckta Tapeter
Birgitta Watz
Millesgården- building incredible but also featured Alvar Aalto & Aino Aalto (a design classic) w/ Diana Orving installation Incredible!
Svenskt Tenn
Hand-printed wallpaper at Handtryckta Tapeter — true craftsmanship. Watching them work in this adorable little cottage felt like stepping back in time. Absolute characters. Favorite, favorite, favorite. They were reprinting original papers from the 1700's.
A visit to Birgitta Watz’s pottery studio tucked into an industrial shipping yard — raw, textural, and deeply personal work. She's over 80 and shows no signs of slowing down. She supplied all the pottery for Ett Hem.
Millesgården — architecture layered into landscape — with pieces by Alvar and Aino Aalto that still feel modern decades later. And Diana Orving’s Celestial Bodies installation floating through the space like sculpture in motion.
And of course Svenskt Tenn — pattern, color, restraint, confidence. So Swedish. So fearless.
More than a trip, this was a reminder that the best design inspiration lives outside the showroom — in the craftsmanship of a centuries-old building, the warmth of genuine hospitality, and the beauty you only notice when you slow down. We came home inspired, connected, and deeply grateful. Sometimes you have to travel halfway around the world to see design — and life — with fresh eyes.
It’s no surprise that the Sweden Design Retreat already has a waitlist for the trip in 2027! To add yourself to the list, click here. Did you miss the first post where I outlined the beginnings of the trip, including the hotels we stayed in? Click below to read up on that.