If you’re hunting for the best of Swedish design in Stockholm, you’re choosing between two worlds. On one side is the classic, storied grandeur of Östermalm. On the other is the creative, experimental spirit of Södermalm. Which district you prioritize depends on what you’re after. Do you want a legacy piece built to last a century? Or a contemporary object that captures the mood of modern Scandinavia?
Östermalm or Södermalm: two sides of Swedish design
Östermalm is home to Stockholm’s legacy design houses. These establishments have defined the Swedish aesthetic for over a century. A visit here is an essential lesson in how Swedish design found its form. The collections are also investment-grade. So expect substantial furniture and premium decor that reflect the district’s upscale character. Treat these showrooms as you would a gallery. Even if you aren’t buying a centerpiece, studying the craftsmanship of these iconic pieces is an inspiring experience.
If Östermalm is where Swedish design honors its heritage, Södermalm is where it tests its limits. In fact, this district pulses with independent energy. It is home to lifestyle boutiques, experimental studios, and concept shops. Here, too, the lines between fashion, home, and art often blur. You’ll certainly find smaller, giftable design pieces. But you’ll also meet the next generation of Swedish makers. Explore this district to understand the modern, eclectic side of the city. It’s a neighborhood where people live with design, mix it, and constantly reinvent it.
To see Stockholm’s full design landscape, don’t treat these two districts as separate shopping options. Instead, see them as two halves of a single, ongoing conversation. Östermalm provides the historical foundation and the master-crafted legacy behind the city’s reputation. Södermalm, meanwhile, reveals where that conversation is heading next. Spend an afternoon in each, and you won’t just see the products. You’ll understand the trajectory of Swedish design.
The heritage design houses at Östermalm
These three establishments form the core of Swedish design heritage. Better still, all of them sit within a compact 15-minute walk of one another. Treat these showrooms as you would an art gallery. The experience lies as much in the curation, history, and craftsmanship as in the objects themselves. Maybe you’re scouting for an investment piece to anchor a room. Or perhaps you simply want to study the evolution of Swedish form, from intricate textiles to master-crafted woodwork. Either way, these spaces offer an unfiltered, tactile view of the country’s design legacy.
Svenskt Tenn
A landmark showroom offering an immersive look at Josef Frank’s vibrant, world-renowned textile designs.
Svenskt Tenn opened in 1924. Three years later, it moved into its current premises on Strandvägen, in a building by architect Uno Åhrén. Instead of shelves, the store unfolds as a series of furnished rooms. You’ll walk through a living room, a conservatory, and a workspace. There’s also a dining setup with table linens and porcelain, laid out as if for a meal.
People travel here specifically for Josef Frank. The Austrian-born architect left more than 160 textile designs exclusively to Svenskt Tenn. The shop still prints many of them from the original screens. His prints show densely layered botanical scenes: climbing vines, fruit, and imagined flowers in saturated colors. As a result, they look nothing like the pared-back palette often associated with Swedish design. Founder Estrid Ericson’s own elephant print, from the same era, offers a smaller, quieter counterpoint.
The shop sells textiles by the meter. You can leave with a length of fabric as easily as a statement piece of furniture. There’s also a café on the upper floor for a lighter stop before or after.
Who this is for: Anyone curious about the origins of Swedish textile design. It also suits those willing to invest in a single, heritage-defining object rather than an entire room.
Who this isn’t for: Anyone seeking quick, inexpensive souvenirs. You can find smaller items, but this is a premium destination. The value lies in the legacy and the craft.
Getting there: About a 10-minute walk from Östermalmstorg (red line), or a 20-minute walk from T-Centralen.
Malmstenbutiken
A tribute to Swedish woodwork, prioritizing timeless craft and comfort over fleeting functionalist trends.
Carl Malmsten opened his first furniture store on Strandvägen in the autumn of 1940. Back then, it sat two floors below his own architecture office. He built his reputation in direct opposition to functionalism, the movement then reshaping Swedish design. Stripping a home down to its function, he argued, ignored what a home was actually for. The store then stayed on Strandvägen for eight decades. In 2021, it moved to Humlegårdsgatan, a few doors from Olofskolan. Malmsten opened this workshop-school in 1930. Current CEO Jessika Hyltner has called the move “a return to our origins.”
The shop carries the full range of Malmsten’s furniture still in production. You’ll also find a curated selection of other contemporary Swedish makers. Look out for the Berlin sofa and the Häggbom armchair upholstered in tartan. The Farmor armchair in a Morris-designed cretonne print is also a highlight. By the shop’s own account, the bestseller isn’t a piece of furniture at all. It’s a lampshade with pressed plants set into the material, a design that dates back to the 1950s.
Who this is for: People interested in Swedish joinery and craft traditions. It suits anyone who wants furniture to hand down rather than replace.
Who this isn’t for: Anyone shopping for travel-friendly souvenirs. This is a destination for serious interior design, not for filling a suitcase.
Getting there: Humlegårdsgatan 13, about a 10-minute walk from Östermalmstorg (red line). Svenskt Tenn is roughly the same distance away, so the two are easy to combine.
Nordiska Galleriet
A grand, checkered-floor showroom blending home-grown Swedish pieces with the best of Italian and international design.
The showroom mixes Italian brands like Cassina, B&B Italia, and Flexform with Scandinavian and international names. These include Artek, Carl Hansen & Søn, Fritz Hansen, and Vitra, alongside the store’s own NO GA Studio collection. A striking checkered floor defines the ground level and has become a signature of the space. Additionally, anyone who asks can get a free in-house interior design consultation.
The building began as an auction hall in 1912. In 1929, Carl-Otto Heigard turned it into a combined art gallery and furniture store. The name Nordiska Galleriet then became official in 1933. Heigard’s son introduced Danish design in the 1940s and 50s, bringing in Finn Juhl and Nanna Ditzel. In the 1960s, the store expanded its reach to Italian producers. That relationship still shapes the showroom’s aesthetic today.
Who this is for: Visitors who want to see Swedish and Nordic furniture next to its international competition. It’s a useful comparison stop, even for pieces you might buy elsewhere.
Who this isn’t for: Design purists seeking an exclusively Swedish aesthetic. You’ll find plenty of Nordic pieces, but the showroom’s identity rests on its global, cosmopolitan blend.
Getting there: Nybrogatan 11, about a 10-minute walk from Östermalmstorg (red line), and roughly 5 minutes from Svenskt Tenn.
Taken together, the three cover more than a century of Swedish furniture and textile history within a fifteen-minute loop. They span Malmsten’s craft-first argument against functionalism and Nordiska Galleriet’s postwar embrace of Danish and Italian modernism.
The contemporary scene at Södermalm
Östermalm honors the permanence of a master-crafted legacy. Södermalm, by contrast, thrives on fluid, evolving energy. This is a district for lifestyle-driven design. Its shops act as extensions of the home, often blending interior objects with apparel, independent media, and experimental aesthetics.
The focus here is less on traditional, room-anchoring furniture. Instead, it’s on the objects that shape day-to-day living. Think thoughtful organization, small-batch craftsmanship, and concepts built around modern, approachable utility. Above all, the area rewards curiosity. You’re as likely to find a unique, locally designed gift as a new approach to everyday living.
Designtorget
A rotating showcase of small-batch, independent Nordic products designed for modern, everyday living.
In Designtorget’s original format, the designers themselves worked the shop floor. They sold and explained their own products directly to customers. The store recently revived that idea as Designtorget Sessions. These are recurring evenings where a designer talks through their process. The first paired the store with watchmaker TID Watches. However, the everyday version of the concept is quieter. Expect shelves of small-batch, gift-scale objects from independent Nordic designers. Stock rotates often enough that two visits rarely look the same.
Stockholm currently has three locations. You’ll find one at Götgatan 31 in Södermalm and another at Sergelgatan 20 near Sergels torg. The third is a stall inside Centralhallen at Stockholm Central Station, useful as a last stop before a train.
Who this is for: Anyone looking for clever, well-designed home solutions and thoughtful gifts. It’s also a great way to discover the independent Swedish design scene.
Who this isn’t for: Those in search of large-scale, traditional furniture or high-end luxury goods. This is a destination for accessible, utilitarian innovation, not grand statement interiors.
Getting there: Götgatan 31, close to Slussen and Medborgarplatsen (red or green line). The Sergelgatan and Centralhallen locations are both a few minutes from T-Centralen.
Granit
A go-to for functional, minimalist organization and clean-lined everyday essentials.
The range covers storage in paper, porcelain, plastic, and wicker. You’ll also find glassware, kitchen and bathroom items, office supplies, textiles, and spices. Every branch also keeps the palette deliberately narrow: black, white, grey, and natural materials. Beyond Götgatan, Stockholm has branches on St Eriksgatan, Kungsgatan, Humlegårdsgatan, and in Hornstull.
Two friends, Anett Jorméus and Susanne Liljenberg, started Granit. Both were raising small children and wanted homes that ran with less clutter and less effort. They opened the first store on Götgatan in May 1997, built entirely around storage and function. Since then, Granit has expanded into Norway, Finland, and Germany.
Who this is for: Visitors who want functional, well-made everyday objects at affordable prices.
Who this isn’t for: Anyone chasing something one-of-a-kind. Granit’s whole point is consistency: every branch stocks the same clean storage box, in the same simple design.
Getting there: Multiple Stockholm locations, including Götgatan 31. That store is a short walk from Slussen (red or green line) and Medborgarplatsen (green line).
Grandpa
A neighborhood lifestyle shop where Scandinavian apparel meets curated, eclectic home interior finds.
Grandpa opened in November 2003 in SoFo, the small pocket of Södermalm south of Folkungagatan. It has grown from a single room into a larger space without losing its neighborhood feel. It isn’t a design shop in the strict sense. Clothing from Scandinavian labels, vintage pieces, jewelry, and books share the ground floor. Meanwhile, home and interior objects tend to sit downstairs. The company now runs four concept stores: two in Stockholm, plus Gothenburg and Malmö.
Who this is for: Visitors who want Swedish design mixed into an actual lifestyle shop, and who like browsing without a specific list.
Who this isn’t for: Anyone who wants furniture or textiles as the sole focus. Design objects here compete for shelf space with clothing and books rather than standing alone.
Getting there: Södermannagatan 21, about a 6-minute walk from Medborgarplatsen (green line).
Together, Designtorget, Granit, and Grandpa capture Stockholm’s current design pulse. Östermalm looks to the master-crafted past to define quality. Södermalm, by contrast, looks to the everyday to define utility. The shopping here is more accessible, but the real value lies in the shift of perspective. You move from the monumental to the modular, and from the legacy showroom to the lifestyle concept. So pair an afternoon in each district. You won’t just shop for objects. You’ll trace the full arc of Swedish design. It runs from the traditions that built the city’s reputation to the experimental ideas reshaping its future.
