I believe I am not the only one when I say that I more enjoy the weeks before Christmas, than the Christmas days themselves. Walking through the city to spot all the newly decorated stores and streets. In Stockholm there are over 40 streets professionally decorated with Christmas lights. Although the Christmas market in the old town is nothing to write home about, the market I visited on Vaxholm is a better recommendation and especially this spot that I discovered.
At the Bed & Breakfast of Vaxholm you can find this magical garden where you can have a look in the shops in the stable or warm up with mulled wine. If I ever would have a garden, I want to create a feeling like here and use this place as a huge inspiration. Everywhere you had different seating areas with furniture from Grythyttan and blankets from Klippan.
Grythyttan Stålmöbler - Armchair A2
This is only one chair as an example, but the entire set is amazing for outside. The brand is named after a small town in Sweden and became very popular over the years.
Karlskrona Lampfabrik - Skeppsholmen
We found this oil lamp for the first time when we visited Vaxholm in December. It comes in many different colors and sizes. These kind of lamps are becoming more and more popular again. I definitely have one of them on my wishlist.
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Klippan Yllefabrik - Knut
I am huge fan of this brand, which is like the other two above also from Sweden. At home I already have several blankets and I am pretty sure my collection will grow over time. I never forget that when I was working in an interior and fashion store many years ago I already loved the brand when we had their blankets in the collection. Back then it was a bit too pricy for me and I always dreamed of buying one in Sweden one day. So I've been dreaming about it for a while. Now I live in Stockholm and I can buy them at almost every corner, which makes it very attractive to collect them. They exist in several really nice designs and colors.
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On the last day of the year my boyfriend and I made a long morning walk, had coffee at one of our favorite cafés and came back home with freshly baked bread from the best bakery in town. This year we celebrated Christmas both somewhere else, so that made we had to go all in with (Christmas related) food on the 31th of December. It actually was the first time we celebrated this season in the apartment after we bought it. Which felt really good! We did bring some Christmas decoration from the Netherlands a few years ago, but my favorites are mostly bought in Stockholm.
Watt & Veke - Snöblomma advent star
In Sweden it's a tradition to put either a star or a special electric candle holder in your windowsill in the darker weeks of the year. It's so cosy to walk around town and see these lights everywhere. The first winter in Sweden we bought this star for our windows in the livingroom. Last Christmas we bought an extra star for in the bedroom so now all the windows has one each.
George Jensen - Season candle holder
Back in the Netherlands these advent candles are not really a thing. In Sweden the four Sundays before Christmas are moments to light a candle and to get ready for the Christmas feeling. Candles like this exist in many different designs and if you don't want to spend too much money you also can find really nice options second hand. This one from George Jensen is so beautiful, that it makes me a bit sad to only use it one month a year.
Dille & Kamille - Angel with moon
The only item in the list that I bought in the Netherlands. Dille & Kamille is one of my favorite brands from there and I've been collecting these felt dolls for several years. This angel is my latest find for the collection. As you might can see in the tree on the photo I have several kind of dolls. From animals of the north pole, to birds with a mistletoe and mostly angles like this one. Every year they come with a new collection of similar dolls.
Svenskt Tenn - Angel ornament
After some years in Sweden, it was time to buy our first items at Svenskt Tenn. For many years I've been visiting the store and it's inspiring every time. Although the prices are pretty high, I always get the feeling everyone feels at home in the store. It is very approachable and everyone is welcome whether you come to look around or spend big.
We had our Christmas tree for a month, but in his final week you did not dare to touch it anymore. All the needles came down immediately. When I removed all the lights and decorations, it ended up like we had a new green rug. By the time I was at the trash station there was literally no needle left. Unfortunately our vacuum cleaner is a disaster from the day we bought it, so I tried to do most with the dustpan and brush. I actually got this set a few years ago for Christmas and I love items like this that are also good looking. The apartment is now completely fresh again and more than ready for a good start of the year.
Iris Hantverk - Dustpan & Brush Set
I often use this set whenever something is broken, like a glass or at corners where it's hard to reach which the vacuum cleaner. It makes the cleaning job more fun than the plastic options with colorful details.
Iris Hantverk - Dustpan & Brush Set
Same brand and similar in his looks, but different in use. I must say that I do not have this one at home myself. Often people have this standing in their kitchen so it's always close by for use.
