Window Shopping in Gothenburg, Sweden // Photos
The Swedes know design. So, when my bestie, Larissa, and I found ourselves in Gothenburg, Sweden without kids we dedicated a day to visiting some of the amazing Swedish design stores in the city. When we were in Stockholm we timed it wrong. Larissa and I raced against the clock to visit stores before they closed. This time around we used our Friday to visit shops and saved our tourist stuff for the weekend.
We loosely followed this design walking tour from The Travel Hack. We wandered as we saw fit and generally just enjoyed ourselves. Without kids in tow we could spend time just looking.
Larissa and I both felt inspired not only by what we were seeing in the stores but also in the range of architecture around us.
We spent over an hour in a fabric and wallpaper store. We were both feeling really inspired for upcoming house projects by all the bold and whimsical patterns.
Many of these design stores have little cafes.
You can get a coffee and cake and just feel inspired.
I seriously wanted to snatch up whole parts of stores and put them right into my house!
Larissa and I both felt so inspired. We would just wander. Some of the stores are laid out so that you seamlessly move from one to another. Sometimes you’re not even sure where you’ve ended up.
Every store we went into was a treasure trove of new ideas. I adore all white table settings and love how they had them all paired with different textures and shapes against some old grain wood.
There were also so many captivating textures!
Each store that you walk into is unique. Shop owners were happy to talk to us about where they were sourcing things from and their inspiration. It was so fun to see the combinations of colors and patterns they were making. I’m so attracted to these bold combinations but always hesiate to try it myself.
Would you believe we didn’t purchase anything! It was so fun to just walk around taking photos and day-dreaming about houses that featured some of these styles. The burdens of shopping and prices really go away when you’re just there to see what is in fashion.
We did both pick up a pair of wooden shoes. Larissa’s been talking about Swedish clogs since our Stockholm trip. I was in desperate need of some sandals. We tried on so many pairs in this adorable shop and both walked away happy campers, just as the stores were closing!
I promise that Gothenburg will completely inspire you if you give it a chance. There is so much new design going on here that is just fun to take it all in. There is of course, no better way to do that either, than with a friend.
A huge thank you to Larissa who went on this adventure with me. Many of the photos above are hers. If you want to see more of her work, you can follow Larissa on Instagram.
