urban outfitters in stockholm

Last year I studied abroad in Budapest, Hungary and traveled all around central Europe (never actually got to France, Spain or England). If anyone has ever traveled through central Europe you will know that "inexpensive" shopping is rather limited to the same few stores, H&M, Mango, and Zara. By the end of my trip I was a little sick or recognizing every piece of clothing from H&M and accidentally matching half of the women in Budapest.

That is why we were so excited to see an Urban Outfitters when we went to Stockholm....among the 200 H&M's that were also in Stockholm---ok, that is a bit of an exaggeration....or is it?

If any of you ever go to Stockholm, Sweden I highly recommend that you go to this Urban Outfitters because it's awesome. Why? Because it was an old theater that they converted into the store, stage and everything.

This was the front of the store, I had no idea it was a theater until I went inside...

...which is why were were so shocked when we saw this inside.

I loved the huge chandeliers!

You could walk around to almost every part of the theater, even the stage, which was converted into dressing rooms.

Definitely the coolest Urban Outfitters I have ever seen! I want to go back!

images: flickr, not my own pictures

Hotel in Sigtuna, Sweden & long tangent.

I found this Swedish hotel on Remodelista and I just love interiors! Great mix of traditional Swedish design and mid-century pieces...

Love this room! Simple, but cozy and relaxing, which is just what you want at a hotel!

I have a weird fascination with staircases....and I love this one. I like the simple curve and nice seating area that fits perfectly in the little nook.

Original molding=love...and how cute are those cubbies?

I always wanted a toilet like this when I was young. Is that weird? Strange necessity for an 8 year old. I think there was a toilet like this at The Kellogg House in Santa Ana, Ca. I LOVED going there....even had my 9th--I think-- birthday party there. They dressed us up in Victorian clothes (even though I had already dressed up in my own accurate Victorian outfit, down to the bloomers, prior the party, yes I was that kid who loved to play dress-up on a daily basis). After we dressed up we danced in the parlor while listening to music from an old phonograph. Afterwords, we had cake and tea under a pretty gazebo in the garden. I think this was one of my favorite themed birthday parties, hard to choose a favorite because they were all so great. I had everywhere from a "Free Willy" party to an "I Spy" party, where I sent the invitations as puzzle pieces in an envelope and you had to put the puzzle together to read the invite. I have to say, my mom was the greatest childhood party planner...

The Kellogg House

I can see that the toilet brought me on a very long tangent....strange what a toilet can make you think of.

...and the fog is back

What a tease, 3 days of wonderful heat and beautiful views...

and now this....

The fog is back! What happened to the bridge? (by the way, it only took about 5 minutes for this fog to roll in, how typical for San Francisco)

And this picture? I just love the white, maybe because that's all I see out my window now. How great is that round pendant light? Anyways, more pictures of this elegant Stockholm apartment at the style files.

Speaking of Denmark and Sweden...

Here are some pictures of my trip. Excuse the bad facebook quality, sadly my computer crashed one month after I got back from Europe and I lost EVERYTHING! I guess my computer couldn't handle 10,000 pictures...oh well, memories are more important than pictures anyways. Lesson learned: ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN TRAVELING THROUGH EUROPE FOR 6 MONTHS!!

Ahhh, memories...my friend and I would bring our lunch to the canal and sit along the edge rolling up our leggings to get a tan because it was like 90 degrees!

The Danes are so smart. They were turning this old military dock and boat storage into cute modern homes. You cant really see from the picture but the insides have been completely restored while still maintaining the original character of the structure. The picture below is of my favorite building. This was really close to the homes in the picture above. This building also looked like it had been converted into town homes. Aren't those big doors amazing?? I love the crisp white with the typical Danish criss-cross design. Each town home had a lovely garden that overlooked the canal. How can you not want to live here?

And now for some Swedish pride! My friend I couchsurfed in both Copenhagen and Stockholm. We were lucky because we stayed with some awesome people. While we were in Stockholm our hosts took us out on their little speed boat. They took us to a small island, one of the many around stockholm, and we had a wonderful picnic!

No, not Disneyland, this is a metro station in Stockholm. They say that it's the largest underground museum.

Danish Dessert?

So I am assuming that unless you are from the east coast you have no idea what Danish Dessert is. I'm not from the east coast either, but my mom grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey and every time we would visit my grandparents my grandma would make Danish Dessert. I would describe it as having the texture of pudding, but the taste of a tart and tangy jello....basically heaven in my mouth! I loved the stuff, and apparently here in California they don't sell it anywhere. My blog is titled "Danish Dessert" because my love for architecture, antiques and history started at my grandparents house in New Jersey, or most likely in their attic and basement where I would beg my mom if I could take old clothes, books, vases, toys....and the list goes on.

Not only do I love Danish Dessert, but I love Denmark as well (I think I just love all scandinavian countries, I especially love, love, love Stockholm, Sweden!). Random, I know, but I travelled there last May when I studied abroad in Budapest and I can't wait to go back to Copenhagen. Denmark also has also inspired my newer love for Danish mid-century furniture. Right now, a Danish style dining room table and a credenza are at the top of my list! Those things require me getting a job first so that I can actually buy these things on craigslist, instead of just admiring them.