Scandinavian Christmas

 Outside Oslo the first storm of autumn is ripping leaves off the trees. Overripe plums are being strewn across the lawn by the winds. Evenings are dark once again, and in the street lights the rain resemble a flurry of tiny silver needles dashing towa…

Eyvind Hellstrøm is a Norwegian chef who gained fame with restaurant Bagatelle in Oslo between 1982 and 2009. Under the direction of Hellstrøm it became a two-Michelin-starred phenomena. Kristin Jacobsen is a Norwegian chef who has published 7 cookbook…

 A vase that makes me happy. Handmade by Joanna Günther. Available at Designtorget. IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE, DESIGNTORGET WEBSHOP

Skansenbutiken is housed in a small building, just outside the Skansen outdoor museum. I come for the atmosphere, and small Swedish souvenirs. My sons come for the old fashioned hard candies. It’s not the cheapest of souvenir stores, but in return ever…

 Klövsjö church, Jämtland Sweden, around 1900. IMAGE: N. THOMASSON, FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE NATIONAL SWEDISH HERITAGE BOARD

Sustainable, hand harvested, 100% natural, and with natural water repellant qualities. There is so much to love about cork. These coasters/small trivets from Formgatan are smoked to bring out the material’s darker tones. For a list of Formgatan reselle…

  There is something particularly interesting about seeing old images of places one has loved or lived. Johannes Flintsoe (1787-1870) has decorated one of the most famous parlours in the Royal palace in Oslo, fugleværelset. (Her Majesty the queen gives…

 Elvang, a small Danish importer of Peruvian alpaca wool make the loveliest throws, pillows and scarves. And apparently also the sweetest little stuffed alpacas I have ever seen. IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE ELVANG AS WEBSHOP

Perstorp AB is a Swedish business group producing industrial chemicals. In the 1950s one of the founders designed a shopper in plastic.  His grandchild put them back in production in 2006 and the Hinza bags are now considered a modern classic. I was he…