For those who are blind to the experiences close to home, it can be difficult to assign a value to a nearby place that has intrinsic beauty, quality and taste. We asked some of the world’s foremost creatives in food, design, art and architecture to explain their relationship with Sweden’s arctic destination, Swedish Lapland.
Håkan Stenlund
Simply put, painter and craft artist Leila Nutti is a jack of all trades. But what she does is perhaps more aptly described by the Sámi word árbediehtu.
Håkan Stenlund
She celebrates her 40th anniversary as an artist, Sámi narrator Britta Marakatt-Labba. This is also how long it has taken Swedes to discover her art. The breakthrough was international for this resistance artist who tells her story with the needle as a brush.
Håkan Stenlund
There is this one hotel room that looks like a bird's nest, and another resembles a UFO. Then there is the hotel where a ruin from an old train workshop runs straight through the kitchen, and the wine cellar is an old grease pit. There is also the hotel in the middle of town that cleans the air to the same extent an entire forest would. We travel between excellent accommodation options in Swedish Lapland.
Håkan Stenlund
Imagine a pair of shoes that just gets better with age. With feeling and respect for material and craftsmanship, Kero creates durable and trendy products that just look better with use.
Emma Forsberg
In the village of Jukkasjärvi, outside Kiruna, lies the original ICEHOTEL. Every year, since 1989, it has been reincarnated in a new rendition and there’s always more to come. From the beginning this was kind of a crazy idea in the winter, nowadays it’s as crazy all year round.
Emma Forsberg
The sauna Solar Egg was created by Riksbyggen together with artist duo Bigert & Bergström and installed in Kiruna. Since then, the sauna has become a global success and taken on a tour around the world.
Håkan Stenlund
What started with a film featuring a small wooden hut in the forest has become a cool hotel. These days Treehotel in Harads is considered one of the world's foremost travel destinations. But Treehotel is more than just a design favourite among the treetops. It’s the childhood fantasy we’ve all dreamed of – just in a more luxurious package.
Håkan Stenlund
Niehku means dream in Northern Sámi. In Riksgränsen, two friends have built a hotel. One of them used to run the piste machine and is now a mountain guide. The other one used to run moguls and has become Sweden's most famous sommelier. These days they run a hotel together. Living the dream.
Håkan Stenlund
Sámi design comes in many shapes. From traditional leather hats to a blue dress at the Nobel Banquet. Some of Sweden's coolest designers have taken the Sámi expression further – to put some excitement into everyday life.
Håkan Stenlund
