– is an almost absolute preference for all things Scandinavian. Never mind the fancy restaurant, take me to IKEA and you’ll make my day😊 Just kidding… actually, take me to IKEA and order some good food on the way and that will do it.
On a more serious note, remember that Swedish company I mentioned here? Well, it just so happens that I came back, after one year…
While you ponder on this (believe me, I did too), corporate matters aside, let me lay the explanation out there: it’s really nothing very complicated, it’s just the cosy and comfortable feeling that I find in all things Nordic.
First and foremost, interior design. It’s still a wonder for me how Nordic homes manage to be so simple and yet so warm and welcoming. When furnishing my apartment, I literally devoured interior design magazines and websites and one of my go-to places was and still is the apartments section on www.freshome.com. They feature a lot of Scandinavian homes and I just found myself naturally drawn to them. It’s probably because they somehow feel lived-in or, to be more exact, made to be lived in. And, by the way…that IKEA thing, not a joke. I do love their products and, more then that, their philosophy.
Moving on to another type of design, Nordic clothing labels. COS, H&M and &Other Stories forever. I really am a simple girl, don’t need anything more than this. There are very few occasions in which I walk into a COS store and don’t find anything to my liking, I think &Other Stories cosmetics are the equivalent of candy and one of my favourite pastimes is to hunt for H&M items that look 10x their price. And no, this is not a myth, it can really be done.
I guess the question needs to be asked: what’s that damn special about them? Again, easy answer: timeless design and quality fabrics. It can actually get annoying at times; I mean, when your dresses don’t really get worn out, it’s a bit difficult to justify buying new ones, isn’t it?
Making it in my top 3, coffee. Not just the beverage, but the entire culture around it. Swedes, for example, do love their fika. And it seems that I love Espresso House, as the recent trip to Stockholm proved it. While going to the office, me and my colleagues used to spice up our morning train rides with a stop at Espresso House to fuel up for the day. Well, that and getting lost in the subway…but, shhh, that’s secret, don’t tell anyone😊
And to finish the list with a personal staple: at least 10.000 steps everyday. I think my Fitbit was ecstatic. At home, I get to reach the 10.000 goal only if I take a run or go to the gym or forget my phone or my coffee in the car and then forget the key when going to get them from the car…you get the drill. Not here, where people seem to walk everywhere and are impossibly fit considering all the sweets they eat. Yeap, if you feel envy coming up from the screen, that’s me counting calories…or something like that.
What about you? What’s your special attraction when it comes to foreign cultures?
