6 Nostalgic Stockholm Spots Viral Interior Architect Alyssa Anselmo Wants You to Know — "They Taught Me That 'Less Is More'"

For the Studio Anva founder, moving to the Swedish capital represented a design awakening. Here, she shows us around her chosen home, where every street tells a story

A young woman dressed in casual smart work attire sits on a transparent resin chair against a wood-paneled wall while holding a white pamphlet next to a cylindrical coffee table decorated with a water green glass vase.
"Stockholm has a way of making you fall in love with design without even realizing it." — Alyssa Anselmo
(Image credit: Courtesy of Alyssa Anselmo)

What better way to see the world than through the eyes of our favorite tastemakers? In Hidden Trails, we look at the places that feel most like home to our community of design insiders — wherever those might be — to help you uncover what their cities have in store for you.

On my most stressful days, I wish the entire world could look anything like the cotton candy-like, cocooning designs of Studio Anva founder Alyssa Anselmo — soft, magical, and created to simultaneously uplift, surprise, and inspire. Characterized by a careful blending of raw materials, plump, fantastical shapes, and easy-on-the-eye pastels, the spaces she crafts respond to an urge for environments that gently embrace and predict our needs, rather than denaturing them. Considering her combined social media following of nearly one million people, chances are I am not the only one to dream myself away into one of Anselmo's soothing projects.

Originally from Alberta, Canada, the interior architect graduated from The Florence Institute of Design International in 2017, having already completed an internship in set design at Stockholm and NYC-based company Aspekt Production the previous year. It was after an eight-month stint at Architecture Plus Information in the Big Apple, where Anselmo worked as an interior designer, that she landed her first major commission: a 1,000-square-meter, holistic childcare center for the Bambini group, which the Studio Anva mastermind conceptualized and executed all by herself (today, she serves as the company's Interior Architect & Creative Director). Opened in St. Albert, central Canada, in 2022, the project earned her earliest accolades, though it's Anselmo's animatedly contagious approach to breaking down — or anticipating — the biggest interior design trends that, together with her refreshing room styling advice, vintage furniture shopping tips, and decor styles deep dives, has put the rising creative on our radar.

Her ace up the sleeve? Having quickly picked up the sun-filled, essentially striking feel of Stockholm, where she now lives, and reinvented it through the playful patchwork of influences the designer has become known for in her work, be it Space Age interiors, the post-modern wit of the Memphis group, or her love of textural arts and crafts. "I first came here eight years ago, and I was instantly drawn to how effortlessly beautiful everything is — the light, the materials, the way spaces feel lived-in yet intentional, the long summer nights, the water following your every move," Anselmo says of her first impressions of the Swedish capital. "Stockholm has a way of making you fall in love with design without even realizing it. I learned so much here about quality and the 'less is more' approach. It shaped my own aesthetic sensibilities and deepened my appreciation for spaces that tell a story."

So, what are the places that inform the interior architect and her work most? Find them all below.

1. Feel the Art Pulse and Light of Carl Eldhs Ateljémuseum

A museum room filled with marble statues and wooden furniture.

Once the studio of one of Sweden's most prominent early 20th-century sculptors, Carl Eldh (1873-1954), today this Stockholm museum reunites nearly 500 of the artist's plaster casts and works, besides hosting exhibitions and guided tours.

(Image credit: Nikodem Calczynski. Courtesy of Carl Eldhs Ateljémuseum)

Lögebodavägen 10, 113 47 Stockholm, Sweden

Visiting the Carl Eldhs Ateljémuseum is like stepping into an artist's mind. It's a cozy little wooden house on a hill that was once Carl Eldh's studio. Sunlight pours through massive windows, illuminating unfinished sculptures in a way that makes them feel alive. There's something incredibly intimate about this place, and I think of it often, especially while I'm designing.

2. See Past and Present Collide at Nordic Knots

A sumptuous design atelier, housed within a palatial, terrazzo floors, marble, and stucco-clad villa, boasts a pastel-shaded color palette of muted greens, ochre, wood notes, and chrome.

A former cinema, Nordic Knots' Stockholm showroom is every design lover's dream.

(Image credit: Courtesy of Studio Giancarlo Valle and Nordic Knots)

Birger Jarlsgatan 58, 114 29 Stockholm, Sweden

This is, hands down, the most stunning design showroom I've ever seen. It used to be an old cinema and has now been converted into a flagship for Nordic Knots' rugs. You can still feel that cinematic grandeur — how they preserved the history of the building while expressing the brand's vision is so inspiring. I took a little tour of the place and, when I asked one of the ladies there about a bench that I liked in the room and where they had purchased it, she replied, "I made it," which captures the effortless feeling of Stockholm's design scene.

3. Find New Treasures at Judits Second Hand and Brandstationen Store & Studio

The colorful, quirky interiors of a second-hand furniture shop features coffee-brown velvety seating, shell-shaped cushions in vibrant hues, a central, square wooden coffee tables, candles, and hung-up artworks.

Looking for somewhere to buy vintage? This is where to go.

(Image credit: Brandstationen Store & Studio)

Judits Second Hand, Hornsgatan 75, 118 49 Stockholm, Sweden. Brandstationen Store & Studio, Hornsgatan 64, 118 21 Stockholm, Sweden

Judits Second Hand is probably my go-to second-hand shop, having bought a lot of unique pieces in the past. It has a good blend of vintage clothing and quirky home decor, which comes in handy for multiple occasions. Brandstationen Store & Studio is another one of my favorites: I used to live right next to it and always visit on a gloomy afternoon, meaning I would be there fairly regularly in the winter months. It's a cute, eclectic shop where you'll find a carefully curated mix of vintage treasures and modern objects.

4. Revel in Nostalgia at Café Nizza

Åsögatan 171, 116 32 Stockholm, Sweden

Café Nizza is incredibly cozy without trying too hard, stylish but relaxed. What brought me here in the first place was walking by their old-school sign outside — for some reason, those tend to be the best places. The food is spectacular, but the atmosphere is what keeps me coming back.

5. Step Into a Fairytale at Bergianska Trädgården

A cafe set within a greenhouse boasts a stuffed-with-baking-goods glassy counter and industrial chic decor.

A destination in itself, Bergianska Trädgården's café, the Old Orangery, is the ultimate stop for an afternoon well spent.

(Image credit: Courtesy of Old Orangery)

Gustafsborgsvägen 4, 114 18 Stockholm, Sweden

To me, Bergianska Trädgården might well be the most magical place in Stockholm. I accidentally stumbled upon it after visiting the nearby Natural History Museum, and it was like walking into a fairytale. It's a beautiful botanical garden with a unique café called Old Orangery, which is set within a greenhouse and is, in itself, a must-visit if you want to drift away in nature one day. Plus, there are lily pads everywhere — enough said. I will never forget that day.

6. Immerse Yourself in "Warm", Swedish Minimalism at Ett Hem

A quirkily decorated hotel room blends traditional accents like crystal chandeliers and handpainted ceramic cabinets with modern elements like leathery couches and Scandinavian furniture.

"Well-curated, warm, and intimate, Ett Hem doesn't feel like a hotel. Instead, it's like entering someone's impeccably designed home." — Alyssa Anselmo

(Image credit: Paul Massey. Design: Studio Ilse)

Sköldungagatan 2, 114 27 Stockholm, Sweden

The Ett Hem nails the balance between classic Swedish tradition and Swedish minimalism. The brick townhouse in which it is set is stunning inside and out, but what makes it special is the way the hotel was crafted. Well-curated, warm, and intimate, it doesn’t feel like a hotel. Instead, it’s like entering someone’s impeccably designed home. Every piece of furniture is carefully chosen, mixing classic design pieces with a contemporary touch. I love boutique hotels like this for the thoughtful details; something that's harder to find within chains.


Alyssa Anselmo's insider guide to Stockholm isn't our only feature to spotlight what Nordic countries do best, from soulful interior design to tantalizing culinary feasts and circular, retro-fueled approaches to all things shopping.

To the contrary, our recent curation of the best hotels in Copenhagen will fill you in on everything there is to know about Denmark's hip creative capital, including the top neighborhoods where to stay for a weekend getaway. Already booked your room? Browse our selection of local-approved restaurants in the city for a full immersion in Scandi aesthetics, atmosphere, and gastronomy.

Gilda Bruno
Lifestyle Editor

Gilda Bruno is Livingetc's Lifestyle Editor. Before joining the team, she worked as an Editorial Assistant on the print edition of AnOther Magazine and as a freelance Sub-Editor on the Life & Arts desk of the Financial Times. Between 2020 and today, Gilda's arts and culture writing has appeared in a number of books and publications including Apartamento’s Liguria: Recipes & Wanderings Along the Italian Riviera, Sam Wright’s debut monograph The City of the SunThe British Journal of PhotographyDAZEDDocument JournalElephantThe FaceFamily StyleFoamIl Giornale dell’ArteHUCKHungeri-DPAPERRe-EditionVICEVogue Italia, and WePresent.