I’m just back from a cold, dark, magical New Years week in Stockholm. What to do when it’s 28 degrees out and there are there’s just about six hours of sunlight? Do as the Swedes do: bundle up, go for a brisk walk, then hunker down inside and implement the Swedish knack for brightening the home in midwinter. Among the lagom ideas I’m taking back with me: candles on every surface to combat the January dark, remembering what it’s like to be quiet (no incessant background music in restaurants; calm even in the airport), and, of course, the infallibility of Ikea (we delighted in the fittings of our well-appointed Airbnb in Kungsholmen, turning over every dish and glass to find each time that—surprise—it was all Ikea).
Another discovery I’m hoping will soon make its way stateside: Arket, a “modern-day market” and subsidiary of Swedish brand H&M, which stocks well-made, essential housewares as well as clothing for men, women, and kids. Like a few of our favorite companies that have made their way across the pond (Muji and, yes, Ikea), the mission of Arket (which means “sheet of paper” in Swedish) is “to democratize quality through widely accessible, well-made, durable products, designed to be used and loved for a long time.” Alexa, newly back from six months in Europe, first recommended a stop, and my boyfriend and I made not one but three trips to the Norrmalm outpost to stock up on dish brushes and paper ornaments. Take a look at a few favorite offerings—available, for now, for shipping throughout Europe and in stores in Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK.
![first on the list: swedish cleaning liquids in attractive bottles. i was tempte 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cleaning-solutions-arket-733x475.jpg)
![arket carries string bags by turtle bags, made of organic cotton, for 60 sek ea 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/black-string-bag-turtle-bags-arket-733x475.jpg)
![sweden is famous for their hard working reusable dish cloths. arket carries a v 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/dish-cloth-two-pack-arket-733x475.jpg)
![the a0\1 wall hook by swedish brand massproductions is made in portug 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/massproductions-a01-wall-hook-arket-733x475.jpg)
![like many shops we stopped into, arket carries selections from iconic swedish b 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/iris-hantverk-brushes-arket-edited-733x475.jpg)
![the domino blanket is by longstanding swedish company klippan, founded in 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/klippan-domino-blanket-pink-arket-733x475.jpg)
![another iris hantverk favorite: the 7 hook rack is \190 sek. 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/iris-hantverk-seven-hook-rack-arket-733x475.jpg)
![arket carries a series of pillow covers in a variety of colors, like these line 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/linen-lumbar-cushion-covers-arket-733x475.jpg)
![a glass flower pot, made of borosilicate glass, has a small hole in the bottom 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/clear-glass-flower-pot-arket-733x475.jpg)
![among arket\2\17;s self care offerings: hand balm by perfumer jerom 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/oakmoss-hand-balm-arket-733x475.jpg)
![a set of sthlm ljusstoperi candles, hand dipped by a candlemaker in the sö 27](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/sthlm-ljusstoperi-candles-white-arket-733x475.jpg)
![a durable jute door mat is \290 sek. 28](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/jute-door-mat-black-arket-733x475.jpg)
More favorite sources for housewares in Stockholm:
- Shopper’s Diary: Tambur Shop in Stockholm
- Nordic Knots: Scandi-Inspired Rugs with a Nautical Vibe
- Classic Fixtures and Fittings from Byggfabriken in Sweden
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