129twigandvine gudrun sjoden shop, soho, new york, photography by Sue Schlabach

I have yet to travel to Stockholm.

But a few weeks ago I stepped into the Soho shop of Swedish designer extraordinaire, Gudrun Sjõdén and got a tiny taste of the Stockholm vibe that must emanate from her flagship store there. It is one thing to admire someone’s artistry from your computer screen or the pages of the catalogues that arrive in the mailbox. It’s another to touch the fabrics and be enveloped in the atmosphere of a place.

What I most loved in the Soho boutique was the slowing down of the mood from the busy New York streets outside. New York was buzzing on caffeine and the feeling inside was attentive, yet leisurely. The patterned tone on tone gray on the floors—a classic in Swedish interiors—was the perfect complement to the vivid colors and patterns.

The clothing here is superb in quality, and the prices reflect the quality. I learned that I am an XS and the colors I liked most were sold out. But now I know my size for when I have opportunity to splurge in the future.

Other items in the collection are very reasonable. I came home with a colorful cushion cover (shown upper right) that was only $10. I treated myself to a magenta dotted towel that I’ve been eying up for a few months (I posted it here), and a striped citron green pair of leggings and a similarly-colored crinkly cotton scarf.

It was worthwhile to join the Gudrun buying club to receive a generous discount at the register and I noted that on each price tag there was a price for buying a single item and a significant discount if you bought two. Savvy.

Back in Vermont, I have the floral pillow behind my back as I write this, and I’m thinking about the old chair in my studio that I plan to paint and cover in bold fabric with a bauble edge, inspired by the chair I saw in the shop.