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The Nordic Nomad

The Nordics

The Nordic hot list
April 2025

The Nordics • Insider guides • The Nordic hot list April 2025

What we’re loving in April 2025 (and you will too)

Stay informed and stay inspired! The Nordic hot list is your monthly dossier of what’s shaping the cultural and creative landscape across the Nordics. From smart new openings and design-forward projects to events worth pencilling into your diary, we spotlight the ideas and initiatives that matter. Whether you’re a local with a keen eye on your surroundings or a traveller seeking authentic inspiration, this is your curated guide to the things that are getting our attention (and deserve your’s, too).

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Top photography courtesy of Alice Johansson and Gunnebo Slott & Trädgårdar

Designsalongen at Gunnebo Slott & Trädgårdar: contemporary design meets heritage in West Sweden

Curated by design journalists Ellinor Thunberg and Helena Skoog, Designsalongen runs from 5 to 27 April at Gunnebo Slott & Trädgårdar – a neoclassical gem from 1796 just outside Gothenburg. Originally built as a summer residence for merchant Johan Hall and designed by city architect Carl Wilhelm Carlberg, the manor blends French classicism with Italian Renaissance touches. Its preserved interiors now form the striking backdrop for an exhibition exploring the intersection of contemporary design and art. Works in ceramics, glass, wood and textiles are presented by Amanda Ljunggren, Anja Fredell, Carl Martinson, Karolina Kling, Malou Palmqvist, Malwina Kleparska, Märta Mattsson, Masayoshi Oya, Matilda Hunyadi, Oscar Cedon, Statira Jazayeri and Bevan Taka.

Gunnebo Slott & Trädgårdar
Christina Halls väg
Mölndal
Sweden

Photography courtesy of Alice Johansson and Gunnebo Slott & Trädgårdar

Ergo: a new midday ritual

With its location in the Östermalm district, Restaurant Ergo is a refined yet quietly confident addition to Stockholm’s fine dining scene. Led by chef Petter Johansson – whose CV spans Gordon Ramsay, Per Se and Zén – Ergo first opened with an ambitious dinner-only concept built around seasonal, French-influenced menus. Now, it’s opened its doors for lunch Thursday to Saturday, offering a fixed three-course menu with the same level of precision and flair. The intimate space seats just 36, with warm, pared-back interiors and a dedicated private dining room, Ergo Salon. It’s elegant without being stiff, and thoughtful down to the last detail – from service to plating.

Ergo
Artillerigatan 14
Stockholm
Sweden

Photography courtesy of Lennart Weibull and Ergo

NN.07: design discipline on display in Copenhagen

NN.07’s 2025 flagship store in Frederiksberg in Copenhagen, exemplifies the brand’s commitment to understated elegance as demonstrated here by its designed interior by Reiters Wings. At the heart of the space stands a striking cylindrical display crafted from pinewood veneer, serving as both a functional showcase and a central architectural feature that introduces a dynamic tension to the open-plan layout. Complementing this, aluminium presentation elements and a matching façade sign reinforce the store’s minimalist aesthetic.

NN.O7
Gammel Kongevej 95
Fredriksberg
Copenhagen
Denmark

Photography courtesy of NN.07

Dinesen Country Home: craft and continuity in South Jutland

Built in 1885 and carefully restored near Jels in South Jutland, the Dinesen Country Home is a living portrait of the Danish wood brand’s values – and now available to rent for a stay. Originally brought back to life by architect Jørgen Overby in 2004, the house has recently been reimagined by Mentze Ottenstein, whose layered, tactile interiors pay tribute to craft, colour and continuity. Wide Douglas fir planks anchor the rooms, complemented by John Pawson furniture, antique finds and custom pieces in ash, walnut and pear. The interior spaces tell a quiet story, where warm ochres and soft greens come together through subtle transitions.

Dinesen Country Home
South Jutland
Denmark

Photography courtesy of Dinesen

Slippurinn: book a table at one of Iceland’s unique dining spots

Slippurinn, located in the Westman Islands off Iceland’s southern coast, is a family-run restaurant housed in a restored 20th-century shipyard machine workshop. Opened in 2012 by chef Gísli Matthías Auðunsson and his family, the restaurant is renowned for its dedication to local and seasonal ingredients, including wild herbs and seaweed foraged from the surrounding landscape. The industrial heritage of the building is preserved in its architecture, featuring exposed concrete and original machinery and has been a popular foodie destination for years. Now is the time to book your table!

Slippurinn
Strandvegur 76
Vestmannaeyjabær
Iceland

Photography courtesy of Slippurinn

Finnair Schengen Lounge: elevated travel in Helsinki

In a quiet corner of Helsinki Airport’s Schengen terminal, Finnair’s new lounge redefines travel downtime with Nordic restraint and calm. Designed by Finnish interior architect Joanna Laajisto, the space occupies a former congress centre, now transformed into a serene sequence of zones for eating, working and unwinding. Laajisto’s palette – warm whites, tactile fabrics, local wood and Finnish granite – is grounded in natural materials and soft contours, echoing the gentle curves of aircraft cabins. From Antrei Hartikainen’s sculptural Traces table to reupholstered Karuselli chairs from the old lounge, every piece is a nod to both Finnish legacy and thoughtful modernism.

Finnair Schengen Lounge
Helsinki Airport
Vantaa
Finland

Photography courtesy of Finnair

Matsalen: timeless dining in Stockholm

Matsalen, the fine dining establishment within recently opened Stockholm Stadshotell, offers a culinary experience led by Executive Chef Olle T. Cellton. Matsalen presents a daily changing menu focused on seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. The interior design, by Ateljé Nord, Saga Arkitektur & Design and Studio Escapist, reflects the building’s 19th-century heritage while incorporating contemporary elegance. Original architectural details are preserved, complemented by bespoke furnishings and a muted colour palette that enhances the dining atmosphere

Matsalen
Björngårdsgatan 23
Stockholm
Sweden

Photography courtesy of Stockholm stadshotell

Helle Mardahl: a playful makeover in Copenhagen

In Copenhagen’s Frederiksstaden district, the Helle Mardahl flagship store occupies the former home of a royal jeweller – an architecturally interesting setting now reimagined with whimsical precision. Designed by Mardahl herself in collaboration with File Under Pop, the space retains its historic bones – ornate ceilings, elegant cabinetry – while setting the stage for her candy-hued glass creations. Pastel walls in pinks and creams, dusty blue curtains and soft linoleum flooring offer a counterpoint to the playful forms of her bonbon-shaped pendant lamps and syrupy vessels.

Helle Mardahl
Bredgade 17
Copenhagen
Denmark

Photography courtesy of Helle Mardahl

Kersh: a diminutive coffee shop in Stockholm

Kersh has brought new life to an old tobacco shop on Götgatan, turning it into a café where the focus is firmly on the essentials – good coffee, thoughtful food and a space that feels lived-in from day one. Behind it are Aadel Kersh and Storken, both familiar names in Södermalm. The menu leans into mellanmål – Sweden’s in-between meals – offering satisfying bites that suit both slow mornings and late afternoons. There’s no fanfare, just filter coffee brewed with care and a warm room designed for reading, talking or sitting still. It’s a café that doesn’t ask much, and gives plenty.

Kersh
Götgatan 29
Stockholm
Sweden

Photography courtesy of kersch

Frihamnskyrkan: sacred geometry in Gothenburg

In Gothenburg’s evolving harbour district, the Frihamnskyrkan church and community centre by Elding Oscarson architects stands as a quietly commanding cube clad in diagonal aluminium bars that shimmer with a moiré effect. Commissioned by the Smyrnakyrkan congregation, the building replaces a former church and reimagines sacred space with architectural restraint. The design balances monumentality and openness. A glazed ground floor invites the public in with communal areas and a café, while a double-height worship hall hovers above, accessed via a curved stair and bathed in soft light. Inside, the palette is modest and displays natural wood, white walls and earthy textiles.