30
MAY 2013
•
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
BACKSTORY:
Many of King Charles XII’s marines never made it home to see
their new barracks, which were built in 1699 on the island of Skeppsholmen. Yet
almost up until its makeover into a hip design hotel in 2009, “The Long Row,” as
locals know it, provided unusually elegant lodgings for military employees.
DESIGN NOTES:
Design firm Claesson Koivisto Rune came up with the theme
of “Fog” for this chic project. Frosted bathroom doors, tropical wet rooms and
wooden floors all reference its maritime heritage. Navy officers would have
loved the streamlined aesthetic.
WHAT YOU’LL FIND JUST OUTSIDE:
The hotel is a stone’s throw from Saltsjön
Bay, an inviting spot for a stroll. Also nearby are the Museum of Modern Art
and the Swedish Museum of Architecture, so there’s no chance of missing
your serving of culture.
ROOMWITH A VIEW:
Most options here look out onto the surrounding
parkland—don’t be surprised if you come eye to eye with a willow warbler
when you open the window. In leafless winter months, the front rooms afford
a clear view of the bay and the trendy island of Södermalm.
BEST PLACE TOHANGOUT:
The sunny terrace is popular with lunching locals.
The same goes for the indoor restaurant-bar, a coolly elegant space whose a er-
noon
fika
(
coffee break) offers ample opportunity to mingle with the natives.
BACKSTORY:
Opened as a restaurant/bar/café in
1865
by a Frenchman (who famously had five
pounds to his name), Café Royal soon became a
stubbornly fashionable sippery—its clientele has
included everyone fromGeorge Bernard Shaw to
Mick Jagger. Having been bought by niche hotelier
The Set, it was closed in 2008 for expansion and
revamping, and reopened in late 2012, with finishing
touches applied this spring.
DESIGNNOTES:
Chief architect David Chipperfield
has preserved the property’s many flourishes while
adding a layer of severe minimalism (not a single
picture hangs here, by decree). While some of the
159
rooms and suites feature original details, the
tendency is toward a more modern flat andmuted
feel. One nice turn is the use of materials—the stuff
that looks like it should be heavy actually is.
WHAT YOU’LL FIND JUST OUTSIDE:
About 80 percent
of London’s major tourist a ractions: Piccadilly
Circus, Leicester Square, Soho, Westminster, Covent
Garden, Trafalgar Square, Mayfair ... you could stay a
month here and never have to look at a cab.
BEST PLACE TOHANGOUT:
Despite the addition
of swish watering hole The Bar, the star a raction
remains the blindingly baroque Grill Room, inwhich
Oscar Wilde fell in love with Lord Alfred Douglas
and David Bowie partied on the night he retired
Ziggy Stardust. It’s impossible to spend an
evening here and feel ordinary.
Hotel
Skeppsholmen
STOCKHOLM
CAFÉROYAL
LONDON
DISPATCHES
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STAY
