Sweden's best contemporary interior architects and designers have teamed to rejuvenate Birger Jarl Hotel and the result is striking. I was staying in Junior Suite 4U, its author, leaving figure in the world of Swedish design Love Arbén worked on the principle that guests prioritise three things in hotel rooms - looking out, watching TV or lying in the bath and staring at the ceiling. Three activities that have formed the basis for the décor in Junior Suite 4U. Arbén’s aim, through the use of stained glass and coloured surfaces, is to give you as content-rich an experience of their temporary home as possible. Through the windows of the room, you can feel the warm, golden sunlight, see the greenery, experience the blue hour of twilight, or awaken in a rose-coloured shimmer - all at the same time. The TV’s central, rotating position allows your every TV-viewing desire to be met, whilst the bathroom’s size and intense red ceiling invite you to enjoy a sensuous bathing experience. Most of the furniture in this room was designed personally by Arbén, including the armchairs, sofa and coffee table, which are part of a range of furniture named after the days of the week. With its its 235 rooms, you have quite many reasons to come back and delight your eyes with the work of an other Swedish designer in an other room. Besides the exciting eye-candy-ness of its interior design, the hotel is perfectly located in the triangle between Stureplan, Hötorget and Jarlaplan. In the afternoon I went to the little park Observatoriekullen around the corner to breathe the pure air of Stockholm. In the evening I went to Humlegården, an other park that is only five minutes away to enjoy the Summer terrace where all the cool Stockholm hang out for a warm-up drink. If you are an aficionado of contemporary Swedish design -aka known as the ideal combination of functionality and aesthetic appeal, Birger Jarl Hotel is precisely a place you need to visit.

Tulegatan 8 113 57 Stockholm, Sweden 08-674 18 00