THE TRULY EXCEPTIONAL ETT HEM

I love the name of this hotel. Ett Hem. Makes me smile when I think about it for two reasons. One being that is how our son says “eh hem” because he thinks that it is “et hem”. Every time he says it, it makes me smile. Which brings me to the second reason, that every time he says it, it makes me think about the fabulous hotel Ett Hem in Stockholm.  

Photos Courtesy of Ett Hem.

I had the pleasure of getting an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of this magical hotel by the equally magical owner, Jeannette Mix. In fact, just to brag a bit, I happen to have been hooked up for this tour by one of my most magical friends, Mia Ljungberg Nevado. Mia lived in Stockholm for a number of years with her husband and family and also happens to be a fantastic travel writer, among other things. She also happens to be friends with Jeannette and totally hooked me up with this tour. Why I mention this is for good reason. When we were having our exclusive tour, someone rang the bell – a travel blogger – asking if they could get in to see the hotel and walk around and the hotel staff told them “No, sorry, we don’t do tours of the hotel”. Jeanette never started this hotel to be on blogs or to get press. The word of mouth, the quality of what she has created speaks for itself. The interiors are divine, the food is spectacular at the restaurant and locals and foreigners alike want a reservation for one of the tables and the few rooms in this hotel are coveted. So, shall we take a look around with Jeannette?

In 1902 in residential Stockholm, this house that is now Ett Hem was built by those who had an affinity for beautiful things and they left their mark. The stunning arts and crafts building is already a show stopper from the outside. Years later, Jeannette had the opportunity to transform the property into  a functional hotel and so she did. Working with the talented designer Ilsa Crawford would be anyone’s dream and Ilsa was at the helm of the transformation. Ilsa was on board from the start and the project was a challenge to transform it while still keeping the intricate character of the house. Jeannette wanted to retain the old homes personality while still updating it to feature all the modern amenities traveler would want proved to be quite difficult. But they nailed it as you can see from the images here. In person, it is even better than you can imagine. It oozes charm, comfort, and style from every corner. 

Comprised of twelve rooms, Ett Hem offers guests a unique experience with comfortable light filled rooms. In the courtyard garden, guests can discover a secret wilderness, a perfect spot to share a croissant or in the evening a chilled glass of wine. Guests are encourage to make themselves feel at home here. To take a glass of wine and head into the garden to read. Or borrow a book from the shelves and lounge on the sofa. In fact, the name Ett Hem literally means at home in Swedish and that is the perfect name for this hotel. Yes, of course, that was intentional but just because you name something “at home” doesn’t mean you feel it! Here you truly feel it and I didn’t even stay overnight. 

As I mentioned earlier, the restaurant is quite well known for it’s fresh, local, innovative cuisine. Each morning, the menu is decided by the chefs using the most fresh produce available – so be open to surprise! In fact, while we were having our tour, one of the sous chefs was firing up the large bbq in the garden to prepare for grilling  fish freshly caught that morning as well as a plenitude of summer squash. Both residents of Ett Hem and those not staying are welcome to join to experience the dining, but it can be very difficult to score a table. Jeanette stressed to me that they prioritize their hotel guests but they too have to book and not assume they have a table for dinner even if they are staying there. So if you plan to go, make sure you book dinner ahead! Noted.

Ett Hem is a truly a place that I will never forget visiting. A place where one really does immediately feel at home just as it’s name suggests. I cannot wait to go back because there is no place like home.