Beyond the Limits: Shopping in Stockholm

This brand features functional, harmonious items in white, black and grey colors since 1997. Mugs, cutting boards, candles, key holders, and surprisingly scarves and hats are stored here. I promise you: you won't leave the shop without birch bark flower pots or cinnamon sticks in a craft-bag.

This food court of the new generation with conceptual interior design and 11 restaurants of fast but carefully thought-out food was open in 2013. All modern food trends are there: several dishes of Asian cuisine, burgers, salads rich in vitamins and fiber, all kinds of sandwiches, a huge amount of vegetarian and organic stuff, excellent coffee (naturally), tea and pastries. You'll probably find yourself sitting among creative professionals from nearby offices and fashionmongers passing by. K25 features reasonable prices and plenty of seats, which makes it a perfect spot for a quick bite in the centre.

Biblioteksgatan in Swedish means 'library street'. Although it indeed leads to Sweden National Library, that's not all it is famous for. The thing is that Biblioteksgatan is surrounded by the most fashionable shops (of clothes mostly) ever, from lux- Prada to such popular Swedish midrange brands as Hope, Acne, Whyred and Tiger of Sweden. By the way the street has an excellent web-site where you can choose a shopping route to your taste: www.bibliotekstan.se.

If you still have no idea what COS is, you have a whole new world to discover. This Swedish clothing brand has already become classics. COS offers clothes of minimalist cut for women, men and children (the latter is to be found in men's section on the second floor). It features an excellent price-quality-style combination. You should come here during sales – you might get some great items for the lowest price possible. By the way, common sizes are almost always available.

This spacious and beautiful store of an iconic American retailer offers clothes and interior design items, jewelry and other amusing stuff. It can be described as sexy, hip, trendy, kitschy, bohemian and vintage-inspired. This boutique shop occupies a building of an old Moulin-Rouge-style cinema with huge crystal chandeliers, gilded carved balustrades and maroon velvet curtains, so it makes sense to drop in and have a look around even if hipster-style shopping is not on your to-do list today.

A perfect place for fans of bicycles and/or Italian cuisine with its slow-food tradition. First-class coffee, excellent buffet lunch (slightly more expensive than average cafes, but well worth it), friendly atmosphere and cool bicycle accessories by Bianchi. This brand is famous between true amateurs and professionals of cycling, so you wouldn't find a better place in Stockholm to buy a present for your friend who is so much into bikes.

It is one of those interior design stores that make you dream of your own little house by the lake furnished with these very items. Light wood furniture brings out your romantic spirit, various pretty details offer tranquility. Every item is made in the best traditions of Scandinavian interior design. Prices are not the lowest, but the quality is worth every penny – dishtowels purchased at Norrgavel will be handed down to your grandchildren. By the way, pay special attention to crockery - it is often way cheaper than you would expect.

YOU Stockholm is a beauty salon popular among Swedish celebrities and a rather big cosmetics boutique of body and hair treatments. It mainly offers rare and really expensive brands available in Sweden only (like Aesop or Murad). Beautiful cans and jars with magical contents won't leave anyone indifferent. Trust me, you won't go away without a purchase. Here you can also get a 'haircut-on-a-trip' experience. The beauty salon features elite professionals and the lack of queues due to its high prices.