The British adore the simplicity and elegance of Swedish design and our open-plan living spaces owe ever more to the land of Vikings and Volvos. Many of our favourite furnishings are based on svelte mid-century Swedish icons, such as Bruno Mathsson's 'Eva' chair (designed 1933-36) and most of us own a handful of IKEA staples. But will visitors to the country encounter more than high-end chairs and low-cost lamps?

A bit of geography
Sweden lies between Norway and Finland, stretching into the Arctic Circle to the north. It is the largest of the Nordic countries, and its diverse landscape ranges from rolling arable plains to tundra, from mountains to a delightful rocky coastline.

What is Sweden known for?
Midnight sun and northern lights. The longest ski race in the world (56 miles), at Vasaloppet in March. Reindeer and cloudberries. Painted timber buildings and Pippi Longstocking. Forests, folk music and foul-smelling fermented herring (Surströmming). And Abba.

Celebrated Swedes
This sparsely populated giant (its nine million souls constitute 52 people per square mile) has produced numerous household names: tennis players Bjorn Borg and Stefan Edberg, movie stars Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman, telephone pioneer Lars Magnus Ericsson and scientists such as Anders Celsius, of the eponymous temperature scale, and Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite and established the Nobel prize.

Sweden's national obsession: good design for all
The Swedes believe pleasant surroundings are crucial to civic happiness and social welfare, and have been striving since the early 20th century to provide good quality social housing and produce well-designed, affordable homewares. Practical and beautiful household goods such as the Aga were developed here.

How to spot Swedish style
The hallmark of all Swedish design is unpretentious grace. It comes in a wide variety of forms, however, from the neo-classical shapes and pastel-painted woodwork of late-18th century Gustavian furnishings, to the vernacular, handcrafted pieces of the Arts and Crafts era, from the Bauhaus-inspired, Functionalist designs of Sven Markelius, to the softer, more undulating forms of Organic Modernism, designed by Bruno Mathsson and Axel Larsson, in the mid-20th century.

While you are there...
Do not miss Stockholm's Nordiska Museet's replicas of Swedish interiors from the 17th century to modern times. In the village of Sundborn, Dalarna, in central Sweden, see the charming Arts and Crafts home of the artist Carl Larsson. In Småland, Eastern Götaland, visit the Kingdom of Crystal: over a dozen glassworks, including famous factories such as Orrefors, Kosta, Åfors and Boda, set among the lakes and the forested countryside between Växjö and Nybro.

Where to shop
In the capital, find cutting edge furniture by Sweden's leading young designers (along with Britons such as Tom Dixon and James Irvine) at Asplund (www.asplund.org), and beautiful classics at Svenskt Tenn (www.svenskttenn.se). Try DesignTorget, in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö (www.designtorget.se) for an ever-changing stock of new products by emerging designers, and, in Stockholm and Malmö, buy into the hip interiors-and-fashion lifestyle brand David Design (www.david.se).

When to travel
Summers are pleasantly warm but Sweden can be bitterly cold in winter, with temperatures dropping below -60 degrees Fahrenheit in the north. The height of the tourist season is June-August, with July, traditionally the Swedes' own holiday month, being the busiest period. The country's main festivities – sporting galas and folk dancing, outdoor markets and music – are held in July. You can miss the crowds and still enjoy some sunshine by going in late May or early autumn.

WORDS KATRINA BURROUGHS
JANUARY 2008