Snickarbacken 7

As the second instalment of my Rediscovering Stockholm in Spring 2011 campaign (the first one was the Sven-Harry's art museum), I visited Snickarbacken 7, another new addition to Stockholm.

Entrance

It is a concept store that houses a shop selling clothes, furniture, and other items, an art gallery, and a cafe, occupying a high-ceiling ground floor of the 19th century building with church-like vaults in Gothic style.

Frankly speaking, the exhibition at the art gallery (Galleriet S7) was disappointing. It occupies the best part of the space, the church-like vaults, but the narrow, long shape of the gallery space appears to backfire; you cannot appreciate the work from a distance. A video installation which keeps showing two hands without any movement at all was set up at the rear of the vault space, which can be seen from a distance (and indeed from the entrance). But this video installation doesn't seem to benefit from such a long-distance viewing.

The store appeared interesting. On the shelf is the kind of stuff I usually don't see in other retail shops in Stockholm. (But as a foreigner who needs to move to a new apartment at least once in every year due to the notorious rent control, I don't feel like buying a new piece of furniture.)

The vaults

The cafe (Kaffeverket) is probably the best attraction of Snickarbacken 7. I enjoyed apple-ginger juice with mint leaves. A cup of cafe macchiato was not too bad, which is a rarity in Stockholm. A toasted sandwich of jamon serrano, manchego, and paprika paste sauce on levain bread was okay, though . With nice background music in good quality of sound, the stone floor intentionally left rough, and the vaults on the roof, the atmosphere is cozy. Perhaps due to its location (slightly off the main shopping area), it's not packed around noon on Saturday. Another plus in a city with all the good cafes being particularly busy over the weekend.