LITTLE SCANDINAVIAN
Blåbär London, a charming Scandinavian Cafe and Design shop in Putney
by Scandinavian mum
Blabar London is a vibrant neighbourhood concept shop, a life and style cafe dedicated to the Nordic.
Blåbär’s mission is to ‘Live a Life More Nordic’, with a mix of balance, creativity, community, health and happiness. The owners Sandra Linnea West originally from Sweden and her partner Oliver Goodier wanted to offer this New Nordic Lifestyle to a wider audience, both online and in their shop in Putney, South West London.
Amazing coffee, breakfast, lunch and traditional Swedish ‘fika’ (cinnamon buns and other sweet treats, usually served alongside coffee) is served from early morning until 6pm. Expect organic coffee from Sweden, Icelandic yoghurt with berries and granola, a variety of healthy and yummy salads and of course – a selection of Scandinavian style open sandwiches.
Besides being a charming neighbour hood cafe, Blåbär is also a design shop. Everything in the shop is for sale, even the chair you will be sitting on. The most trendy Nordic interior brands, some which Blåbär has exclusive rights to in the UK as well as a furniture from the co-owner Oliver Goodier’s own design brand. It’s also possible to pick up gift items, from art posters to pieces of handmade contemporary jewellery to your own essentail soaps and candles. Worth mentioning is that everything you see in store can also be bought online, at blabar.london
With a desire to bring creativity and community to the area, the spacious shop set over 2 floors also serves as versatile collaborative space, available for pop-up shops and events. Coming up is an exciting pop-up shop byNordic Design Collective, from 20th June to 20th August. Furthermore, Blåbär is inviting you to join in on a traditional Midsummer Eve’s party, on the 25th June, complete with a flower crown binding course and a dance around the maypole. There’s a few tickets still available – check it out here!
So what does Blåbär, pronounced [blawbair] really mean? It is in short a Nordic berry. In English the name is bilberry, which is closely related. But as Sandra told us when we visited, her partner and co-owner of the store who is english thought it sounded a bit like ‘bla, bla, bar’ which is not a bad name for a inviting and relaxing hangout, where conversations flow easy among staff and guests.
Blåbär is a really cool place and concept run by a hardworking and very charming young couple. It’s definitely worth a visit. Head to Lacy Road, just of Putney High Street, only a short stroll from Putney Bridge Station (District Line to Wimbledon).