Who are you?
— My name is Linda Landenberg Holst and I’m a 48-year-old perfumer who has my own laboratory at home next to a hen’s house in Uppland. I also work as a B2B consultant, educator, lecturer, and perfume entrepreneur. The philosophy of my own brand, Savour, is to dress for the occasion, mood, or expectation, and encourage to explore the customer’s uniqueness. With a wardrobe of perfume in constant progress, he or she will be able to define and express personal strengths.
For someone who hasn’t been to Uppland, how’d you describe it?
— Uppland is a mix of different species in terms of trees, we have more than 30 lakes and are connected to the Baltic Sea, which, most likely, was a strong reason for the Vikings to settle. If you are interested in this part of history you should visit the island of Birka — the first city in Sweden.
My favourite thing that makes me proud of Uppland:
— Well, the capital of Sweden has to be mentioned. Stockholm (which partly is located in the Uppland region, Ed’s note), with all her islands in the surrounding archipelago. If you only have time for a short visit to the archipelago you should take a boat from the centre of Stockholm and visit the island of Fjäderholmarna. Part of the Royal National City Park, you’re able to explore handicrafts and traditional Swedish food. Talking about handicrafts, I want to highlight Tärnsjö tannery. With its 140 years of heritage, working with the highest quality of Swedish leather, it distributes the finest quality partly as final products but also as a distributor for premium brands such as Hermès. As a perfumer, I have to mention the botanist and taxonomist Carl Linnaeus (born in 1707 in Uppland’s biggest city, Uppsala, Ed’s note). His scientific work, more specifically his system of how to define and classify new species, has contributed to the foundation of modern taxonomy. Since the mid-1800 century, the system is still custom within the whole segment of biological science.
My favourite weekend routine:
— Our lifestyle is completely based on outdoor activities and the way we live requires constant work, so a mix of fun and necessities, such as grooming our roses or cleaning the houses for our hens, are part of the weekend routines. In the summertime, we have a habit of having a picnic by the lake, for the boat ride, we bring some nice sandwiches, drinks, cookies, music, and bath towels. In the winter, I recommend a trip to either the nearby hill, Sunnersta, for downhill skiing, or cross-country skates at a lake, such as Norrviken in Sollentuna.
My favourite cultural spot:
— I am really fond of art, so I try to attend exhibitions at bigger auction houses like Bukowskis before the auction starts. It is a thrill to place a bid and hope that it will be a success. It’s mostly high-end art that is the big excitement for me. Those objects move from one private home to another and, therefore, most likely will not be shown to the public for many years. After the exhibition, I prefer to sit down by the bar at Operakällarens Bakficka for some lunch.
My favourite place for dining out:
— Our local Båthuset — a restaurant placed on the water by the steamboat pier in Sigtuna — offers a delicious food experience.
My favourite place for a creative or business meeting:
— I usually have meetings in our guesthouse which have a calming energy and a quietness surrounded by the countryside. Depending on the season, I serve homemade juice and something sweet straight from the oven such as apple pie or a plain sponge cake, berries from our garden, apples from our trees and eggs with an intense yellow yolk from our free-range hens.
My favourite breakfast place:
— Güntherska in Uppsala — a patisserie with a 135-year-old history, still family-owned in the fifth generation. I rarely eat sweets but when I do, I do not make any compromises, which is why I highly suggest their bun with cardamom or the one called Olles snurra.
My favourite excursion:
— My life is pretty much an everlasting excursion. With a lot of animals at home and a strong love for nature, I mostly spend my days outside searching for something specific to study closer or discover something new. You could hear my relationship with nature in everything I create, sometimes it is louder and sometimes it is a detail in the background.
My favourite local entrepreneur or creative I want to promote:
— First Distillery Sigtuna — a modern producer of gin that brought life to an old distillery at Wenngarn. Their First Gin was honoured with a bronze medal at the IWSC, the world’s largest and most influential spirit award.
My favourite hotel for a staycation:
— Villa Anna is a boutique hotel in Uppsala with a personal touch. It’s familiar and also has a private room, and a wine cellar, for private dinner settings, which I highly recommend.
My favourite route for a run or walk:
— First, I make sure I have the right amount of energy and clothes to make the most out of it. Then I take one of the dogs, most likely our small dachshund Prince Algot, for a 4-5 km walk. During dry and warm days, I bring my lunch box for a pause at one of the slopes where there’s less wind. After a while, a fox, roe dear, or fallow dear could appear and pass by.
My favourite place for fashion:
— I like craftsmanship and look for details but I am not so trend-oriented. I have kept my Escada pumps I bought in 1992 and try to wear out my jeans. Even if my daily outfit is something practical I love high heels and lovely dresses. So for specific occasions, I pay a visit to a designer such as Linda Lindgren, La Petite Mort, in Stockholm, for a made-to-measure dress.
My favourite space for great design:
— Nordiska Galleriet at Nybrogatan in Stockholm always inspires me in terms of interior design, and then auction houses, for general inspiration.
My favourite thing at home:
— All things that help you hide practical things such as pop-up stations for electricity but I also love the big sideboard that we bought at an auction house. It is made around the year 1890 and has a beautiful original colour that became our starting point when renovated our kitchen. Plus, it has 42 drawers which is great for organizing. Our kitchen is a gathering point in our house so I also have to mention our red-tiled stove made by a Swedish company with a 260-year-old history.
