Once a stopover for Madonna, Bowie and Jackson, Gothenburg’s Royal Suite has been reborn under the eye of couture designer Lars Wallin. I stepped inside to experience its storied 160 square metres of fashion, art and indulgence
In Gothenburg’s city centre, let the records show that Radisson Blu Scandinavia has been where bold, the beautiful and the brilliant check in. Its crown jewel, the 160-square-metre Royal Suite, has seen it all: Madonna holding court after a show, David Bowie sweeping in like a comet, Dolly Parton, Paul McCartney, Elton John – even Michael Jackson. A room with that kind of résumé doesn’t just offer square footage; it offers lore. And now, in a complete transformation by Sweden’s foremost couturier, Lars Wallin, the Royal Suite has been reborn for a new era of glamour.
60-year-old Wallin, recently fêted with a blockbuster 35-year retrospective at Stockholm’s Artipelag, has built his name on gowns that balance fantasy with precision – think French couture tradition spliced with American glamour. His hand-sewn creations have wrapped royals, divas and red carpets for decades. Now, for the first time, that sensibility has slipped off the runway and into interiors. The Royal Suite isn’t a hotel room anymore; it’s a Manhattan penthouse dropped in Gothenburg: part gallery, part retreat, part rock star fever dream.
Step inside and the suite doesn’t so much reveal itself as unfurl: an endless, winding discovery. First, a lounge that feels made for lingering. Then a dining room fit for twelve (and their egos). A bedroom, a private bar, a walk-in closet, a bathroom complete with its own sauna. The materials whisper luxury without shouting it – brushed brass against velvet, oak and eucalyptus tempered by stainless steel. Light floods in through wide windows, catching on corners so considered they feel staged. It’s international in spirit, but anchored in Scandinavian calm.
“For me, it was important that the suite reflect the hotel’s international character,” Wallin explains. “I wanted to create a place with bold colours, multifunctional spaces and a touch of glamour somewhere that could host an event just as well as a personal celebration.”
It is not just design, but debut. For the first time, Wallin has created furniture pieces of his own: elegant, theatrical forms that function as both objects and artworks. A sleek dining table becomes a centrepiece, a vanity feels like a stage set, sideboards double as sculptures. These pieces are also available for purchase, extending the experience beyond the suite.
The project also introduces another first: art as a living component of the space. In collaboration with Sweden's preeminent Wetterling Gallery, a curated selection of works lines the walls. These will be rotated regularly, meaning no two visits are quite the same. To stay here is to step into an exhibition in flux, where art, design and fashion intermingle. “Overnighting in an art exhibition” is how the hotel describes it, and it feels exactly that way.
Jessica Rivle, general manager of Radisson Blu Scandinavia, says: “Lars has a unique ability to create environments that feel exclusive but also welcoming, which is exactly the atmosphere we were looking for. After the success of his bridal suite design a few years ago, it’s fantastic to see how he has now transformed our most prestigious suite into something truly special.”
If the art and design provide the intellectual allure, the indulgence lies in the details. The dining room, with its long table seating twelve, was made for dinners that stretch into the night, conversation running late into the hours. Even with only two at the table, the room carries a sense of occasion. The bathroom continues this rhythm of luxury. Marble surfaces and mirrored light meet a private sauna, turning everyday rituals into something restorative.
Part of what makes the Royal Suite remarkable is its adaptability. Conceived not just as a place to stay but as a venue, it shifts character easily – intimate dinner, discreet meeting, or private escape. The artworks change regularly, so each visit feels subtly different, as though you are inhabiting an exhibition that evolves with time.
Beyond the suite, indulgence continues at Hagabadet Haga, Gothenburg’s 19th-century bathhouse turned modern spa. Vaulted ceilings and tiled pools preserve the atmosphere of history, while saunas and plunge baths bring the ritual into the present. Hours slip easily between steam and water until the city outside seems far away. Returning to the suite, skin flushed and body softened, the connection becomes clear: Hagabadet speaks to continuity and tradition; Wallin’s suite to glamour and cosmopolitan edge. Together, they define Gothenburg at its most decadent.
The reimagined Royal Suite is not simply accommodation but a continuation of its storied past, reimagined under Wallin’s hand. Couture has been translated into interiors, creating a space that is glamorous yet welcoming, international in outlook but rooted in Scandinavian finesse.