Danish home and lifestyle chain, Søstrene Grene opened its first North East store in August. Six months on, Fashion North visited to see what it on offer for SS25.
Søstrene Grene is becoming a beloved addition to Newcastle’s Eldon Square. Established in 1973, the family-owned company was founded in Aarhus, Denmark and now has 280 worldwide stores selling their multi-item catalogue.
In August, the interiors brand opened the 21st UK shop in Eldon Square, just a metro away from Sunderland.
Walking through Søstrene Grene’s crafted maze of products is entirely unique. Customers are invited to enter their world of chic Scandinavian homeware, moving station by station through a shopping experience like no other.
Their weaving and winding set-up invites the local community of creatives to revel in an atmosphere bursting with vibrancy and imagination. 
Beautiful wool display at the Newcastle store Pic credit: Isabel Coxon Vadillo
Customers are carried through the shop watching each product category unfold in their thoughtful layout, beginning with kitchenware. Everything you need for a functioning kitchen is sold here in a beautifully shabby chic style.
All of their homeware items promote organisation, cleaning and sustainability, splitting items by their location in the house: kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom, bedroom, entrance, children’s room, office and garden.
Following the kitchen sector, comes crafts of knitting, candlemaking, and painting, this is followed by gift wrapping and note taking. The walk to the till takes you on an adventure through bathroom items, children’s items and fake flower arrangements.
A selection of teas at the Eldon Square store Pic credit: Isabel Coxon Vadillo
‘Søstrene Grene’ is a Danish phrase that translates to ‘the Grene Sisters’. This refers to sisters Anna and Clara who have hosted the retail stores since their establishment in 1973.
Anna is described as a ‘creative aesthete’ whereas Clara is ‘practical and organised’; these traits represent exactly what Søstrene Grene offers. Immersing you in their world, the shop mentions the sisters with designating areas labelled as their favourite spaces, like a reading nook for Clara at the back of the shop. 
The interior of the Newcastle store Pic credit: Isabel Coxon Vadillo
According to a quote on their website, the brand states: ‘At Søstrene Grene we work actively to ensure that Søstrene Grene’s products do not contain substances that are harmful to the environment’
Sustainability is at the core of this business, their expansive product selection is certified by numerous environmental companies. Textile products carry an independent certification to meet strict requirements concerning chemical substances, environmental protection, working conditions, animal welfare, and recycling.
GRS Certification on an item means it is made of 50% or more recycled materials. Søstrene Grene’s ethics on stewardship is upheld in their pure Scandi wood too which is FSC certified. This guarantees wood stems from forests are managed responsibly so no more timber is felled than what the forests can reproduce naturally.
Søstrene Grene is open in Newcastle’s Eldon Square from 9 am to 7 pm, so get yourself there for endlessly beautiful shabby chic pieces to enhance your space with Danish flair.
