Stockholm denizens long avoided Brunkebergstorg. It was only last year that this former red-light district in the center of the city exuded fresh energy with the arrival of rooftop restaurant Tak and the Nordic Choice Hotels At Six and Hobo from London-based Universal Design Studio and Berlin firm Studio Aisslinger, respectively. Joining the fray, the 494-room Downtown Camper by Scandic, which opened across the square this winter, attests to the area’s rebirth as a hub of ingenuity.

Part of the locally based Scandic Hotels portfolio, Downtown Camper is situated within a circa-1970s Brutalist building that Göteborg, Sweden firm Stylt Trampoli “envisioned as an urban resort,” says creative director and founder Erik Nissen Johansen. Providing an alternative to bland business hotels, Johansen adds, the design narrative underscores conviviality: “We asked ourselves, ‘Where do we experience the most social moments?’” This sparked the idea of camping with friends being translated into a city hotel.

First, Stylt Trampoli planted an open fireplace in the middle of Campfire, Downtown Camper’s restaurant and bar. Throughout the space, there is an interplay between the indoors and out, with industrial pipework juxtaposing charring logs, clusters of camping props like thermoses, and greenery sprouting from columns. And the design encourages guests to explore at every turn. In the lobby, for instance, kayaks grace the ceiling and the concrete floor rises and subtly morphs into the reception desk, which is set underneath a massive hammock reminiscent of one found in a breezy treehouse.

Fittingly, natural materials like stone, wood, wool, and cork were embraced. One of the meeting rooms is dominated by a log table, and guestrooms, some of which are spacious co-living suites with common areas, feature oak floors, leather and American walnut headboards, and a brown-heavy palette with pops of orange and blue. Climbing rope, plaid, and nightstands resembling tree stumps playfully hint at camping adventures, while comfortable window seats suggest that staying inside is no less thrilling an escapade—particularly if it also includes a visit to ninth-floor oasis the Nest. Here, softer hues of green and pink set a tone of tranquility for the cocktail lounge, complementing an outdoor heated pool and centerpiece sauna shrouded in nearly 1,000 Aspen tree branches. “One of the most important ingredients of the hotel,” notes Johansen, “is that it feels casual and relaxed.”