The cheerful home / studio of a Finnish visual artist

Tjena! Hur är läget?! I got back from Milan late last night after a fab few days wondering around Salone del Mobile, various design quarters (including the Brera district and IKEA Festival at Ventura Lambrati) and of course taking in the wonderful city itself. As a result I'm feeling all inspired (if not a little bleary eyed!) back at my desk this morning! Having featured her new apartment here, I couldn't resist returning to the wonderful world of Finnish visual artist Saija Starr today. This time I'd like to share her cheerful former home and fab studio with you. Located in the heart of Helsinki, the apartment has a distinct sixties vibe and a fresh feel thanks to the white walls and bright pastel hues. Keep a look out for her artwork in the sitting room and bedroom - most of which is produced in her light-filled industrial-style studio. Love it!

Photography / home-owner: Saija Starr

What a lovely relaxed home - don't you think? I particularly love all the plants - said to be great for the air and your soul (I've been doing a little research lately - although I can't quite reveal the project yet!).

Is there anything that stands out to you?

Get the look from Saija's home: kitchen - string shelving, string lights, blue Iittala jug. sitting room - paintings by Saija, Ferm Living Remix cushion, source a vintage mid-century arm chair here.

You can keep up to date with Saija's latest projects (and see snapshots of her home and studio as well as feel inspired by the Finnish way of life) over on her blog and instagram feed.

Have a great start to the week!

PS It's the last day to enter the give-away to win a limited edition Palm Print worth 3900 sek (around 400 euros!).... hurry!

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A charming family home in the Finnish countryside

Hej heeej! I have such a beautiful, charming family home to share with you today. Located in the small town of Jacobstad (or 'Pietarsaari') in Ostrobothnia, Finland, the house dates back to the 1700s and has been painstakingly renovated by owners Victoria Snellman (who runs a webshop selling the cutest knitted garments - how adorable is this romper?!) and her husband, Robin. The pair share the home with their two children Sonny Lou and Juno Mae. Touches of rough wood and sheepskin add warmth to an otherwise neutral, monochrome colour scheme, and a swing hangs from a beam for the children to enjoy year round (when they're not busy playing with the family cat!).

These beautiful photos were taken by Carina Olander and styled by Anna Truelsen for Lantliv.

Oh so charming. I absolutely love everything about this home! How about you?!

Get the look: Kitchen: Tolix armchairs, source similar sheepskin throws here,  AGAM junior chair from IKEA. This industrial pendant is similar. Open area - I love this and this butterfly chair, white sheepskin, this rustic swing is similar. Sitting room - leather pouf. Children's room - Lightly sells leather and wood shelves like these (there's also a great DIY guide here). Give chest-of-drawers a new lease of life with a lick of black paint and leather pulls, like in the children's bedroom. 

You can see the full tour of this delightful home in Lantliv 3/2017.

Yesterday I featured a colourful and relaxed Helsinki home, and it's so interesting to see the contrast between the two - both equally charming in their own way, don't you think?

Carina and Anna have such a talent for finding and capturing dreamy country homes - whether high up on a hill over looking the Norwegian fjords, a house in the heart of Småland, Sweden or even Carina's own idyllic summer cottage! Thank you so much for the kind permission to share some of your work!

Have a lovely day!

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A creative Helsinki home with a cheerful & relaxed vibe

As you know (I think I've been harping on about it ever since - sorry!), I finally got to visit Helsinki for the first time last summer. And it exceeded all my wildest expectations. It was such a vibrant city but above all else, it exuded creativity (if you go, don't miss the design walk!). Seeing these pictures of visual artist, Saija Starr's apartment in the heart of Helsinki immediately transported me back to my wonderful weekend in Finland's capital city. On her blog Cosy Home, Saija describes her home life and interior as an amalgamation of: 'swaying book blocks, long breakfasts, art, coffee moments, brightly coloured containers, old furniture and the ever changing sequence.' Let's take a peek inside...

Credits: Saija Starr / Cosy Home.

Love this! It's so charming and relaxed but above all else personal, I also like how the pops of bright colours add such a cheerful touch (take a closer look at how Saija has created small pockets of colour. In the sitting room for example, she has combined a poster, vase and painting which share the same tones).

I also love how the space has a wonderful, lived-in vibe. I could imagine walking in here and immediately feeling at ease. How about you?!

Get the look from Saija's home: sitting room - 'the party' painting source mid-century armchairs like these here, Remix blanket. Kitchen - Marimekko teapot. Iittala Nappula candle-holder in high and low versions.

The big painting is 'A Party' by Saija. You can see more of her art work here.

You can follow Salja's latest projects and home updates on her wonderful blog or over on her Instagram feed.

If you'd like to see more Helsinki homes today I'm also in love with this apartment that artfully blends of danish and finnish style, the home of a design blogger and a graphic designer's penthouse - and many more in the archive. Oh I do love Finnish style!

Have a lovely day!

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A minimalist yet cosy Finnish home

Well hello there! This summer I visited Finland for the very first time, and what a beautiful country it is! Have you ever been? I particularly loved Helsinki and the Taamisari archipelago (where we photographed two beautiful homes for The Scandinavian Home). I realised I have so much more to discover and I can't wait to go back some day. In the meantime I'll be living vicariously through beautifully captured Finnish home tours! You can imagine how happy I was to receive a mail last week from Laura Seppänen Design Agency with Laura's latest project! Stina Mäntyniemi, head of Cosmopolitan Finland,was looking for a clean and monochrome interior - with one explicit request - it included a Bertoia Diamond lounge chair (I love her style!)! Using this as a brief, Laura has transformed the space into a bright and breezy two room apartment which is minimalist yet cosy. The space has been furnished with a wonderful blend of Scandinavian design classics, new Nordic brands and natural materials. Let's take a tour...

Credits: Interior design / styling: Laura Säppenen Design Agency / Laura Seppänen. Deko Magazine 12/2016 photographed by Krista Keltanen. 

So lovely and fresh, don't you think?

Get the look from Stina's flat: kitchenware from Formverk, faucet by Nivito, vases, trays and candle holders from Cooee (same shop as the beautiful brass wreath in Elisabeth's home), all posters from The Poster Club, Eames chair, sheepskin throw, light box with changeable letters, Flos 265 lamp (over sofa), By lassen kubus 8 candleholder.

I've featured many of the homes Laura's designed in the passed including this delightful Helsinki penthouse (love the mix of old and new) and a one room apartment. There's also an entire archive dedicated to Finnish homes (including some idyllic summer cottages and cabins- don't miss these!).

Got to love Finnish style?!

Have a great start to the week!

PS It's the last day to enter the give-away to win not one but two beautiful vases from one of my favourite  Danish brands - Nordal. Go go go!

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A tour of an idyllic Finnish summer cabin

If someone asked me to describe my dream Scandinavian summer cottage, this would be it (you may recognise the idyllic Finnish cabin from this post). Situated on its own island on the West coast of Finland, the lovely owner, photographer and graphic designer Johanna Lehtinen, her husband Jari and daughter Tilda take the 10 minute speed boat ride out to the cabin as often as they can. "We try to use it the whole year round but because of its location there are times when we cannot get there - for example, when the ice is too thick for the boat but to thin for walking or using the snow cat." With no running water or electricity, the cabin is a true back-to-basics experience, where the family spend their time "chilling, playing board games, taking boat rides to other islands, visiting and welcoming friends, fishing, rowing, swimming etc," But most of all it's about soaking up the surroundings - "I love the wonderful sea and nature, and the peace and tranquility that the island brings. It's great to be in such close contact with nature," Johanna tells me. And I can totally see why.

 

Photography / home-owner Johanna Lehtinen. 

Could you image having a wonderful get-away like this to escape to?

I'm not sure I'd ever leave!

Get the look from Johanna's cabin: kitchen - Marimekko teapot and cups, I love the vintage jugs here. bedroom - this vintage shop sells a selection of one of a kind locker units, pick up an old milking stool here and paint it white. And above all else, the details - like Johanna's stacked pebbles, vases of fern and candles in stones collected from the cabin's surroundings. It seems like the best interior decor of all, is waiting on the ground right outside our backdoor (the theme of my first book Modern Pastoral!).

If you feel inspired by Johanna's cabin you might want to check out her latest photography and graphic design projects on her blog and instagram, and also visit her wonderful webshop where she sells her own nature inspired art photography such as Waves and her book Laiturilla, featuring eleven Finnish summer homes by the sea as well as other items (yes, she ships worldwide - woohoo!).

If like me, you're feeling truly inspired by Finnish design today - here are a few other links to beautiful summer cottages and hide-aways: an idyllic Finnish cabin with a sea view, a dreamy lakeside cabin with a twist, and a beautifully simple modern cabin.

Have a wonderful start to the week!

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