Inside influencer Joonas Pesonen’s 33-square-meter loft: “I love bursts and splashes of color”

Next to the entrance of Joonas’s urban city home, there’s a small yard where he enjoys his morning coffee, works, and cares for his flowers. The outdoor furniture is from Riviera Vintage and was originally used in a Parisian café. Joonas inherited his passion from his grandmother.

The memory of his first morning in the new home still makes Joonas Pesonen smile with emotion. As he drank his morning coffee, sunlight poured in through the loft’s floor-to-ceiling window, and instead of a building wall, the sparkling Lake Näsijärvi greeted him. Locals welcomed influencer Pesojoonas in the city, and one follower even surprised the new Tampere resident with a delivery of donuts.

“I felt very warm and welcome,” Joonas says.

He fell in love with the Tampere way of life, where a lighthearted atmosphere bubbles under the surface and the rush of big cities is absent. The down-to-earth quality typical of Tampere also felt comforting to someone raised in Korpilahti.

“I call it ‘bumpkinness,’ and I think it’s a positive trait that I carry proudly.”

The asymmetrical mirror is from Jotex. The wall clock and the red table lamp are by Hay. The light blue vase is by Muuto. The waving cat is from My o My. The tiled side table is handmade. Ceramic piece by Armi Teva.

In Veera Sorri’s work, Joonas was drawn to the spray-painted finish, the lips, and the combined feel of classic and pop art. The architect lamp, bought on Tori, has a grow light.

The kitchen is currently gray, but in the future it might be wood-toned or colorful. The dining table was purchased as a showroom piece. All the chairs are secondhand. The old chair is from Joonas’s grandmother’s home.

The bright, high loft is perfect for hanging and trailing houseplants.

What prompted the move from a minimalist studio in Helsinki’s Vallila to a freshly built loft apartment bursting with color by Lake Näsijärvi?

While living in Helsinki, Joonas spent as much time as possible away from home and mainly returned only to sleep. When the pandemic suddenly changed the world situation, he had to reevaluate his values and the significance of home.

“Suddenly, I had to isolate myself from everyone and everything and stay completely alone at home. For someone used to being on the move all the time, it was frightening and confusing,” Joonas recalls.

This sweeping shift in everyday life left him restless, and Joonas began searching for new direction and greater self-connection, because even among crowds, the feeling of loneliness only grew.

“One reason I moved to Tampere was that housing prices here are more reasonable, and a couple of my close friends live here.”

The glass coffee table is a find from Tori. The pink donut is glass art by Orçum Erdem. The rug is from Finarte. The cushion is from H&M Home.

“A sofa is a large element in a home, so it deserves a lovely shade that really highlights it.” In Joonas’s opinion, Hakola’s pale pink velvet sofa is timeless. The paintings are by Olavi Klinov. The large wool rug is from Finarte. Cushions from H&M Home, Iittala, and My o My. The colorful blanket is by Uhana. The ceiling light was already in the apartment.

The paintings above the sofa are by Olavi Klinov. Joonas found the heavy glass coffee table on Tori, inspired by Laura Haimila. Cushions from H&M Home, Iittala, and My o My. The colorful blanket is by Uhana.

While decorating his new home, Joonas grew bolder in using color, even though his own wardrobe still leans toward a restrained palette. He let go of the idea that bright furniture wouldn’t stand the test of time or would be a less responsible choice.

He started by getting a pale pink velvet sofa. After that, more vibrant and pastel tones found their way into his home.

“I love bursts and splashes of color! I embrace that philosophy at home with a playful touch, through trial and error. As long as there are colors!”

Joonas doesn’t believe in rules for décor or color choices. He tries everything with an open mind.

Joonas collects art. Some of the works on his walls are also souvenirs from backpacking trips, which makes them particularly meaningful.

“Whether by coincidence or not, the art in my home tends to feature people. It means that when I’m home, I’m not alone—I’m hanging out with all these different characters.”

The colors of his artworks also inspire this creative professional. His first art purchase for his new home was a large painting that made a surprisingly big impact on the space.

“At first, I was startled when I noticed how the piece was absorbing all the brightness around it. Then I surrounded it with neon hues and other bold items, and the space instantly felt fresher. Once again, I learned a lot about what works together and what doesn’t.”

“I’m someone who branches out, and it shows in the art I collect. The most important thing is that the art in my home makes me smile, because a smile is always contagious.”

Another essential aspect of Joonas’s home, alongside color, is houseplants. He feels most relaxed when physically getting his hands into the soil, and he calls plant care his dearest hobby.

“If my soul rests in this home, the plants are definitely thriving here too.”

The upper floor of the loft houses Joonas’s combined bedroom and workspace. “It’s wonderful to write up there, where I can see Lake Näsijärvi right from my desk.” The downside of the upper floor is that you can’t really block out the light in an open space. Plus, dust from the bedding easily travels downstairs. The String workstation is one of the few new purchases. The rya rug is from Tori.

“I hate anything too polished.” Joonas is drawn to the flaws, life’s imperfections, and layers, as well as the stories old items carry.

He likes humorous and colorful objects that make people smile. He mostly buys tableware secondhand. “The more variety in the table setting, the better.”

Aside from the kitchen, the sofa, and the workstation, plus the dining table purchased as a showroom piece, Joonas has made few new acquisitions for his home. He is drawn to the chips, imperfections, layering, and stories behind older objects.

He has refurbished heirloom furniture received from his grandparents at a local activity center.

“Beauty comes from each person’s personal way of decorating. When you form emotional bonds with items, throwaway culture recedes and loses its importance.”

Joonas often reflects on the example he sets as an influencer regarding consumption, as well as on his own susceptibility to social media trends. One social-media-inspired purchase of his is Armi Teva’s ceramic work. And of course, the aesthetics of his visual work become easier when there’s plenty of light, color, and houseplants at home.

“Even though this armchair takes up a considerable amount of space in my home, I love it. It’s my safe place and my oasis of calm, where I watch life go by: the tram, Lake Näsijärvi, and my houseplants,” says Joonas Pesonen.

Joonas inherited his love for houseplants from his grandmother, who gave him his first ones—a saintpaulia and a lace fern. The ball-foot lamp is from his grandmother’s home, as is the favorite armchair, which has been reupholstered. The paintings on the staircase walls are by Olavi Klinov and Alvi Hatakka. The neon-colored lamps are by Hay.

His favorite spot at home is the retro armchair he inherited at sixteen from his grandparents, which he spent many childhood moments in, savoring fox candies.

“Even though the armchair takes up plenty of space in my home, I love it. It’s my safe place and haven of peace, where I watch the tram, Lake Näsijärvi, and my houseplants pass by.”

The textile on the wall was commissioned by Joonas from Salon Matto ja Ryijy. “It captures the moment when I finally got to go to a nightclub after the pandemic. I spotted the text on the wall at Tullikamari Club.” The bedding is by Benetton. The bedside table is a wooden log from Bauhaus.

He bought the red bedside table and lamp from Tori. Joonas painted the planter neon pink. The bedding is by Benetton.

The paintings leaning against the wall are still looking for their place. The large piece is by Kaisu Kaplin. Kikka has long been a role model for Joonas in terms of boldness and freedom. The colorful baskets are from My o My.

If the sky were the limit, there would be even more houseplants in his home, maybe even a floor-to-ceiling green wall. The bathroom would be all one color, and a slide would wind down from the loft.

“And in ten years, it’d be nice if I had a door leading somewhere besides the bathroom,” laughs Joonas, clearly fond of the loft lifestyle.