The four-part electric-blue sofa is Verner Panton’s Cloverleaf. The geometric painting is from Paul Osipow’s Paradise View series. The silver Verner Panton wall relief is part of a larger piece.
Ola Kolehmainen arrived in Berlin 20 years ago for what was supposed to be a few months on an artist residency but ended up staying permanently. The move was driven by art collector Pentti Kouri’s order for ten works, the newly formed gallery relationship, and an enormous drive to fulfill his dreams.
“Berlin has a long tradition in the arts and many more people working in the field. In addition to its 153 major museums, the city has hundreds of galleries,” Ola summarizes his reasons for moving permanently.
Architecture has long been the starting point for Ola’s art, and it was exactly what brought him together with Artek’s longtime CEO Mirkku Kullberg. When Ola used Alvar and Aino Aalto’s designs as source material, Mirkku helped him obtain photography permits in her role as a representative of the Alvar Aalto Foundation.
The couple married and found a shared home in Berlin 15 years ago. The apartment reflects both of their impressive careers. There, art and design blend seamlessly, telling the story of a shared life and a passion for aesthetics.
Kazimir Malevich’s work has always been a major inspiration for Ola. This shows up in the home’s color choices, bold contrasts, and carefully planned composition, as well as in how the furniture and objects shape the space.
the residents Photographic artist Ola Kolehmainen and international design executive Mirkku Kullberg. Instagram: @olakolehmainen.
the home An apartment in Berlin’s Charlottenburg, located in a baroque-style building constructed in 1903. The home also includes the artist’s studio, office, library, and archive room.
The green sculpture of a female figure in the living room is by visual artist Ville Kylätasku. He and his family live in Berlin and the same building houses Timo Miettinen’s gallery, the Miettinen Collection. The space is lit by Artemide’s Shogun table lamp.
In the library, there is a three-part photographic piece by Ola called MVSEVM XIII. “When photographing historically significant buildings, getting permits and capturing the right light can each take years. The light cycle is about six months, so you have to wait at least that long if you want to photograph the same spot again,” Ola explains. An Alexander Calder mobile hangs from the ceiling. The Tank chairs are from Artek.
Behind Ola is his piece Suprematism Nr.111 Esoteric Composition. “A book on my shelf, Malevich and Church Architecture, led me to create a new series in which I used my own negatives in a way I never had before.”
From the entry hall, you can see the dining room, where Ola’s piece featuring Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion hangs on the wall. The golden work is part of Golden Wall II, which Ola created for the Pyramid exhibition in Stockholm in 1999. The ceramic piece is by Niina Villanueva.
“I’m fascinated by the symbiosis of architecture and art, and how they have influenced one another.”
In Germany, it’s typical to take your kitchen cabinets and appliances with you when you move, so Ola and Mirkku built a kitchen that perfectly meets their needs. It’s both practical and stylish, with a spacious pantry. The painting on the wall is by visual artist Ville Kylätasku. The bar stools are from Artek.
Ola’s art is also in the kitchen, featuring a piece titled Ohne Titel, No.11. The bar stool comes from Ola’s first Berlin studio, located deep in what was formerly East Berlin.
Even the kitchen mugs reflect Malevich’s influence. “By chance, I found myself moving backward in time—from contemporary architecture to modernism, then as far back as the 5th or 6th century, and forward again. Now I focus on the period between 1200 and 2000, especially the era before the 1900s and how abstract art spread from Russia to Europe,” Ola explains.
In the bathroom, there is a red design chair with black tiles and geometric graphic works.
The studio bookshelf is built from industrial storage shelving. The black Aalto armchair 26 has armrests, unlike chair 23. In the background of Ola’s studio, you can see Aalto’s 44 chairs upholstered in red wool. The “Show you are not afraid” poster is a print by a Hamburg-based graphic artist Mirkku knows, given to her as a gift.
The studio’s large windows look out onto Theodor-Heuss-Platz. The Florence Knoll vintage sofa was acquired by Mirkku from Artek’s 2nd Cycle. The floor lamp is a Toio Led by Flos. Ola spent a long time researching religious traditions and architecture, which led to his Sacred Places exhibition at HAM during Finland’s centenary year. The project took three years. A two-part piece called Pinkas Synagoga 1535/1954 from this exhibition ended up in the home studio. The walls of the Prague synagogue bear the names of 78,000 Jews murdered during World War II.
The spacious bathroom was entirely renovated when they moved in. Geometric graphic works hang alongside black tiles. The fiberglass Panton Chair by Vitra is a design classic by Verner Panton. The custom ceiling detail was created using a mold-based plaster technique.
The bedroom has Aalto shelves and the Paimio Chair. Through the window, you can see the home of Ann and Timothy M. Simon. Their ancestor, James Simon, funded Egyptian excavations, including the one where the bust of Nefertiti was found. The James Simon Gallery now serves as the entrance to the nearby Neues Museum. Coincidentally, Ola made an artwork inspired by Nefertiti that has been shown at the Ateneum and Sweden’s national museum.
