Stylist Annika’s urban apartment—“Long curtains bring luxury to the small space”

By the window in the dining area, there’s an old family heirloom wooden sofa, paired with an Artek table and chairs. The candelabra is from Svenskt Tenn, and the rice paper lamp is by &Tradition.

Stylist Annika Huurrekorpi and her Australian Labradoodles, Stickan and Fantomen, pose in front of their living room window. In the summer, Annika and Mathias keep the windows open almost all the time, allowing the dogs to freely access their own little fenced “balcony.”

A deep bark echoes in the stairwell of the over 100-year-old apartment building. Stylist Annika Huurrekorpi’s Australian Labradoodle, Fantomen, is a decent guard dog. Their other dog, Stickan, of the same breed, is unfazed by the sounds of the stairwell. Annika and her partner, Mathias Mellner, live on the lowest floor on the courtyard side of the building, which makes life easier for them as dog owners, as they don’t have to climb up and down the stairs with the dogs.

Their previous home was on the top floor, and it too was located in Helsinki’s Punavuori, as was the one before that. The lively neighborhood became familiar to Annika already in her childhood. When her family, living in Espoo, went to Helsinki’s city center, they always passed through Punavuori. That’s why it has felt like home to Annika from the very beginning.

For work, Annika styles homes for sale, among other things, and she actively follows the housing market. If she comes across an interesting, budget-friendly apartment in need of renovation with good resale potential, the couple is ready to consider moving. Annika and Mathias are keen on renovating and do everything themselves, except for electrical and plumbing work.

The magnificent vase is made by ceramic artist Riikka Piippo. Behind it is a work by Yrjö Edelmann.

“I’m a visualist, and I get inspired by handmade objects and art. I used to work at Lokal Gallery, where I became acquainted with Finnish craftsmanship and artists. It’s meaningful for me to know who has designed an item that is important to me.”

I graduated as a clothing designer from Lahti Institute of Design, and I used to work at Samuji stores. The soft color palette designed by Kirsikka Tykkyläinen for their store in Erottaja, Helsinki, still inspires my own choices. I like earthy tones because they pair well with bright colors.

I appreciate interior architect Hanni Koroma’s thoughts on the use of colors in interior design. In her book, she has given, among other things, this great tip: ‘Use warm colors if you can’t see the sky from the window, and cooler colors if the sky is visible.’ I painted my living room walls with Tikkurila’s shade Y458 Merino, whose darkness level changes nicely depending on lighting.”

On the wall, a piece by photographer Winfrid Zakowski, which Annika fell in love with at an exhibition, stares back at you. The butterfly artwork was made by Annika’s mother as a child. The shelf is from the String system.

“The placement of the television is important because we watch a lot of TV. It’s relaxing. A big flat-screen TV can look dominant on the wall of a small living room, but the artwork arrangement around it—especially the large photograph of a bull’s head—draws attention away from the big screen.

We placed a sleek String shelf system in front of the TV wall, and its shelves have gathered books and some of my favorite objects. I tend to change their placements according to my mood, but the furniture placement stays the same. Once I’ve decided on the main lines of the interior, I rarely change them.

We have acquired much of our furniture second-hand. The round Artek dining table is perfectly proportioned for this space. You can fit as many as six people at the table in front of the wooden sofa.

The dogs and I love the pull-out wooden sofa where my grandmother’s aunt used to sleep. The dogs sit on the sofa, observing the happenings in the courtyard. I like to lounge there every once in a while under a thick blanket. A few of my friends have even stayed overnight on this rather short sofa.”

The large Formakami pendant lamp by &Tradition is a fun combination with the Artek table bought from secondhand online store Tori and the old wooden sofa. Annika found the Artek 611 chairs at Bukowskis and had them upholstered with new webbing. The black frame holds an old Marimekko poster. The candelabra is by Svenskt Tenn. The lamp on the windowsill is Atollo by Vico Magistretti.

Artek stools are great for guest seating. The couple requested them as wedding gifts.

“When we’re looking for an apartment, we don’t need it to be from a certain decade or of a certain type. The most important thing is that we can make it our own with reasonable renovation. On this home, Mathias and I only did a facelift remodel.

The kitchen didn’t need an upgrade because its cabinets were in good condition. However, the dark, black glass backsplash as well as the countertops have started to bother me enough that I plan to replace them with light-colored stone.

The previous owner had a small fridge-freezer above the washing machine, and it was far too small for our needs. In the place of the old fridge, we installed wooden shelves that match the countertop in the niche. The light wooden surfaces make the white kitchen feel more cozy.”

The living room window reflects in the glass backsplash of the L-shaped open kitchen. The tray is from Svenskt Tenn.

Annika collects Finnish splint baskets, in which she stores dog food bags as well as cleaning supplies.

“In my home, it’s important that I can naturally see from one space to another. Here, it’s possible to walk in a circle since there’s access from the entrance hall to the bedroom and the kitchen-living room. From the living room, you can see directly to our bed, which is why I put effort into the bedding and the wall behind the bed. The muted wall color and the full-length curtains bring a luxurious feel to the small space.

You can easily change the mood of a room with the bedding. I’m renting a storage space from the housing company, and I keep styling supplies there. When I want to change the bedding, I can get throw pillows and blankets from there. When we have friends over, I like to add abundance to the bedding. I place two duvets across the bed and roll one of them into a bolster in front of the throw pillows.”

Annika painted the IKEA Pax wardrobe in the same color as the wall, Tikkurila V459 Rope. The woodcut is ‘Mustis’ by Aimo Katajamäki.

The floor lamp in the bedroom is Mantis, and the checkered blanket is by Johanna Gullichsen.

“In a household with dogs, interior textiles need to be durable and easy to care for because accidents happen. Fantomen has a bad habit of gobbling up food and has sometimes jumped onto the bed to vomit.

Fortunately, the pink sofa has been spared from damage. After I got it, a colleague remarked that their husband would never agree to get a pink sofa. I thought it was amusing; it would never occur to me that color could be a problem.”

A large mirror opens up the room and reflects light. The slender Ell sofa by Adea is perfect for the narrow room. In Annika’s opinion, the retro-style fridge by Smeg nicely breaks the clinical feel of the kitchen.

“In summer, we have the windows open almost all the time, and the dogs can freely go to our own little fenced ‘balcony,’ where we often also place a bed for them to lounge on. In the sheltered courtyard, there is a table set and a kettle grill in the summer. I enjoy spending time there with a glass of wine and an interior design magazine.

We are used to the fact that people can see into our home from the windows opposite, and we usually keep the living room curtains open. I like extra-long, abundant curtains. They soften the acoustics. An acquaintance of mine had a brilliant idea for their window wall: they placed their flat-screen TV behind a curtain.

Artek stools are great for guest seating. We requested them as wedding gifts, and now we have a delightful stack of stools.”

The embroideries on Mathias’s wedding suit jacket were made by Katja Juntunen. The flowers on it were chosen from Annika’s bridal bouquet. The curtains are linen.