Helsinki home decorated with burnt orange, ochre, and bold patterns: “I’ve finally returned to the style and ambiance I truly enjoy”
White has stepped aside to make room for the perfect color palette. Piece by piece, Mia and Rami are refining their villa-style jugend home as they add layers of warmth and coziness to the décor.
The bay window room is papered with Lewis & Wood’s Jasper Peony wallpaper. Its hues guide the eye from the small French chair, past the dining set, and all the way to the living room’s back wall.
The residents Mia and Rami, along with their two school-aged children, Siiri and Sampo.
Home: An apartment with five rooms and a kitchen in a small apartment building completed in 1911 in Helsinki’s Eira. It measures 186 square meters (2,000 sq ft).
A lavish abundance of interior textiles in numerous patterns fills the space. Interior architect Elina Siltanen-Sjöberg emphasizes that texture is just as important as color when decorating with textiles. For instance, if you prefer shiny surfaces, they look their best next to matte ones. Meanwhile, richly embroidered or raised motifs thrive alongside smooth, solid fabrics.
A yellow-ochre stucco exterior, decorative brick details, windows of various sizes at different heights, and bay windows, all topped with a fairly steep mansard roof—this petite jugend apartment building’s façade sparks the imagination. When Finns Mia and Rami got a tip that an apartment was for sale in the building, their excitement soon outweighed the thought of a major renovation, and they seized the opportunity.
After settling the major decisions, they began fine-tuning and furnishing. Mia has always been interested in interior design and has put significant effort into this home, from attaching trim to completing unique DIY projects. The over-one-hundred-year-old building, with its high ceilings and views of other historic houses, has had a surprising effect on daily life: it has added warmth and a sense of abundance.
To bring in more warmth and coziness, Mia enlisted the help of interior architect Elina Siltanen-Sjöberg. Together, they have shaped the overall look, room by room, textile by textile, and color sample by color sample. Messages have flown back and forth at a quick pace, with Elina making proposals and Mia sharing her own finds.
“I’ve gone through many décor phases. I’ve finally returned to the style and ambiance I truly enjoy. Elina helped me crystallize it,” Mia says.
Where do you start when you want to add warmth to your interior? You dial down the standard white coats applied during renovation. The project began in the bay window room, which had become a sort of hallway dividing the apartment into two sections: the bedrooms on one side, and the living and dining area plus kitchen on the other. The curvy 1930s sofa is a Bukowskis find, the small chair came from Riviera Vintage, and the ottoman is new but reupholstered to fit the décor.
The living and dining areas share the same space. The dining table is from Jean Vernet, and the antique wooden bench was an online marketplace find. When Mia picked up the bench, an army of spiders scurried out of it. She repaired and painted the piece, then added new upholstery. The sofa in the living area has served them well for ages, so the plan is to simply change the fabric as soon as they find the perfect pattern. The wall color is Wimborne White by Farrow & Ball.
A large painting by Marita Liulia adds another layer to the living area. Mia visited a friend who lived in the same building as the artist. On a whim, she stopped by Liulia’s place and quickly came home with two of her paintings. One of them now hangs in the kitchen.
“Textile textures play an important role. Shiny surfaces reach their potential when contrasted with matte ones.”
Curtains are integral to establishing color. In Mia and Rami’s home, they also soften the rooms and frame window views. White curtains were replaced with colored ones, adding extra definition to the décor.
Mia is drawn to terracotta, ochre, and burnt orange, all of which appear in every room. She says she left her strict black-and-white era behind years ago, with only a few traces of it in this home. However, her former love of pink still shows up, especially in the bedroom. Mia admires interiors where every detail is considered—something that’s more difficult than it seems.
The kitchen has a sunny bay window nook that turned out to be a perfect spot for a sofa Mia found for just a couple of bills. After reupholstering, it looks fresh and blends seamlessly with the rest of the furnishings. Orchids appear here and there on windowsills and small tables, thriving and blooming nearly without interruption.
“The color scheme in the parents’ bedroom starts with a soft pink, shifting into bluish grays and brownish tones.”
The nightstands and headboard were originally white but are now painted Farrow & Ball’s Mouse’s Back. The table lamps have larger shades, matching the proportions of the room and furniture more effectively. The rug is from MA Design, and the lantern-style pendant is from Winkel Shop. The wall paint is Farrow & Ball’s Schoolhouse White.
A lovely tiled stove once seemed to float alone in the corner, so they added trim to the back wall and used GP & J Baker’s Oriental Tree wallpaper inside the framed sections to highlight it. The linen cabinet was originally brown, then painted white, and later repainted in Farrow & Ball’s Mouse’s Back to match the current colors and furnishings. Inside, a striped wallpaper subtly ties it to the rest of the palette.
The kitchen has a playful, countryside vibe with an elegant Lofra gas range and Moroccan zellige tiles. The cabinets are from Ikea, fitted with doors by A.S. Helsingö. The hood came from the previous residents, so Mia and Rami gave it a deep clean and a new coat of paint. The rug is from Kilim.com.
Mia designed the kitchen with ambiance and aesthetics in mind rather than focusing solely on practicality. The wall sconces are by Bestlite.
Apartments in older buildings often showcase unique details. One such feature is a wall cupboard. The prettiest items are displayed on the open shelves, while the lower shelves are hidden behind gathered linen. Another classic in older interiors is the half curtain, or salusiini. Instead of attaching them directly to the window frames, they’re fixed to each side of the window opening.
In this kitchen, the fridge stands in a prominent spot. Mia painted its glossy grayish-white surface with a matte natural white finish. Thanks to this bold choice, the appliance now looks more like a piece of furniture and fits the surroundings better. There’s a generous open space in the center of the kitchen, and the island is set away from the counters, functioning more like a dining table.
A glass cabinet is a must for anyone who loves elegant glassware and dishes. Whether new or vintage, from Rococo to jugend, it can showcase favorite pieces. This one is Ikea’s Lommarp. Most of the furniture in this home was either brought along from the family’s previous residences or bought secondhand for this one. Among these items are personal treasures, such as the 1950s armchairs that belonged to Rami’s grandparents.
Pipes and breaker cabinets can easily distract the eye. One evening, Mia and Rami transformed the kitchen entrance by building cabinets out of Ikea frames to conceal the clutter. Before installing the cabinets, which they painted with Tikkurila’s S396 Siirappi, they wallpapered the wall with leftover striped paper. The Rococo-style mirror is from Barlume, and the wall lamp is from Pooky.
This apartment in Helsinki’s Eira neighborhood measures 186 square meters (2,000 sq ft).
