“That red entryway will rule out half the potential tenants”: how a bold color choice convinced Ville to keep the place for himself

The red entryway makes a bold impression. The spherical wall lights were discovered in the apartment’s storage unit and now accentuate the artwork. The ceiling light, crafted in Murano, Venice, was found on Facebook Marketplace from a seller in Oulu. The handwoven Moroccan rug is from Matto-Matti.

The Muurame Monena coat rack from the 1980s, familiar from school hallways, was powder-coated anew. It pairs nicely with the Rödhamn shade from Virtanen’s paint factory on the entryway wall.

A friend’s words—“That red entryway will exclude half the potential tenants”—finally made Ville realize he’d been renovating the apartment for his own needs instead of for would-be renters. Once he understood he could do everything to his own taste, he shifted his plans for the renovation and décor.

Ville was born in North Karelia, in a log house built in 1908 on his family’s farm, and he has always loved the spirit and history of old buildings. He can’t imagine living in a new build without layers of stories from past decades.

As with his earlier rental properties, Ville focused his search in central Helsinki on apartment buildings from the early 1900s, with high ceilings, wide windowsills, and decorative ceiling rosettes.

In the Kallio neighborhood, near the Hakaniemi Market Hall, he discovered a two-room estate-sale apartment in need of renovation. It stood out from many options by being a through-apartment and had the bonus of a separate bathroom and toilet.

During the renovation, Ville uncovered a well-preserved mosaic parquet floor beneath laminate that only needed sanding and a new coat of varnish. The color blue appears in objects and furniture throughout the living room. Lately, he’s become intrigued by public-space furniture design, leading him away from Artek.

Isku’s 1970s Funkis sofa is one of Ville’s best thrift-store discoveries. The armchair is part of Tapio Anttila’s Dyyni modular sofa series.

The bird motif in the graphic art symbolizes freedom for Ville.

What did you do differently when renovating the apartment for yourself rather than as an investment?

The main difference was relocating the kitchen, which I did outside of the co-op’s plumbing renovation schedule for the first time. The new layout is more straightforward than the original: the living room and kitchen share one spacious area, and the quieter courtyard-facing room serves as both bedroom and workspace.

How did you choose all these incredible colors?

The long entryway at the center of the apartment is painted red from ceiling to floor. In Finland, people often think that light surfaces bring brightness and a sense of space, but I wanted the area to be dark and dramatic. The wall lights amplify the red glow for a gallery-like effect. By contrast, the living room and bedroom offer a neutral palette, serving as a calm backdrop for bold décor.

How did you preserve all the old elements in the apartment?

One of the first things I fell in love with was the 1960s wall cabinet with “cat’s paw” glass in the bathroom. I even included it in my purchase offer because I felt it truly belonged with the apartment, though the realtor found this amusing. During the renovation, I uncovered the original plank flooring, but I also decided to keep the later mosaic parquet—showcasing the apartment’s multi-era layering. I reused the porcelain-based sphere lamps from the storage space.

The kitchen’s centerpiece features an electric blue faucet and countertop. On the wall hangs a framed poster of Reidar Särestöniemi’s painting Kielto ja kaipaus (“Prohibition and Longing”). The oak cutting boards on the table date back to Ville’s design student projects.

The open-plan kitchen flows effortlessly, even though it’s assembled from reused parts and clearance items. With no upper cabinets, the space feels airy and offers room for artwork.

A recycled marble countertop, repaired with epoxy, is set on a table base designed by Yrjö Kukkapuro. The Avarte Skaala A1991 chairs are also Kukkapuro designs.

What did you particularly invest in?

I splurged on something as offbeat as a blue Vola faucet, even though it cost more than the kitchen cabinets, which I bought partly used and partly from a clearance sale. I also invest heavily in Finnish glass art, which I’ve grown to appreciate. In the past, I thought of it only as dust collectors.

What did you manage to save on, and how?

I built the kitchen countertops myself using inexpensive glued board, then coated them with a blue plant-based wax to hide the unattractive glued pattern. Because the bathroom renovation still awaits the co-op’s plumbing overhaul, I found a simple way to update the space by re-grouting the tiles and using vintage Finnish-made Pukkila tiles around the tub.

Has your décor style changed over the years, and if so, how?

It has changed considerably. I used to go mostly for earthy tones, but over the last few years, I’ve introduced more color. Blue in particular calms me and reminds me of my childhood by Lake Saimaa and its islands. My style has broadened: I’ve moved on from strictly Artek to pieces from various decades, even some from the ’90s, which I once disliked.

Before the surface renovation and new fixtures, the bathroom looked like this:

Since the co-op plumbing renovation is still pending, Ville only made minor updates in the bathroom. Having had poor experiences with tile paint, he retiled around the tub using Pukkila tiles from Finland. The Duravit Starck 1 sink unit, designed by Philippe Starck in 1994, was a budget find on Tori.

Because ceramics withstand moisture, they work well as bathroom art. Ville glazed his own raku ceramic pieces with fragments of a blue Kartio glass. He found the cast-iron coat rack in a friend’s garage.

For the toilet area, Ville was inspired by the existing vintage “cat’s paw” glass wall cabinet. The enclosure for the wall-mounted toilet doubles as a ledge for Niina Villanueva’s sculpture Rauha elää nupuissa (“Peace Lives in Buds”) and a piece by graphic artist Kaarlo Hildén.

How does sustainable, secondhand-focused décor show up in your home?

I can honestly say at least 80 percent of my furniture and décor is secondhand. Many assume my style must be expensive, but I actually hunt for deals on the Tori online marketplace, at auctions, and at rural flea markets. The limited availability of items also encourages me to expand my tastes. For instance, I originally wanted Finnish Isku’s 1970s Funkis sofa in blue, but the green version I found was perfect for the living room corner.

Above the bed is a painting whose origin Ville didn’t initially recognize, so he looked for a frame more in tune with his décor. The painting turned out to be a 1990s piece by Sirkku Durchman, so he left its existing frame. The Karup Design Japan bed frame is waxed blue. The chair is Lahden Puutyö’s Trio-Raita model.

When the kitchen was moved to a bigger area, it freed up space at the end of the bedroom for a workspace. On the left is the painting Altaalla by Laura Hetemäki. The sofa cushion was tufted by Ville.

What role does art play in your home?

In 2019, I founded an international artist residency in Oravisalo, in my hometown of Rääkkylä, which deepened my respect for art. Every room in my home has art, including the bathroom and toilet. Art feels much more personal when you know the artist behind it.

What’s the best thing about your home?

As a photographer, light is essential to me. I love lingering over my morning coffee in the kitchen as the sunlight sets the glassware and brass surfaces aglow.

The Lundia shelf is painted in the same hue as the wall for a cohesive look.

This two-room apartment covers 53 square meters (570 sq ft).