Located in the heart of Helsinki, Finlandia Hall has reopened its doors to locals and visitors alike after an extensive three-year renovation. The iconic event venue, designed by Alvar Aalto, now offers a unique opportunity to stay overnight, as two former staff apartments have been restored and transformed into accommodation.
WHILE FINLANDIA HALL’S exterior material has changed from Carrara marble to South Tyrolean Lasa marble, the iconic event venue designed by Alvar Aalto appears, at first glance, to have retained its familiar look. Following a three-year renovation, the legendary Finlandia Hall reopened to the public in January 2025, looking both recognizably familiar and impressively renewed.
New features include Finlandia Cafe&Wine, a remodeled corner café facing Helsinki’s Töölönlahti Bay, and Finlandia Bistro, located on the ground floor, both of which welcome locals and visitors into the building. Adjacent to the café, a design shop adds another layer of cultural appeal. Moreover, Finlandia Hall now offers accommodation, with two hotel-standard apartments – Finlandia Homes – situated on the Hesperia Park side of the building, providing a unique opportunity to stay in this architectural masterpiece.
“The reopening of Finlandia Hall marks a new chapter in the building's history, which first began in 1971,” says Riitta Kilo, Finlandia Hall’s business director.
“In the past, we were only open during events, but now Finlandia Hall welcomes guests from morning until night. We are the first event venue in Finland where you can have breakfast, enjoy dinner, and even stay overnight. Experiencing world-class architecture in this way is unique, even on an international scale. While event and conference operations remain at the heart of Finlandia Hall, we hope that visitors will also discover and enjoy our new services,” Kilo adds.
Shaping spaces, the Aalto way
The interior and spatial design for Finlandia Cafe&Wine, the shop, and Finlandia Bistro was carried out by the Helsinki-based Design Agency Fyra.
“We aimed to achieve the best possible outcome that honors tradition while integrating services and experiences that appeal to the modern consumer,” says Anu Latvala, interior architect and project manager for Finlandia Hall at Design Agency Fyra.
“The starting point of our design was to respect Aalto’s design language in the new solutions as well – ensuring they fit seamlessly into the overall aesthetic and feel like a natural part of the space. Architecture serves as the guiding principle for all of our projects, and its role becomes even more significant in culturally and historically protected sites like this. It was essential for us to deeply understand Alvar Aalto’s design principles. To that end, we began the project by visiting other sites designed by Aalto,” Latvala explains.
Finlandia Hall’s tiered, fan-like shapes inspired the design of the café’s sales counter. The counter’s material, Carrara marble, pays homage to the building’s original façade cladding. Meanwhile, the brass elements of the furniture were carefully patinated to blend harmoniously with their surroundings. The wooden built-in furnishings, also designed by Fyra, reflect the layered aesthetic characteristic of the building. At the same time, serving counters and shelving units help structure the space and create a subtle division between the café and the adjacent retail area.
Finlandia Hall’s original furniture and lighting have been restored and paired with modern design elements to create a timeless atmosphere.
A building where every surface is protected posed unique challenges for repurposing. “When installing carpets, built-in furniture, and lighting fixtures, we had to innovate and develop entirely new solutions,” explains Jasmin Wegelius, an interior architect from Fyra who participated in the project.
Light streams into the café through floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a stunning view of Töölönlahti Bay. Across the water, the Ferris wheel at Linnanmäki amusement park rises above the treetops and behind the historic wooden villas of Linnunlaulu.
“What brings me the most joy is opening this space to the public,” Latvala says. “Previously, this was a meeting room, but now anyone can enjoy the breathtaking views and the unique spatial experience.”
Timeless design, carefully revived
The café’s furnishings incorporate original Finlandia Hall furniture and lighting, complemented by new pieces from Artek as well as other Nordic and European design brands. The over-50-year-old 611 chairs blend seamlessly with Artek’s A110 pendant lamps and Sancal sofas, which are part of Finnish Design Shop’s Contract Sales collection.
“During the renovation, Finlandia Hall restored nearly all its original furniture, and we naturally prioritized using what was already available. The furnishings were largely curated – we selected the restored pieces that best fit the overall aesthetic. This approach reflects modern values, emphasizing that functional and restorable items should only be replaced when absolutely necessary,” Wegelius explains.
Riitta Kilo, Finlandia Hall’s business director, emphasizes that restoring the furniture is a statement in favor of quality, preservation, and restoration.
“We have also prioritized timeless quality in our new acquisitions. During the renovation, we restored and modernized all of the building’s more than 2,000 light fixtures, ensuring that the upgrades are not visible,” Kilo explains.
A bistro with warmth and character
The same design principles guided the planning of the bistro. However, each space has its own distinct identity. While the café is bright and airy, the Finlandia Bistro, located on the ground floor, exudes a warm and inviting atmosphere. The bistro occupies a space originally designed by Alvar Aalto as an outdoor area, which was enclosed during a 2012 renovation.
The glossy cobalt-blue rod tiles, a hallmark of Aalto’s work, create an inimitable ambiance in the bistro. Their convex forms are echoed in the folds of the bistro’s blue curtains. Sheer window curtains filter daylight into a soft glow, even during brighter seasons, creating the perfect backdrop for atmospheric candlelight. Built-in furnishings with warm wood and brass surfaces enhance the space’s cozy feel, enriching the material and textile palette.
Restored Aalto-designed furniture from Finlandia Hall has also been incorporated into the bistro, complemented by new Artek lighting, such as the brass A330S pendant lamps. The warm brass tone is echoed in decorative elements like Iittala’s Nappula candleholders and &Tradition’s Como table lamps.
“In addition to lighting, acoustics play a crucial role in creating the bistro’s atmosphere. Through careful material planning, we managed to achieve soft and inviting acoustics in what was once an outdoor space,” explains Fyra’s Latvala.
Where history meets hospitality
Finnish Design Shop’s Contract Sales provided most of the furnishings, lighting, and decorative items that complement Finlandia Hall’s original pieces. The team was actively involved in contributing to the design of the interiors for Finlandia Homes.
Located on the Hesperia Park side of the building, the accommodations occupy apartments originally designed by Alvar Aalto (1898–1976) for Finlandia Hall’s staff. Carefully restored, the apartments have been named after Aalto’s wives, architect Aino Aalto (1894–1949) and architect Elissa Aalto (1922–1994). Finnish contemporary art serves as a unifying theme throughout the interiors of both apartments.
“The artworks, sourced from HAM (Helsinki Art Museum), were selected to reflect the perceived personalities of Aino and Elissa as they have been passed down through generations. The art in the Aino apartment is more subdued and features blue tones, while the Elissa apartment showcases bolder, red-toned pieces,” explains Riitta Kilo.
The hues drawn from the artworks are echoed in details that enhance the otherwise modern, streamlined, and light-toned interiors. In the Elissa apartment, the deep red of Ernst Mether-Borgström’s painting is mirrored in the custom fabric of the Interface Twin sofa bed. Meanwhile, in the Aino apartment, the blue tones of Nanna Susi’s artwork subtly reappear in details such as the shades of Finarte’s Palsta cushions.
Finlandia Homes provide a rare opportunity to experience Alvar Aalto’s architecture and Finnish design in a homelike setting.
As in other parts of Finlandia Hall, the accommodations feature restored Aalto-designed furniture and lighting. These pieces, alongside the artwork, lend the interiors a natural and warm sense of layered history. Finnish Design Shop’s Contract Sales supplied classic Finnish and Nordic design pieces, such as Johanna Gullichsen’s textiles, HAY’s Kofi coffee table, Lundia’s Classic display cabinet, and &Tradition’s Flowerpot lamps, adding further depth and richness to the design.
The Finlandia Homes serve as showcases not only for Aalto’s architecture but also for Finnish design and lifestyle. Despite their location just steps away from the heart of Helsinki, a connection to nature is ever-present. Few capital cities offer the chance to wake up and fall asleep to the sound of birdsong or to spot a Eurasian bittern or a rare coot while taking a morning walk around a tranquil bay.
Shop the style
See also:
• Finnish Design Shop's Contract Sales >
• Designs by Alvar Aalto >
Text: Selina Vienola Images: Ville Heiskanen, Riikka Kantinkoski and Tuomas Uusheimo