The new Finnair Lounge at Helsinki Airport combines comfort with Nordic design

Finnair’s new lounge areas offer a calming respite before boarding. The airy spaces decorated with Nordic design were created by Studio Joanna Laajisto. The majority of the products were ordered via Finnish Design Shop’s Contract Sales.

THE ESCALATOR FROM the new food court at Helsinki Airport takes you not only to the next floor but also to a completely different atmosphere and soundscape. The hustle and bustle of the airport is left behind and you are met with two cozy and peaceful Finnair lounge areas.

At the Business Lounge, the first thing that catches the eye is the unique table in the lobby – although it may look like sculpture, it is, in fact, a table called Traces, hand-carved by master carpenter Antrei Hartikainen. The walls of the curved corridor leading to the Platinum Corner, serving Finnair Plus Platinum members, are lined with dark-blue tile arrangements on one side and thick, sound-absorbing curtains on the other.

Once you step behind the curtains, you enter a spacious and comfortable lounge, divided into different zones. The first is a café offering food and beverages. A little further back, there are seating areas with serpentine sofas and classic armchairs for relaxed lounging. Furthermore, there is almost an abundance of different high-backed armchairs and soundproof workspaces.

“Most of the lounge users are traveling for work. The most popular spots in the lounge used to be the soundproof workspaces and the Ball Chairs designed by Eero Aarnio. They were always the first to be taken, and sometimes there were even queues. Now the new lounge has many more comfortable, sound-absorbing seats and soundproof workspaces,” says Lotta Prinssi, who managed the lounge renovation project at Finnair.

FINNAIR STARTED the renovation, because the former lounge on the Schengen side of the airport had become too small for the current number of customers, particularly during the morning and afternoon rush hours. At the end of 2023, an invitational competition was held for the design of the new lounge areas, and the winning proposal was submitted by Studio Joanna Laajisto.

“It represented the long-lasting, sustainable design we were looking for. The proposal also exuded the same functionality and understated elegance as the new cabins of Finnair’s aircraft. Since lounges are part of the overall travel experience, they cannot be completely different from the rest,” explains Prinssi.

The new lounge areas were created in the premises of the airport’s former congress center. Joanna Laajisto says that she wanted to soften the atmosphere of the lounge areas.

“We added softness with both shapes and materials to make the atmosphere friendly and welcoming. Rounded shapes are featured in built-in solutions, furniture and details alike. For example, we designed new sound-absorbing ceilings, with curved lines inspired by aircraft cabins.”

When designing the interior of the lounge areas, particular attention was also paid to acoustics and lighting. They play a crucial role in how comfortable and peaceful the space feels.

“We wanted to design spaces that allow the travelers to truly relax.”

“We wanted to design spaces that allow the travelers to truly relax,” sums up Laajisto. Materials that improve the acoustics were installed on the walls and ceiling. The lighting is cozy and even dim in places.

As a location, the airport brought its own challenges to the design.

“People are constantly coming and going at the airport, which is why it was essential to give the layouts and functionality a careful thought to ensure that moving around is easy. Perhaps the most challenging thing was reconciling the need for as many seats as possible with the desire to keep the space from feeling cluttered. The premises in the airport are also under heavy use and subject to extremely high fire-safety requirements, so every choice, material and even seat-cushion filling was scrutinized in detail,” describes Laajisto.

MOST OF THE FURNITURE and lamps came via Finnish Design Shop’s Contract Sales.

“From the very start of the project, we collaborated closely with the design studio and manufacturers. This helped to ensure that the products met all the necessary fire-safety requirements. In some products, the seat-cushion filling did, indeed, end up being different from the version sold to consumers. All upholstered products were also ordered with custom fabrics, such as Orient Occident’s fabrics for public spaces,” says Johanna Lindberg, Key Account Manager at Finnish Design Shop’s Contract Sales.

Joanna Laajisto gave the interior a timeless and elegant look. The furniture includes both high-quality classics and new high-end design from the Finnish companies of Nikari, Made by Choice, Fasetti and Artek. In addition to Finnish products, mainly Scandinavian furniture was used from companies such as GUBI, New Works, &Tradition and Wästberg.

The Finnair Lounge is furnished with high-quality classics and contemporary Finnish design.

“Some of the wooden furniture was also provided in special materials and sizes, including Made by Choice’s Airisto stools, which were made of oak instead of ash, and Nikari’s Centenniale table, which was made in a custom size. Despite of the custom products and fairly tight schedule, there were no major delays and the lounge opened as planned,” explains Lindberg.

The lounge was not designed to be overtly luxurious, but to embody Nordic comfort.

“Instead of putting on the ritz, we decided to be proudly Finnish, with a few select products from the other Nordic countries. The approach could be described as quiet luxury, as everything is of high quality, but not ostentatiously so,” says Prinssi.

What: Finnair Lounge

• The new Finnair Lounge opened in July 2024. The premises are designed by Studio Joanna Laajisto.
• The lounge is located on the Schengen side of the airport near Gate 21 (3^rd floor), and it has two sides: Finnair Business Lounge and Finnair Platinum Corner.
• The Finnair Business Lounge is free of charge for Finnair’s Business Class customers with a Classic or Flex ticket and for Finnair Plus Gold members. Finnair Platinum Corner is accessible with Platinum and Platinum Lumo cards.
• You can also enter the Finnair Business Lounge by purchasing lounge access.

See also:

• Finnish Design Shop's Contract Sales >

Text: Anna-Kaisa Huusko Images: Mikko Ryhänen