Close to nature – This apartment in East Helsinki is decorated to be in harmony with its surroundings

The bold splashes of color inspired by the neighborhood’s 1960s architecture are an important part of Susanna and Marko’s home. The couple chose the shades of green and blue – their favorites – based on the proportions of the apartment and the light filtered through the pine forest.

Residents:

Creative generalist Susanna Kivisilta, 45, and photographer Marko Rantanen, 49, as well as Maltese dogs Lara and Odin. The home is a 96-sqm apartment in Vuosaari, Helsinki, in a building completed in 1964.

NEEDING SOMETHING and wanting something are two completely different things, but realizing that is freeing, thinks Susanna Kivisilta, who is passionate about interior decoration. She and her spouse Marko Rantanen live in a colorful and charmingly bohemian apartment in Vuosaari, Helsinki. They see careful deliberation and taking your time as ways of renovating and decorating sustainably. In their opinion, renovation is not something you should rush into. Knowing your style helps avoid mistakes even when quick decisions are needed.

The generalist and photographer moved to Vuosaari from Ullanlinna, where they had lived for a while after years of living in Tapiola, Espoo, and Copenhagen. The couple wanted to be close to nature and live in East Helsinki so that they could get to their cottage quickly. This apartment was the first and only one they went to see when looking for a new home. The couple was impressed by the intriguing look of the Brutalist building and the view of the pine forest through the wide windows.

Susanna and Marko are fascinated by modernism and feel right at home with the architecture, materials, colors and proportions of 1960–70s architecture. The home is also decorated for the dogs. In almost every room, there are soft beds for them, as well as rugs, throws and piles of pillows that dogs love. “There are seats for humans in every room, so it seems only logical to offer the same comforts to dogs,” explains Susanna.

When renovating and decorating a new home, the couple leans on Susanna’s scrapbooks, in which she has compiled pictures of interesting interiors, things and elements over the years. With their aid, Susanna and Marko immerse themselves in the architecture of the new home and the atmosphere of the time when it was built. After this, they always make a list of what they really need and another of things that would just be great to have. The rest of the decisions are guided by budget and intuition.

Playing with colors

The original kitchen was already long past its prime and needed a complete renovation. Susanna and Marko designed the new kitchen together: “We just started to play with pieces of material in different colors and thinking about which combinations would work best in the kitchen where the light is at its most beautiful in the mornings.” The cork flooring goes well with the building’s period of construction. The shelves are old and made by Artek. The color on the wall is Arsenic No. 214 by Farrow & Ball.

Obsessed with cobalt blue

The armchair is a second-hand find, a prototype made by an art student in the 1960–70s. It is covered with an old fur rug, waiting to be reupholstered. Marko has made the shelf in front of the window from a piece of rare iroko wood. The metal shelf unit is perfect for the low-ceiling space and leaves room for art. The lamp is Flos’s Snoopy. The glass sculptures are by EGS.

Perfect shade of yellow

“I’m lucky to have such an inspiring workspace at home, with windows overlooking an amazing and ever-changing forest landscape,” says Susanna. She wanted to paint the walls with a cold shade of yellow, since in the afternoons, the study is flooded with bright sunlight and a warm shade could have made the room look stuffy. The typewriter is a classic designed by Ettore Sottsass. The lamp is Flos’s Tab T, and the chair is vintage Artek.

A new wood slat door

The sliding door to the walk-in-closet is made by Marko, and the couple got the idea for it from the slats adorning the balcony, an integral part of the building’s architecture. To keep the overall look harmonious, the walls in both the hallway and living room were painted in the same light-blue shade, Farrow & Ball’s No. 269 Cabbage White The kilim rug is a vintage find. The original oak parquet was refurbished in the renovation. The orange relief is Keinumorsian (swinging bride) by Wäino Aaltonen. The oval mirror by Rodolfo Bonetto is Italian vintage.

Work and art

Susanna won the globe on the shelf in Marko’s study in a drawing competition when she was six. The pen-and-ink drawings are made by Marko. The shelf unit houses part of his extensive vintage camera collection as well as tools for making art, taking photographs and doing woodwork. Marko is also a professional carpenter and likes designing and making furniture.

Photo of a place so dear

Taken by Marko of a sunset, the photograph on the wall is like a piece of Italy in the couple’s bedroom. The pine sideboard is Swedish design and a find from Tori, a Finnish online flea market. The couple fell in love with pine furniture a few years ago after buying a cottage. “It made us see the nostalgic appeal of the classic material.” The glass sculpture is by EGS. The armchair was found in poor condition in a recycling group on Facebook.

Nothing gets old when your taste remains the same

The rug is from the couple’s go-to Moroccan rug dealer, just as the majority of the rugs in their home. There are beds for the dogs in almost every room. The couple’s taste has remained fairly unchanged, so many of the items of furniture and objects have been with them for years. The Toucan desk lamp from the 1980s is a flea-market find, and the cushion is from Liberty.

No need to change just for the look

“The bathtub is an important place for both of us. It’s great for taking some time for yourself, thinking and relaxing.” Susanna finds the tiles quite dull, but since they are in good condition, the couple felt that it would be foolish to replace them. Susanna came up with the idea of painting a picture on plexiglass to give the bathroom a more interesting look.

See also:

• New arrivals at Finnish Design Shop >

Text: Mimmi Pentikäinen Images: Kaisu Kaplin

Featured products may not be available worldwide. The story was previously published in Avotakka magazine.