Finnish Design Shop’s new interior design service, Finnish Design Shop Studio, offers a helping hand with both small and more significant interior design worries. Design Stories interviewed interior architect Maija Rasila, who told us more about the long-awaited new service.
Hello Maija! Could you tell us whom the new interior design service is intended for?
“Finnish Design Shop’s interior design service, Finnish Design Shop Studio, is aimed at private customers who need a little – or a lot of – help with various home interior design issues: finding the right products, placing furniture, or making more sustainable and functional choices.
“Finnish Design Shop Studio is aimed at private customers who need a little – or a lot of – help with various home interior design issues.”
We always aim for a stylish and timeless result and a quality familiar to the Finnish Design Shop online store. We select the products from Finnish Design Shop's curated selection, taking into account the unique characteristics of the project, so our plans always include time-tested products from the very best brands – beautiful and practical pieces of true Nordic happiness.”
How big or small must my problem be to contact you?
“We have created three separate interior design packages with different services to cover a wider range of issues and serve the varying needs of our customers: the light package offers professional help in choosing, for example, a sofa or a dining group, and the consultation serves best when you need support with your own ideas and finding the red thread for your home décor.
If you’re planning a more extensive home renovation, you can find help in our most comprehensive interior design package. All packages can be easily purchased through our online store, and their exact service descriptions can be found on our website. For the time being, Finnish Design Shop Studio's services are only available in Finland.”
Where did the idea for an interior design service come from?
“Providing an interior design service emerged from the needs and wishes of our customers. We want to constantly develop our services and come up with new ways to serve our customers even better.
Finnish Design Shop's customer service helps with questions related to individual products, and our contract sales support professional customers. The newly launched design service offers solutions and answers for our private customers' interior design questions, thus complementing our already strong range of services.
“We want to offer our customers support in making well-thought-of purchases and creating successful interior design effortlessly.”
With the help of our easy-to-use online interior design concept, we want to offer our customers support in making well-thought-of purchases and creating successful interior design effortlessly. Sustainability is an important value of ours, and we aim to help our customers choose products that will last and be loved for generations to come.”
What kind of team is there to help customers?
“Our design team consists of interior design professionals: interior designers and interior design architects who specialize in planning homes. Our Turku-based team serves customers both on-site at the Finnish Design Shop showroom and through remote connections all over Finland.
“Our goal is to create a feel-good shopping experience that is as easy and uncomplicated as possible.”
At our showroom in Turku, you can browse through material samples and try out our products, but planning can also be done remotely: our digital plans and our comprehensive delivery service make it easy to purchase furniture from anywhere.
Our skilled, helpful, and easily approachable designers help customers from the beginning to the very end – from planning to placing orders and arranging deliveries. Our goal is to create a feel-good shopping experience that is as easy and uncomplicated as possible.”
• Read also: Finnish Design Shop’s new, stunning showroom is open >
What is a typical interior design conundrum customers need help with?
“We’re often asked for help in completing the interior of the home: there is existing furniture already in place, and the new purchases should fit in with the whole and serve the general mood of the home. We help you choose furniture that is functional, has the right proportions, and is an effortless fit visually.
We offer our expertise and professional tips for anything from small adjustments to more ambitious projects – for example, renewing the entire décor at once.”
What does the interior design service cost?
“We have very competitive pricing for our services. Since our design destinations are located all over Finland and we have priced our products based on a remote design concept, our design packages do not include home visits.
The packages are purchased in advance from Finnish Design Shop's online store, and they all include a special treat: if you end up making purchases based on the plan, you will receive the price of the package as a refund when ordering the products. Purchase limits are defined per package.”
What would your dream design project be like, Maija Rasila?
“I get especially excited about the underlying possibilities in old buildings! It's fascinating to think about how a challenging floor plan can be turned into a more functional and wholesome one with successful furniture choices and designing the space differently.
Perhaps a dream project for me would be a historic home in need of a facelift, the atmosphere of which would be highlighted with unique details and refreshed with modern solutions. Of course, newly built houses are also quite intriguing with their unlimited possibilities.
To achieve the result of your dreams for your project, I highly recommend contacting an interior designer right from the get-go.”
For the time being, Finnish Design Shop Studio's services are only available in Finland.
See also:
• Finnish Design Shop Studio (in Finnish) >
• All products at Finnish Design Shop >
Text: Mira Ahola and Mikko Vaija Images: Suvi Kesäläinen, Karoliina Jääskeläinen and Finnish Design Shop