Mia Frilander browsed through Finnish Design Shop’s selection to pick topical pieces that interest her at the moment. The products include home textiles that add a touch of luxury to everyday life, as well as something she would obtain for the pool of her dream home.
Hi, Mia! What are your plans for the summer?
“Hi! I’m planning on spending the whole summer at our holiday home in the archipelago. I want to read, swim and go to the sauna as much as I can and explore nature with my 1-year-old child.
My friend just told me about a form of meditation in which you focus your thoughts on an ordinary object and try not to think about anything else. This is what my daughter does all the time, so I decided that I will try examining conifer cones with her sometime. Perhaps that will help me reach a meditative state of mind!”
How is your home decorated?
“I had just renovated and decorated our apartment with my husband before we knew that we would have a child, so our home has light surfaces and some sharp edges. The light sofa and living room rug are, however, clean for now, and we temporarily padded the corners of the coffee table. The paddings are ugly, but it doesn’t bother me – our home is also the home of our child. We live in a two-bedroom apartment, so our daughter doesn’t have a room of her own. Toys are scattered around the apartment, but I keep our home from getting messy by using storage baskets and limiting the number of toys.
“We like old objects, and our home features furniture, art and textiles particularly from the period between the 1930s and 1970s.”
We like old objects, and our home features furniture, art and textiles particularly from the period between the 1930s and 1970s. We have all sorts of decorative items and colorful pieces of art, so we wanted to give them a peaceful background in the renovation.”
What inspires you the most right now?
“I found a new Finnish clothing brand called By Hinders, whose philosophy inspires me greatly at the moment. It’s like locally produced fashion. The designer Jonathan Ingberg utilizes wool and skins of the Finnsheep grown on his family’s farm in Inkoo, Finland, as well as existing fabrics he has collected over the years.
All that he does exudes respect for the materials and nature and an understanding of how valuable fabrics, skins and wool are. After meeting Ingberg, I started to look at my own wardrobe differently. I wish that everyone would value and maintain the clothes they already have.”
Mia Frilander's six favorite picks from Finnish Design Shop:
Practical everyday luxury
“Tekla’s duvet covers always feel fresh and crisp even when they have not been changed recently. Good bedding makes everyday life better, so I recommend making a small investment in it. We have a cream-white and green set at home. I think that two sets of good sheets are all you need, and it also frees up closet space.”
Stool with sturdy legs
”Watching my 1-year-old daughter has made me realize that we need stools at home. She wants to be able to wash her hands without someone lifting her and see what I’m doing on the kitchen counter. Sometimes she wakes up in the middle of the night and wants to hold my finger until she falls asleep again. I have dreamt of a suitable stool while squatting next to her bed. Aamu Song and Johan Olin designed the Culture Sauna stool for one of my favorite places in Helsinki: the Culture Sauna.”
• Nikari's Arte Culture Sauna stool >
Inspiring interior design book
“This is a fantastic book! I already knew the Bauhaus name Josef Albers, but it was only now that I learned that his wife, Anni Albers, was an extremely skilled textile artist. They both had an exquisite eye for colors, and this 512-page book also makes for a really inspiring read from the point of view of interior design. Suddenly you feel like mixing bright and soft colors, such as purple and brown.”
• Phaidon's Anni and Josef Albers: Equal and Unequal book >
For the dream pool
“My utopian dream home would have a swimming pool and Eero Aarnio’s pink and yellow Pastil Chairs by it for enjoying summer drinks. Since the chairs are made of fiberglass, they are also suitable for outdoor use – I think this is the most amazing garden furniture there is!”
• Eero Aarnio Originals' Pastil chair >
Savior of park lunches
“Alessi’s three-tiered lunch box is so cute it makes you smile. This lunch box, which looks like a small handbag, would be great for carrying picnic snacks or a park lunch for me and my child.”
• Alessi's Food à porter lunch box >
Memories of childhood
“I first saw this Squirrel shawl many years ago in a photoshoot, where it was used over the shoulders. It looked really elegant, and since then, I have dreamed of this wool-silk shawl. The ornamental style of Klaus Haapaniemi also reminds me of my mother and my childhood: my mother always drank her tea from a big, gold-rimmed Russian mug with a decorative image of a rooster. That’s also why this makes me feel so warm and safe.”
• Klaus Haapaniemi's Squirrel shawl >
See also:
• Mia Frilander on Instagram >
• New arrivals at Finnish Design Shop >
Edit: Mikko Vaija Images: Manufacturers