Retro Vision

Classic design is celebrated, showcased and styled alongside cool contemporary touches in this original jewel of a home.

- Jonna Kivilahti

LEAFY LIVING The upper level of Annaleena and Tuomas’s home, just outside Helsinki in Finland, is where all of the action happens. With the kitchen and living spaces creating an L shape that hugs the atrium, there’s no better place to be for the couple and children Elmeri, four, and Nooa, one. “My favourite place at home is on the living room sofa, especially when the fire is on,” says Annaleena. The couple have furnished their architect-designed 1960s home with a mixture of vintage finds – Annaleena collects Bumling lamps, two of which are seen here – and contemporary pieces from her own furniture brand, Hakola; the ‘Lazy’ sofa, ‘Woody’ coffee table and ‘Note’ organiser (on the sofa armrest) are all Hakola pieces.

Annaleena and Tuomas were the most devoted of city dwellers, living an urban dream-come-true life in a trendy area of Helsinki, surrounded by restaurants and shops, and within walking distance of everything they might desire. But children have a way of turning priorities on their head, and the arrival of their eldest son Elmeri, who is now four, saw the couple yearning to have more space and proximity to nature. “We looked for a new apartment for years, the search reaching acute proportions after we had our first child,” says Annaleena. “We wanted more space and a garden after Elmeri was born. Tuomas and I are both from the countryside, where we were surrounded by animals and nature. We grew up stroking sheep and horses.”