2019-06-01 25 Beautiful Homes

W

ithitswhitewashedwalls,

thoughtfullychosen

designclassicsand

carefullyconsidered

storage,anairoftranquillitypervades

KatjaVirtanenandVesaHeikkilä ’selegant

Helsinkiapartment.Butit wasn’talwaysso.

Theirperiodhome,withitshighceilings

andoriginaldoubledoors,hasbeen

reimaginedformodernfamilyliving

andtherenovationinvolvedcameata

particularlybusytimeinthecouple’slives.

‘Wewerelivingnearbyina one-bedroom

apartmentwithourson,Noel,’saysKatja.

‘I wasexpectingoursecondchildand we

knewwehadtomove– andfast.’

KatjaandVesafoundthisspacious,

turn-of-the-centuryapartmentincentral

Helsinki,butit neededa significant

overhaul.‘Wewerebothbusyworking,’says

Katja,anentrepreneur,‘butwehada good

ideaofwhatwewantedtodoandasked

designerSusannaLundéntohelpusrealise

ourvision,whichthankfullyeasedthestress.’

Theprojectinvolvedremovingwallsto

createa large,open-plankitchenanddining

area.Theoriginalkitchenwasturnedinto

a study,a utilityareawassitedina discreet

spaceoffthenewsittingroomandallofthe

parquetfloorsandthewallswerepainted

whitetomaximiselight.Thecouplealso

madethedecisiontoturnthemastersuite

intoa bedroomandplayroomfortheir

children,NoelandbabySienna.‘Itmade

perfectsensebecausetheroomconnects

directlytoourlivingspace,’explainsKatja.

‘Eventually,we’llreturnit toa mastersuite,

butfornowit worksbrilliantly, as I can

easilykeepaneyeonthem.’

ItwasinthisroomthatKatjamadeone

ofherboldestdesigndecisions:shepapered

thefacingwallwitha dramaticforestprint

wallpaper, an archive classic reworked by

SITTINgROOm

DETaIL

Katjadesignedthis

usefulstoragewith

interiorsspecialist

SusannaLundénand

thenhadit builtby

a localcarpenter.

Fora vintageMoroccan

boucherouiteragrug,

from£150,tryetsy

STUDY

Thekitchenwas

previouslylocatedin

thispracticalspace.

‘It’sperfect,aswe

bothsometimeswork

from home,’ explains

Katja.‘Italsodoubles

asa sparebedroom.’

hay’sPyramidtable01,

£659,is similar.Louis

ghostarmchair,£520

fortwo,heal’s

cHILDREN’S

BEDROOm

Avintagedaybed

paintedturquoise

andvibrantbedlinen

echothewallpaper.

FôretNoirewallpaper

byDomestic,£422a

roll,MadeinDesign.La

Volièrependantlamp

byMathieuChallières,

£395, the Conran Shop

44 | 25bhJuNe 2019