Above and opposite:
the living room wall was
painted in a grey
Kalklitir shade, Winter
Primo. Ikea’s Bestå
chests of drawers offer
storage space for all
kinds of possessions.
The fireplace, located
between the living
room and dining room,
revolves on its own axisA
s her family grew, Maria Lindell
decided to run her interior design
business from home. This meant
she could spend time with her
three girls when they came home
from school and had the time
to concentrate on making the house function both
as a family home and her work space.
Built in 2004, it’s a fine example of well considered
domestic modern architecture. Highlights are an
outside space reached from the upstairs living room.
And a multi-purpose living room with a central,
rotating wood-burning stove.
Maria and husband René bought the house in a
suburb of Espoo in 201 2. A lt hough it needed no
structural alterations, they decorated it throughout,
mostly by painting it white: “We liked the panelled
wooden ceiling upstairs, so we painted that white,”
Maria says – but with feature walls in soft, subdued
colours and striking wallpaper. “We also renovated
the utility room and replaced the doors of the
kitchen cupboards,” she says.
Once the house was in reasonable decorative
order, she thought carefully about how the family
would use it and what she could do to make it a
functional yet happy place. This is what she did...ORGANISED LIVING
Maria’s first move was to create designated spaces.
The house is an example of ‘upside-down’ living: the
open-plan living space, which includes Maria’s
office, the dining area, kitchen and TV-watching/ »NEST (^) | HOME TOUR