Jutta Tanninen and her partner bought this apartment as an investment, but it quickly became their dream home. Combining bold colors, art, and custom design solutions, this space reflects Jutta’s love for experimentation and authentic materials. Join us for a tour of this vibrant home in Turku, Finland!
WHEN INTERIOR DESIGNER Jutta Tanninen and her partner, Jani Vuorinen, purchased this apartment in Turku in the fall of 2021, their goal was to renovate it into a profitable resale property.
Located in a building over a century old and boasting a prime location, the apartment had excellent investment potential. The soaring ceilings and tall windows played a key role in convincing them to make an offer. Initially, the apartment slipped through their fingers and was sold to another buyer, but when that deal unexpectedly fell through, it came back on the market. The couple wasted no time making a second offer, which was promptly accepted.
The year-and-a-half-long renovation gave Jutta and Jani plenty of time to fall in love with the apartment. However, rising mortgage interest rates reached unexpected levels, forcing the couple to reconsider what to do with their two homes.
“We decided to try selling our previous home first. All three of our earlier, self-renovated apartments had sold in under a week. This time, the two-month selling period felt agonizingly long. At the same time, I had just started my career as an entrepreneur and realized that we also needed more space,” Jutta explains.
The renovation was completed alongside their full-time jobs and took a year and a half to finish.
The couple sold their previous one-bedroom apartment and moved into this expertly designed and meticulously renovated home. The project, which they both designed and primarily executed themselves, became a space they truly loved.
After renovating four previous homes, the pair had become skilled and versatile renovators. Only the most demanding demolition and construction work, along with tasks requiring permits, were outsourced to professionals. They handled everything else on their own, balancing the renovation with their day jobs, which inevitably extended the timeline beyond their initial expectations. But they refused to compromise on quality.
The budget also exceeded their original plan. The longer renovation period, combined with the increasingly unstable global situation, contributed to rising costs. Material shortages, price hikes, and delivery delays all played a part in stretching both their budget and their patience.
JUTTA’S DESIGN PROJECTS are characterized by the use of authentic materials and clever space solutions. In this home, the original layout was altered only slightly. Previously, the entry hall also provided access to the bedroom, but that connection was closed off to create more space for wardrobe storage and a larger bathroom. In the kitchen, one partition wall was removed, and the old servant’s door leading to the stairwell was sealed off from the inside. The resulting alcove was repurposed to house the refrigerator.
“This apartment didn’t have long hallways or oversized entry spaces that older homes often have, taking up a lot of square footage. The layout was quite clear and didn’t have any wasted space. This 71-square-meter apartment was a solid foundation to turn something good into something even better. The plans evolved a bit along the way, as the renovation took so long, but the main vision remained consistent from start to finish,” Jutta explains.
“I’m not a fan of materials that try to mimic something they’re not.”
In her client projects, Jutta’s color palette tends to be more subdued, with an overall minimalist style. Her own home, however, is a completely different story.
“Because I create timeless and understated interiors for a living, I want our home to have a balanced mix of roughness, imperfection, and attention-grabbing art – alongside a sense of clarity. A personal home can be more experimental, and I enjoy incorporating slightly odd pieces that you won’t find elsewhere. What connects this home and my client projects, however, is the use of authentic materials like natural stone and wood. I’m not a fan of materials that try to mimic something they’re not,” Jutta explains.




THE HOME’S TALL ceilings are accentuated with striking moldings that complement the style of the old building. The interior is a mix of spontaneous second-hand finds and custom-made furniture crafted by a carpenter.
“Our built-in furniture has always been a bit mixed-and-matched in our own homes. We source the frames, doors, countertops, and handles from different places. Some might find that stressful, but for us, it’s what makes the home feel personal and reflective of our style. It’s not necessarily something I’d recommend to my clients because it’s quite the puzzle, but the end result is always one of a kind,” Jutta says with a smile.
“Built-in furniture in our homes has always been a bit mixed-and-matched.”
The couple agrees that better workspaces have been a welcome addition. Working from home, Jutta has thoroughly enjoyed her wide desk spanning the entire length of the living room window. However, as her business has grown, she has since opened a showroom in a larger space in downtown Turku. Now, home is just home.
The apartment’s convenient location near Turku’s guest marina and charming walking paths has won over its residents. The home feels like their own, but there’s always room for new dreams.
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See also:
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Text: Seija Killström Images: Frida Steiner
Featured products may not be available worldwide. This story was published in the Asun magazine’s issue 48.