Design Stories
Exclusive to Design Stories
Laura and Arthur Franck’s charming wooden house in Helsinki
The Francks’ home in Helsinki has a creaky staircase and floorboards that slope just a little, but that only adds to the atmosphere of the 1920s house. The rooms are full of books and art, and the family’s beloved Aalto pieces have survived years of play by three children.
Most popular
Latest stories
At home with Philip Battin: A slow life in the Norwegian woods
On Nesodden, a peninsula in the Oslofjord, design director Philip Battin is slowly restoring Kroken, a timber house from 1899. Working on the future of AI from his home office, he’s found a way of living where cutting-edge technology and the quiet of the forest sit side by side.
Read story
Holiday magic, Marimekko style: Kurre the squirrel and other lovely gift ideas
This year Marimekko welcomes a surprise guest to the season: the squirrel from the Kurre print has come to life and scampers through a series of wonderfully atmospheric holiday images. Along the way you’ll find new arrivals and gift ideas, plus beloved classics like Tiiliskivi and Unikko in festive seasonal shades. Take a look at how the holidays look this year!
Read story
At Helsinki’s Boreal, the north sets the rhythm
Most restaurants end up as a compromise between competing visions. Boreal, the award-winning Helsinki restaurant, started from somewhere else entirely. Pasha Demin wanted a place where food, space, and atmosphere fit together as seamlessly as nature itself.
Read story
Mantis Lamp at 75: Still perfectly poised
Bernard Schottlander designed the Mantis lamp in 1951, inspired by the idea of a sculpture that moves. Seventy-five years later, its slender, counterbalanced form still looks remarkably fresh, and just as at home in a contemporary space.
Read story
Sweeten the holidays with homemade truffles and cookies – get the recipes!
Matcha white chocolate blocks, rose water-flavored Ghriba cookies, and wonderful vegan-friendly sesame truffles and coconut mango truffles. These mouthwatering delicacies are perfect for the festive season.
Read story
Unique gifts for art lovers: Gift ideas with an artistic touch
Just like art itself, art gifts come in endless forms: a unique glass sculpture, a coffee cup designed by an artist, a framed poster or a side table that could pass for a sculpture. We’ve rounded up some of the best gifts for art lovers, all blurring the line between art and design, for every taste and occasion.
Read story
Seasonal cake recipe
The design gifts on every wish list
Holiday Season Shop
We have opened our traditional Holiday Season Shop, where you’ll find a curated collection of books for the mind, gifts from the heart, and design to delight the eye. Welcome to enjoy the magic with us!
We recommend
A home filled with nature, memories, and warm Holiday traditions
For interior enthusiast Gro Anita Nilsen, the Holidays are all about atmosphere. Her family’s 1956 villa in Norway comes alive with forest-fresh greenery, treasured keepsakes, and playful traditions.
Read story
Inside Achille Castiglioni’s studio, where design still feels like play
We visited Achille Castiglioni’s studio in Milan, where prototypes, sketches, and everyday objects still sit exactly where he left them. His daughter, Giovanna Castiglioni, told us what it’s like to keep that space, and his legacy, alive.
Read story
COMPANY’s design explorers Aamu Song and Johan Olin
Aamu Song and Johan Olin of design studio COMPANY get to know and work with local artisans on their travels. The result is distinctive and warmly humorous products with influences from different parts of the world. Design Stories met the couple in their light-filled atelier in the artists' residence Lallukka in Helsinki.
Read story
Spicy pumpkin pasta – the best pasta for a fall weekend
Nothing beats a hearty bowl of pasta on a chilly fall evening. Try these quick and easy recipes to bring restaurant-quality flavor to your home kitchen – savory sausage pasta for meat lovers and spicy pumpkin pasta for veggie fans, a trusted favorite of our editorial team.
Read story
Peter Erlandsson’s house in southern Sweden is the home of the reborn String Furniture
The home of Peter Erlandsson, co-founder of String Furniture, on the Falsterbo peninsula in Sweden reflects the residents’ love of nature, architecture, design and – naturally – String shelves. Design Stories visited this unique house (also featured on TV!) that the architect designed to blend in with the surroundings.
Read story
The Aalto House in Helsinki surprises with its timelessness
The Helsinki home of Alvar and Aino Aalto, and later Elissa Aalto, remains as modern today as it was nearly a hundred years ago. Discover the charming home of the Aaltos in Helsinki with Design Stories!
Read story
Greta Magnusson Grossman paved the way for female designers
Greta Magnusson Grossman is best known for her Gräshoppa and Cobra lamps, designed in the late 1940s and now part of GUBI’s collection. The Swedish designer, who built her career in California, also created houses and interiors for Hollywood’s elite alongside her iconic lighting designs.
Read story
Home tour in Antwerpen
An old house with an old soul – visiting Marie Michielssen and Axel Van Den Bossche
Step inside a 16th-century castle in Antwerp, home to designer Marie Michielssen and Serax co-founder Axel Van Den Bossche, where art fills every room.
More home stories
Trending
Interview
Max Lamb lets the Min Chair do the talking
Designer Max Lamb admits he doesn’t love discussing his work. He would rather make another chair. In his London studio, he shows how the new Min Chair for Hem comes together: a clever, near-zero-waste design in pine that grew out of a lockdown experiment and years of refinement.
Worth reading
-
Inside the world of Alberto Alessi
Read story
In focus
What's new
-
What’s new: Vitra’s Bascule lounge chair
Read story -
Introducing: Reboco
Read story
Design Stories – Exploring contemporary Nordic design
Design Stories is an online magazine published by Finnish Design Shop, focusing on Finnish and Scandinavian design, interiors, and architecture. We cover the latest design releases, explore timeless classics, and step inside inspiring homes in Finland and around the world.
Design Stories brings together stories on design and interiors, interviews with designers, and design-minded travel and culture tips. The content is created by Finnish Design Shop’s editorial team in collaboration with an international network of contributors, with selected articles produced in partnership with Asun, Mondo, and Avotakka magazines. The editor-in-chief of Design Stories is Mikko Vaija.
Design Stories is the online magazine of Finnish Design Shop, created to inspire and delight design lovers everywhere. We hope you enjoy exploring with us! Have a story tip or thoughts on our content? We’d love to hear from you.
