“My own home can be more experimental,” says interior designer Jutta Tanninen
Jutta and Jani’s home features a delightful palette of colors. The apartment’s floors are finished with Tarkett’s checkered Noble Vasa oak parquet, stained dark for a striking effect.
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.
A long kitchen island was one of Jutta’s must-haves during the renovation. The marble columns, which she purchased years ago from an online marketplace, were previously repurposed as legs for her desk in their former home.
The kitchen walls are painted in Cover Story’s Pablo shade, which is elegantly framed just below the ceiling line. The cabinetry was sourced from Charmia Kitchens, while the handles were ordered from the Benedict+Simone online shop.
The walls are adorned with Audo Copenhagen’s Hashira lights, designed by Norm Architects.
The kitchen’s terrazzo countertop was initially selected in a pattern primarily featuring white stones. However, due to material shortages during the pandemic, some reddish stones were included in the mix. While this was a bit of a surprise at first, the couple soon realized that the slightly varied tones suited their home far better than a solid white surface would have.
The GUBI Satellite pendant lamps were a second-hand find, as were the HAY Copenhague chairs around the kitchen table.
The entire kitchen was designed without tall cabinets. The refrigerator was seamlessly integrated into an old doorway, while the breakfast cabinet was tucked into the space of the former cold pantry.
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.
The Adea sofa was purchased second-hand and fitted with new covers ordered directly from the manufacturer. The Doris cushions are by Johanna Gullichsen.
The walls in the living room are painted in Cover Story’s soft green Agatha shade. The painting by Tim Kiukas is one of two new artworks the couple selected specifically for this home.
Hardly any interior pieces in this home were purchased brand new. The Alima serving trolley by &Tradition is an exception, ordered from Finnish Design Shop. The striking sea buckthorn bouquet in the vase was picked by Jutta during a countryside visit.
Years ago, Jani gave Jutta two safari chairs as a Christmas gift. Originally bright red and smelling strongly of a horse stable, Jutta carefully sanded the wooden parts and had the seat covers professionally reupholstered.
From the desk, there’s a direct view of the funicular railway in Turku. The desk, crafted by carpenter Ville Aakula, features a burgundy linoleum surface. Behind the door, Heli Lundström’s colorful piece You Ate My Chocolate adds a playful touch.
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.
On the bedroom’s accent wall hangs a painting by Tim Kiukas. The long curtains are velvet from Designers Guild, and the 124 Degrees mirror is by Artek.
The tall headboard is cleverly made from cabinets, creating a dressing area that separates the slightly oversized bedroom into distinct zones. The Tense pendant lamp is by New Works, and Marset’s Ledtube reading lights are seamlessly integrated into the headboard.
The walls in the bedroom are painted in Tikkurila’s Tuulihaukka shade, a rich, dark tone that blends burgundy with earthy brown undertones. It creates a striking contrast to the light bedding and the wall-to-wall carpet by Jab.
Above the headboard sits a 3D-printed statue from Benedict+Simone, a Christmas gift Jutta received from Jani.
The bathroom features a serene color palette, adding to the home’s harmonious atmosphere.
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.
See also:
• What's new at Finnish Design Shop >
Text: Seija Killström Images: Frida Steiner
Featured products may not be available worldwide. This story was published in the Asun magazine’s issue 48.
Published on 24 Jan, 2025
