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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.
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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.
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At karaoke bar Åke, disco meets the Tokyo night
Just off Erottaja in central Helsinki hides a place that passersby only ever glimpse. Tucked into the ground floor of an Art Nouveau building, this karaoke bar borrows equally from disco culture and the nightlife of Tokyo. Step in from the street and you enter a dim, private world where there’s no reason to be shy.
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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.
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Emma Ranne and Iida Laiho’s Kuore brings food creatives together under one roof
Kuore Kitchen is a new coworking space for Helsinki’s food creatives – a place to cook, shoot, brainstorm and hang out together. Read the interview with Emma and Iida, and save their fall recipe for plum and bay jam!
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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.
Read story
Kuusijärvi smoke saunas win Finlandia Prize for Architecture
A public smoke sauna development at the Lake Kuusijärvi recreation area in Vantaa has been chosen by Dr Timo Miettinen as the winner of Finlandia Prize for Architecture 2026 – the most prestigious architecture award in Finland.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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Erik Bryggman's Resurrection Chapel is a gem of Finnish architecture
Amidst the tumult of the Second World War, architect Erik Bryggman designed a peaceful cemetery chapel in Turku, in which death is encountered with respect and gentleness. It has become a landmark of Finnish architecture.
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Home tour
Vitra Home Stories: Sebastian Soukup mixes eras in his Berlin home
Production designer and film architect Sebastian Soukup builds entire worlds for the screen. At home in his 19th-century apartment in Berlin, he takes a similar approach, layering light, color and pieces from different eras. With Vitra classics in a starring role, the result is an interior rich in character and individuality.
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Interview
Designing modern icons: A conversation with Simon Legald of Normann Copenhagen
Simon Legald, the creative force behind best-selling designs like the Form Chair, Bit Stool, and Block Table, works as Head of Design at the Danish brand Normann Copenhagen. Design Stories sat down with Simon to chat about his journey and the creative process behind these beloved pieces – join us for an exclusive look into his world!
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Inside the world of Alberto Alessi
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What's new
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What’s new: Vitra’s Bascule lounge chair
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Introducing: Reboco
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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.
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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.
