Ullanpuistikko

The previous renovation had been done in the 1970s with a prevalent style of those times and unfortunately a lot of the original character had been lost then. Together with the client we decided to do this renovation with respect to the original architectural style of nordic classicism while also adding a contemporary Poiat touch.

When it comes to the layout, the proportions were exceptionally off since the apartment had originally been a part of a much larger one. The kitchen and even a separate serving kitchen took up a lot of area and on the other hand, there was only one bedroom. The client’s wish was to add another bedroom and to compress the kitchen area only to the middle of the layout. Also for this Finnish family living mainly in Germany, it was important to add a small sauna to their second home.

To start off the design process, we investigated all the different possibilities of the apartment and drafted three different layout options for the client. The main idea of the chosen plan was to leave the existing living room and bedroom on the park side where they were and to add another bedroom by the inner yard. The kitchen would be in the central part and the bathroom right next to it, including a compact sized sauna.

One of the client’s main wishes was to use a lot of colour on the surfaces. The idea for the colour palette of greens and blues came from the surrounding parks and the close by sea. The old parquet flooring was in good condition, so we decided to keep it and add new flooring in the same style where needed. To complement the original patinated brass door handles in the apartment, untreated brass was also chosen as a material for taps and the shower.

Green Verde Alpi marble was used for the thick countertops in the kitchen and bathroom as well as the bathroom tiles.  The bedroom and living room walls are covered with wallpapers that have subtle textures that keep the overall look calm but have a lot of character and life. For the framed doors of the cabinets, wallpapers in the middle were chosen to match the walls to visually merge the cabinets into them. The bathroom walls were covered with semi-shiny plaster and other rooms were painted.

The end-result of this project is a home full of character, charm and layers, including all the loose furniture and decorations chosen by the client. In a project like this, the dedication from all constructors and suppliers involved is vital for an excellent end-result. We are happy to have had a constructor who understood the architectural style and had the craftsman skills to complete even the challenging details.

The project was featured in Asun magazine 01 / 2023.