Finnish carpet art

Just trying out some patterns...Today, after 7 years of planning, I finally made it to Hurissalon matto ja tekstiili, a carpet workshop located in Puumala, Finland. The two engines behind this, Irja Piskonen and Kirsi Hulkkonen, are true artists. We have so much to be proud of, my dear fellow Finns.Almost shoesWOOL in its many formsThis beautiful work is carried out in an old barn.Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.***räsymatto, puuvillamatto, käsinkudottu matto, mattokut...

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Flower garlands

Don't you just love fresh flowers? This was now the second midsummer I managed to have time to PYSSLA (this Swedish word is perfect for what I'm doing, real pyslaamista :), the English translation keeping busy doesn't tell it all, or perhaps it tells too much...) with ingredients found here on our yard. There's no talent or education or anything like that behind what I do, no technique either. But the end results are sufficient for a summer house! For the above one I've used only birch twigs as a basis, bigger ones on the bottom, and some...

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Smoke sauna

Again it is midsummer time in Finland...this hasn't been so nicely reported at BBC's Finland's midsummer madness, but I love the celebration! The sauna, nice BBQ, sparkling with strawberries, the midnight bonfires...My husband is very fond of sauna, but the traditional smoke sauna (pictured here) we use for a bit more special occasions. The only reason for the occasional use is that it takes 6-8 hours to make it properly warm. I took a little head start for the decoration, as we received a big load of firewood yesterday on...

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Summer living

We are parked now for 6 weeks at our summer house, so the posts for this time will be of summer living only. Hopefully you enjoy with us :)!We were finally able to have the opening of our 'Lexington' summer living-room! It is a bit tricky always, as the weather isn't the easiest in this nordic corner of the world...But - as I've had the great opportunity to live in the south for years - I don't give up. First our balcony was an open space without ceiling, and was never used. Well, we would carry the dining table outside a few times every summer,...

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About hay poles

Source When my generation was little, these were such a common view in Finland - hay poles on the fields! I don't think anyone could've thought then that there will be a time when we will be purchasing the poles in the internet (whatever that would be...), one by one, and thinking of things to make of them. (Well, I'm sure no-one could think of those huge, white, plastic dinosaur eggs we see now-a-days on the fields, either...) They are great for summerhouse - perfectly weathered, and if made nicely, like my stack is, you can use...

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Wood

The wonderful UHTUA JoukiThere's a lot of WOOD in interior design now-a-days. The natural, rough-looking, real thing. I like it. But you know what? So far my mind hasn't adjusted to the thought of having these items in the appartments in the city. Or even a house in the suburbs. They just kind of belong to the summer house, or your mountain hut, or a skiing resort in Lapland. Perhaps the Finnish takkahuone (fire-place room) where you spend time after sauna and cool off, could welcome these, but even that hardly.But here - YES!! On the porch...

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SUMMER!

It's been a week since I posted something - forgive me!! It's been kinda hectic. Today was a beautiful morning in Stockholm, especially in the garden! Look at all the flowers - they are really starting to bloom!My grey-tones season is getting stronger and stronger, and in these pictures you see partly why - it just gives a perfect background for flowers!! You can almost see the flowers popping OUT of the pictures, as the contrast to grey is so strong.Below a little more toned, but as beautiful:A Swedish chain Granit has a great selection...

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Enja Vironmäki 2002

 60s style by Enja Vironmäki - Avotakka 05/2002 Here is some true customer service - I contacted the oldest Finnish interior design magazine Avotakka to ask, whether I could get the articles by Enja Vironmäki. It turned out that she has worked on so many stories that it would be impossible for them to send them to me. But they kindly sent me a list of all the magazines she has had articles in during the past 2 decades! Talk about great customer experience - even though I've felt for some years that Avotakka hasn't really been on the...

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