WINTER WARMER
A moody colour palette of greys and blues and strings of twinkling fairy lights set the scene for an atmospheric Christmas in this Finnish apartment
Weeks before Christmas, the Helsinki home of Lotta Huvinen, her husband Olli and their two young children, Romeo, seven, and Stella, five, is already adorned with twinkling fairy lights. ‘I call them my lights for the dark months,’ says Lotta. ‘ We also have a lot of candles burning – they make our home feel really warm and cosy.’
Adding to this atmospheric feel is the apartment’s moody backdrop of greys and blue-greens, something of a departure from the pale walls often found in Scandinavian homes. ‘My mother is an architect and I grew up in a very minimalist home with white walls and classic pieces by designers such as Alvar Aalto,’ explains Lotta, an interior designer. ‘But with each home Olli and I have lived in, the colours have become bolder, and I’ve gravitated to older pieces of furniture.’
The family began renting this Twenties apartment in the southern district of Ullanlinna 18 months ago, after selling their flat in Töölö, west of the city. ‘Our children had started kindergarten in this area and we fell in love with it – it feels like a little Paris,’ says Lotta. ‘ We sold our old flat very quickly so it made sense to rent, as we realised it could take a long time to find the right place to buy. This apartment is similar to our previous one and we love the way the rooms flow into each other –and being on the top floor means that we have wonderful views across the rooftops.’
Fortunately, the property’s owner was open to the idea of Lotta repainting the walls. ‘This had a huge impact – it
suddenly became our home,’ she says. The flat’s gracious proportions lend themselves well to the couple’s possessions, a mix of antiques and contemporary pieces. ‘I like to hunt for things in flea markets as well as through online auction houses, such as Bukowskis,’ Lotta explains. ‘Many of our furnishings have moved with us, including the dining table, which was bought by Olli before we met. It dates back to the Twenties, like the building, so it feels as if it has come home.’
As well as working as an interior designer, Lotta offers a home-organising service, and so she is adept at keeping clutter at bay. ‘I believe it’s vital that everything has its place and also that we shouldn’t hold on to stuff for the sake of it – people often think they need a bigger house or more storage simply because they have too many things,’ she observes, adding, ‘My motto is to buy little, but buy well.’
True to this dictum, Lotta has upcycled good-quality pieces that she and Olli bought years ago: for example, a sofa
INSPIRATION ‘I love to bring new life to antique pieces, such as the white Swedish chairs in the sitting room, which have been transformed with a contemporary zebra print’
in the sitting room has been revived with new upholstery in a watery-green velvet that pairs beautifully with the grey walls. Some of the items have been passed down through the generations, such as the rocking chair in the family room, which belonged in Lotta’s grandmother’s childhood home in Sotjala, or the children’s table and chairs, which were made for her father and his sister. One of her most cherished pieces is a painting of peonies left to Lotta by her grandmother, which now takes pride of place in the master bedroom. ‘It was only when I hung it up that I realised that the colours in the painting – the greys, blue-greens and dusky pinks – are exactly the scheme of this home,’ she notes.
A week before Christmas, the family chooses the largest tree possible for the sitting room, and it is adorned with shimmering decorations that Lotta has picked up on her travels. ‘The scent of the tree is such a big part of Christmas for me, as are the smells of baking gingerbread and mulled wine,’ she says. ‘It’s family traditions like these that I want the children to remember – and pass on to the next generation.’
DECORATING TIP ‘At Christmas, dress your home with lots of fresh flowers and foliage in a similar palette to your interior’