Elina Siltanen-Sjöberg designed an idyllic Englishinspired home in Helsinki, ensuring her well-travelled clients are always pleased to be back
FEATURE KAREN DARLOW
OFFICE
The art within the panelling is actually wallpaper.
HALLWAY
Chinoiserie wallcovering in a sunny yellow creates a warm welcome.
LIBRARY
A deep window seat and a large-scale pendant light enhance the grand proportions.
KITCHEN
White cabinets are a good option in a dual-purpose, open-plan room like this.
WHAT WERE YOUR KEY TASKS IN THIS PROJECT?
When I viewed the apartment with my clients I could see it had huge potential. The layout was good but we made it even better. We added French doors and removed the wall between the kitchen and library to create a large family space. We completely redesigned the bathrooms and cloakroom, reinstated period details, and copied the original doors we found in the attic.
WHAT LOOK DID THE HOMEOWNERS WANT?
The owners travel a lot both for work and leisure, so their home needed to be a peaceful and a happy haven to return to. They also gave me their must-have colours, for instance the sunny yellow in the entrance hall and the aqua accents that travel through the apartment. They wanted an English look and specifically mentioned the relaxed comfort of The Berkeley hotel, London, where they often stay, so I researched English country homes and the colours used in the hotel to inspire me when planning the decor for the apartment.
DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE.
I love paisleys, florals, chinoiserie, trellis and jacquards and in this project, as in so many of the homes I work on, the clients embraced all the patterns and details I introduced. The homeowners here are very international and outward looking, and their home speaks the same language.
ARE THERE ANY SMART FEATURES?
My clients were really keen to accommodate some lighting panels somewhere in the apartment. The ingenious products from Finnish company Light Cognitive look like real windows and can be seen in stores like Zara, Loewe, and Hermès all over the world. I designed a period-style window frame for the lighting panels in the
