When designer Samu-Jussi Koski was looking to offer housewares as part of his fashion brand, Samuji, he followed the same principals that informed his clothing collection: designs that are distinctly Finnish and built to last. Koski, a former creative director at Marimekko during the early aughts, built the home collection by pairing Finnish designers with Finnish makers. The cast iron Pipe Candleholder, for example, is designed by Erja Hirvi (who created many Marimekko oilcloth designs) and cast by Jukka Kuntonen, a metal worker out of the same foundry where the mold for Iittala’s Aalto vase was made. There are also burl wood bowls from Heikki Heikkala, a woodworker living in an ochre-colored shed in rural Finland; mouth-blown glass by Kaappo Lähdesmäki, who works out of a glassblowers co-operative in Helsinki; and fabric yardage in original prints by Samuji.
This January, Kosti opened Samuji House to showcase his housewares collection, called Koti, which means “home” in Finnish. Much like some of our favorite newly opened home and fashion shops, Samuji House is modeled after a living space; two floors in a residential-style building in a courtyard off Erottajankatu, a busy shopping street in Helsinki. The dimly lit shop, furnished with new Scandi designs and reissued furniture classics from Artek (also available for purchase), has the feel of a modern Finnish townhouse. We’re already planning a visit.
Above: A trio of marble eggs; a Wooden Box made of birch, alder, and goat willow, €50 ($55.80); and an arrangement of dogwood and acacia in the Drop Glass Vase, €300 (334.79).
Above: Stacks of linens on vanity shelving: Tea Towels, €30 each ($33.48), printed Tenugui Towels, €20 each ($22.32), and Bold Stripe Tea Towels, €30 each ($33.48). A pillow made of Samuji’s own Mali print in orange and blue on the vintage leather side chair.
Above: Lighting and furniture from Artek: the Aalto Floor Lamp A811, Illmari Tapiovaara’s Domino Table, and Aalto Armchair 402.
Above: The Bronze Pipe Candleholder, €245 ($273.41) and two dark blue Drop Glass Vases, €350 each ($390.58).
Above: Gray pegboard-style walls in a room of clothing racks and a counter made of marble.
Above: The Watering Bulb, €40 ($44.64); Drop Glass Vase, €300 ($334.79); and Bottle Glass Vase, €300 ($334.79). The Burl Wood Bowl is $320 at The Dreslyn.
For more showrooms as shops, see our posts:
- 16 Design Trends for 2016
- A Soho Dream Loft (Where Everything Is for Sale)
- LA Story: A West Coast Outpost of the Apartment by The Line
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