Rhapsody in Blue: A Finnish Stylist at Home in the Hamptons - Remodelista
Today, to inaugurate our Scandi Midsummer issue, we’re exploring unseen rooms and corners of Tiina Laakonen and Jon Rosen’s Finnish-accented house (we first featured it in the Remodelista book)–and exploring her use of indigo. The compound consists of a trio of connected barn-like structures that Tiina and Jon, a photographer turned tech entrepreneur, designed with the help of two moonlighting young architects, Tim Furzer and Nandini Bagchee. A 9-by-12-foot sliding glass door (one of two) opens to the outdoors and adds lush greens to the mix. The dining table, one of Piet Hein Eek’s scrapwood designs, is set for a lunch with a Marimekko tablecloth (most of Tiina’s Marimekko patterns are 1960s designs by Maijo Isola that are still in production). The glass-and-wrought-iron candelabra is by Erik Höglund for Costa Boda, a piece Tiina purchased in Stockholm 10 years ago. Many of Tiina’s favorite everyday items, including these Iittala Kartio Tumblers and Pitchers by Kaj Franck, have made their way into her store–the idea for the shop came about as Tiina was gathering things for the house and finding herself... ...in search of Finnish classics from the fifties and sixties: “Over the years, you become enamored of things from your origins. I’ve lived abroad for so long, but what I like is my own tightly curated version of all things Finnish.” Tiina grew up in Imatra, Finland, an industrial town on the border of Russia; she left for Paris at 19, and, after an international modeling career, got her start in fashion by assisting Karl Lagerfeld. Vintage Arabia ceramics in deep blue pattern the upper shelves of the kitchen. The master bedroom is housed in its own wing, reached by stairs wallpapered in Night of the Skylarks, a 1950s pattern by Birger Kaipiainen, a Finnish ceramicist and designer who Tiina calls her greatest source of inspiration. Stay tuned: On Thursday we’ll be presenting Scandi Palette & Paints inspired by Tiina’s choices. In the guest barn, a Marimekko Quilt, handstitched in Finland from vintage fabric, covers a cast-iron bed from Charles P. Rogers & Co. The rag rugs were made by Tiina’s sister-in-law: “I wanted rag rugs because they’re old-school Finnish,” says Tiina. The room’s antique bedside table holds a mercury glass lamp, a 1969 piece by Finnish designer Helena Tynell for Luxus of Sweden. Another guest room has its own seating nook with a Restoration Hardware sofa–”it was half off, minus 20 percent,” says Tiina–and a throw rug from West Elm. The 1940s portrait was a gift from Jon’s grandmother. A Ted Muehling Egg vase by Nymphenburg. In the kids’ guest room, Uglydolls occupy a Mademoiselle Lounge Chair, a 1956 Iimari Tapiovaara design for Artek that’s still in production. Jon owns Nucleus Imaging, a digital post-production company–and has an enviable work setup at home. The backyard slopes down to a pool house with a zinc roof. Tiina’s blue palette extends to the outdoors. A pitch pine is one of several memorable trees on the property. Blue hydrangeas frame the pool. And stay tuned for a summer table set by Tiina.