Introducing handmade home décor and housewares made in Finland - pt 2

In continuation of Part 1, here is another 4 wonderful shops featuring handmade home décor and housewares.

Aika Felt Works
If you are looking for amazing felt work for your home, you should have a look at some of the wonderful items from this shop. Felt gives an amazing warm and cozy feeling to your home.

Beanie On Helena
Wonderfully simple yet up-lifitng items are on sale in this shop which is great to keep with the minimalist look while adding a bit of casual home loving fun!

Namia Design 

If you are looking for bright and vibrant lovely things for your home, Namia Design won't disappoint! Here there are also items for children.

Valona Design

Beautiful light and airy, hung decor is the speciality at this shop. Some are made with wire and crystals and some with birch wood. Excellent for festive decor.

4 Simple Ways to Refresh Your Home for Spring!

Spring is at our doorsteps and it is time to spring clean and spruce things up a little. But if you are finding that time is a luxury at the moment, don't let your home decor suffer because of that. Here is 4 quick and simple way to bring the spring right into your home in the shortest simplest way!

1) Change up your walls!

A coat of fresh new colour paint would be wonderful, but what if you just do not have the time to spend. The simplest way would be to change your wall art! May it be new paintings or wall vinyl, these are best ways to change up the way your room looks without worrying about the permanent effect. When summer comes around they could be whipped off the walls or repositioned to the new season.

Hello Pink by iSeeWonders, Wall decal quote: Enjoy the little things by MadeofSundays, Chikadees Flight by ColorfulSimone, Birth of Spring by behindmyblueeyes

2) New pillow covers

Pillow covers should be washed anyways, so what is better than to freshen up your home décor with some bright new cover while the previous ones are being washed. Choose the latest prints and colours or saying that best fits your moods in this season.

Set of two pillow covers by Tuuni, Cotton Pillow cover by MarikkaBiyana, Organic Cotton Pillow Case by LEMPIdesign, Linen Pillow Cover by BeanieonHelinaShop

3) Time to change your kitchen accessories!

A great way to refresh your décor is to get change up your kitchen accessories too. New functional designs has a great way of giving an uplifting change to your kitchen and enhancing tasks in the kitchen.

Tray Valjoliljat by NamiaDesign, Wool Felt Drink Coaster by aikafeltworks, Wooden Cutting Board by Somewherestore, Frolicking Flounder by VillaYlle

4) Add new small storage

Adding new storage in the latest season colours not only will brighten up your room, but also help you keep untidiness at bay. With the appropriate size and functionality, your room will be tidy and looking fresh, in no time!

MAJA Äimänkäki Round Basket by Äimänkäki, Linen-Cotton Tea Cozy 'Babushka' by StudioNille, Fabric Bin by Kotona, Black Crochet Bowl by Mairea

Renowned Finnish Designers for Home Décor and Accessories

Finland is a country of design with many world famous designers and design items. In this post we celebrate Finnish designers and their ever timeless designs.

Maija Isola

This Finnish Designer's name might not be as easily recognized as her ever popular Unikko (Poppy) flower print that the Marimekko brand is so known for. This design was created by Maija Isola in the 1964 as a defiance to the owner’s ban on floral prints. Her work for Marimekko consist of over 500 prints inspired by traditional folk art, modern visual art, nature and her countless trips around the world. It is said that Marimekko’s style was very much based on what Maila Isola was doing. In its celebration of Unikko's 50 anniversary, Marimekko pays tribute to bold personalities and people who goes against the grain and follow their instincts in the spirit of Maija Isola.
 

 Unnika Poppy & Istuva Harka

Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto is known as the father of Modern Scandinavian architecture and has contributed numerous timeless designs of furniture and interior fixtures, still enjoyed today. Born in the late 19^th century, he has received numerous awards and accolades from around the world for building famous till this day. However in our homes we still enjoy his simple yet functional mid-century modern home décor and furniture like the Savoy Iitala vases and Paimio chair.

Artek Chairs & Savoy Vase

Eero Saarinen
Known as the famous architect behind the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Loius, Eero Saarinen a Finnish American has contributed some of the most recognizable designs in the 20^th century. He was also on the jury panel of the Sydney Opera House, a World Heritage building today. Among his many creation is the Tulip chair and pedestal family of furniture manufactured by Knoll and still is the favourite of many design conscious collectors around the world.

Tulip Chairs and Table & Chairfor Knoll

Kaj Franck
Kaj Franck is described as the conscience of Finnish design. During the war he was incited with the possibilities of technology and mass production, especially in its ability to produce diverse practical objects at low cost. His later designs was stripped of everything excessive leaving behind only the essentials. Kaj Franck's timeless designs are still produced by Italia and cherished in many households around the world.

Mushroom Bowl & Heart Bowl

Top 3 Home décor trends for 2014

2014 is well on its way as we move into month 2 of the year! After weeks of reading up on what will be the top home décor trends in 2014, here is a concise, condensed version of the top 3 trends gathered from different sites and blogs around the web. We’ve picked out only those which are echoed by over and over by the many content sources out there!

     Hues of Blue

Yes I know Pantone colour of the year is Radiant Orchid, but strangely I found that blue is more spoke about as an overall colour trend for home décor. Even some online home décor retailers has offered something blue or uses blue as an overall theme colour of their what’s new section. In this article – Ask a Designer: 2014 decor trends (link: http://www.philly.com/philly/home/Ask_a_Designer_2014_decor_trends_.html)  the designer Brian Patrick Flynn, has subtlety repeated the recommendation to use blue.

     Agate

Agate is mentioned in Elle Décor, Better Homes and Gardens and several other blogs around. Used as coasters or even as an entire kitchen top, agates were chosen as the top mineral trend for 2014. For more inspiration on using this beautiful semiprecious stone as a home décor, have a look at this – #trending: 10 must-have decor items using agate

(http://carlaaston.com/designed/decor-trends-using-agate)

     Brass or mixed metals

      Metals are making it back this year. May it be brass, silver or gold it is making its way into retailers’ cataloques and blog pictures in forms of lighting, side tables and frames. Even metallic printed fabrics are becoming a hit!

In picture

1.  Vintage Brass Table Arc Lamp by VintagethatsMintage 

2.   Chenille Teal Cushion Cover by CoupleHome 

3.   Glam Brass Gold Cantilever Side Tables by GallivantingGirls

4.   Agate Slab Coasters by SaraReynoldsJewelry

Season of Ice and Fire

Blue Rhinestone Earrings by Arx Rosarum (Jyväskylä); Sapphire Engagement Ring and Diamond Snowflake Pendant by CaiSanni (Rauma); Blue Kanzashi Flower Crown by Norda Brilo (Helsinki); Blue Fabric Christmas Ornaments by hennihennidesign (Turku). For the other elements, see the original collage in Polyvore.

Snow... It actually started to snow just when I began writing this post, if you can believe it. Finally! So beautiful. Clearly, the above tribute to Snow Queen must have played a part on it. I have assembled here some some seasonal items from the artisans of our team. Approaching December, we are stepping into winter. It is a time of intertwining extremes. It is going to be dark, silent and freezing, yet warm, social and cheerful. Enjoy the season!

Reindeer Leather Shoes by Reindeer Arts (Kuusankoski); Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament by My Needle's Song (Eura); Felted Wine Cozy by EKODEKOFI; Red Chunky Cowl by Sofia Sobeide (Turku). For the other elements, see the original collage in Polyvore.

Yarn Creations from Sofia Sobeide

This is NOT your grandmother's crochet! Sofia from Sofia Sobeide has a fresh approach to her yarn creations. This young designer from Turku breathes fresh air into every piece she works on through her choice of yarns, colors, and patterns. She works hard to make wearable, fun products of a high quality that still have a cute twist to them.

She can keep you warm and cozy with soft, cuddly snoods, cowls, gloves and scarves. Yes, it is spring but the days are still cool here in Finland and scarves are worn pretty much year round. This lovely lacy scarf can be worn in different ways, and will definitely chase out the chill in the air and your heart.

Lacy Purple Scarf from Sofia Sobeide

Maybe you want something more whimsical or spring like? This lovely skinny scarf with its bright crocheted flowers just might do the trick and it will take you well into summer.

Skinny Scarflette with Flowers from Sofia Sobeide

How about something fun and bright? Sofia has this delightful big red bow on a soft cowl. She has thoughtfully attached vintage buttons to it so that you can adjust the length and wear it as a cowl or a headband.

Sofia Sobeide's Bright Red Bow Headband/Cowl

Sofia also has a knack for those fun amigurumi (think small animals in crocheted yarn) creatures. She has a growing collection of bears, birds, dragons and more. Some have been made into soft baby toys or rattles. Others are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. What baby would not enjoy this colorful snake? She also has patterns for sale.

Amigurumi Snake by Sofia Sobeide

She will help you decorate your home with pretty garlands, practical items for your kitchen, and a whole separate store of jewelry. All in all, this is one busy, talented artisan that you will want to visit again and again. We do hope you will enjoy her works.

Shop: Sofia Sobeide
Jewelry Shop: Sofia Sobeide Jewelry
Blog
Facebook

Beanie on Helina - A Touch of Whimsy

Beanie on Helina is proof positive that well-crafted, sustainable lifestyle products don't have to be dull and boring. Kaisa Erkkilä works hard to combine good quality craftsmanship with great design and usability and adds just a touch of whimsy. She uses a lot of linen in her work. If you know this fabric, you also know that it just gets softer and more supple with every use. Her colors are a gorgeous range of neutrals with just enough color thrown in to keep things lively.

Delicious handcrafted turquoise linen pillowcover

This roomy, practical tote bag will certainly brighten your day as well as help you lug those groceries home. Who says functional has to be dull and boring?

A whimsical tote bag featuring a Couple of Pears

The pictures of each of her items are great. You can really see the detail and quality of each of her products right along with the passion and attention to detail. 
One more touch of whimsy - the name! Kaisa says, "My shop name derives from a story from my childhood. When I was little girl I had a lovely pink beanie crocheted by my mom. I was quite a temperamental child and according to my dad, you could tell the mood I was in by the position of my beanie (if I was moody it was tilted, if I was happy it was on the back of my head...etc.) Also, my middle name is Helina." From her elegant designs and solid craftsmanship, her beanie is on the back of her head these days. 

Kaisa has a regular website with beautiful pictures of her work along with a blog, written in both Finnish and English. Both are relaxing ventures into soft tones and just a bit of fun. 

Beanie on Helina Website
Blog
Etsy shop