You think winter is bad where you live? Try comparing that to Helsinki, Finland. Even in southern Finland, winter is the longest season of the year, with temperatures dipping into the teens (around -10 degrees Celsius). On the shortest day of the year, the sun sets a little after 3 PM. That’s a recipe for Seasonal Affective Disorder if I ever heard one. But in the heart of the city, one woman’s apartment has a cheerful antidote: lots and lots of color.
Minna Parikka is a Finnish shoe designer whose whimsical creations include pumps with lollipops for heels and sneakers that look like rabbits . Her Helsinki apartment is a perfect reflection of her colorful, irreverent style. The fun begins in the living room, where Minna eschewed a sofa for a quirky grouping of armchairs, including a Womb Chair in bright yellow and a hanging Bubble Chair by Eero Aarnio.
Minna also has an uncoventional solution for the television. The oversized wall art, a tribute to David Bowie by Craig & Karl , is actually a cabinet that conceals the TV. The coffee table is ample proof, if you needed it, that ’80s design is back.
My favorite spot in the apartment might be the bedroom, a tiny jewel box that takes Millennial Pink to new heights. Everything is custom-made: the bed, the headboard that fills the wall, the fitted closet — and everything is exactly the same shade of pink. While creating a totally custom bedroom is probably beyond the reach of most readers, if you really love the look, you could let it inspire you to build a monochromatic space with less custom elements.
There are plenty of other delightful elements in Minna’s apartment, including a sauna and a custom closet with, naturally, lots and lots of shoes. To see the whole thing, check out the full tour on Elle Decor .