Finnish Modernism Comes to the Hamptons

Last summer, when fashion stylist Tiina Laakkonen opened Tiina the Store in the Hamptons, it instantly became one of our favorite sources for Scandinavian design. Located in a cottage on Main Street in Amagansett, the exquisitely curated shop features hard-to-find Finnish wares (Tiina herself grew up in a town on the border of Finland and Russia, and her roots left her with a fondness for the fanciful side of modernism).

She stocks inky blue flower-patterned wallpapers and ceramics designed by Birger Kaipiainen in the 1950s, wood-handled cast-iron pots by Iittala, and Eero Aarnio's rattan stools. The front room is devoted to a changing installation by a guest artist and sets the palette for the rest of the store (it debuted with a show of Dosa's tunics, textiles, and rag rugs in shades of indigo). Currently on view: attention-grabbing carpets and textiles in warm reds and purples by Finnish artist Klaus Haapaniemi, whose work Tiina describes as "a magical take on the Nordic folklore tradition." Advises Tiina, "If you keep a controlled color scheme in your rooms, you can get away with a lot of pattern."

N.B.: Stay tuned for more: Tiina the Store's website launches in October. Photographs by Heikki Aho.

Above: Ilmari Tapiovaara by Artek Mademoiselle lounge chairs display KH's Crane pillows in linen, $135 each (cover only).

Above: With designer Mia Wallenius, Klaus Haapaniemi runs a design studio, KH, in London. For his first US show, he built a birch rack to display wool and silk woven throws and bedspreads, which start at $390. On the wall: KH's Pine Trees and Swan rug, $7,750, surrounded by cushioned pine stools.

Above: KH's intricate wool rugs are handmade in Varanasi. According to Klaus, they allude to "the cosmic vortex and the unity of the natural universe."

Above: In the shop's main room, KH's wool and silk Rabbit shawl, $390, covers a table on its Pine Trees rug. The table is set with Iittala glassware and ceramics and the table and stool are oil-waxed pine and black stained birch, a vintage Ilmari Tapiovaara design produced by Artek. The ceramic cat and pot in the window are also KH originals.