Star fashion stylist and shop owner Tiina Laakonen lives in the Hamptons surrounded by Finnish modern classics that remind her of home. For a Midsummer Eve dinner, she set her table with a spirited mix of patterns. Here’s how to re-create the look.
Table setting photographs by Heikki Aho for Remodelista.
Above: Tiina sticks to a palette of black, white, and blue in every room, so we weren’t surprised that she extends the scheme to her table. It also pervades Tiina the Store in Amagansett, New York, where she showcases fashion alongside Scandinavian household staples. (Tiina opened the boutique when she was furnishing her house and discovered a need to import many of the Finnish designs she wanted to live with.) Above: The table is set with three different plate and napkin patterns: “By sticking to a simple color palette, you can mix patterns in a free way,” she says. “The black and white Marimekko designs are all classics and most have a similar hand-drawn style. The blues add color and keep it all from looking too stark and cold.” Above: See A Finnish Design Fete: Tiina’s Midsummer Table for Tiina’s 10-course Midsummer menu.
Tabletop
Above: The tablecloth is Marimekko cotton yardage in the patchwork Yhdessä pattern; it’s available at Tiina’s shop for $48 per yard. Above: Kaj Franck’s Teema dinnerware, a classic from Finnish company Iittala, is available by the piece at Tiina the Store; Teema Dinner Plates are $26 each. Read the story behind the design and find other pieces and sources in Object Lessons. Above: The black-and-white plates are Birger Kaipiainen’s 1970 Paratiisi pattern from Arabia of Finland (also available in a colored version). Paratiisi Dinner Plates are available from Rakuten Global Market for $64.56 each. Go to Arabia for more retailers. Above: Tiina’s flatware is Bertel Gardberg’s Lion Pattern by Hackman, a division of Iittala. A 24-piece set (six four-piece place settings) is $277 from the Finnish Design Shop.
Above: Arabia’s cobalt-colored Valencia tableware was a wedding present to Tiina and her husband, Jon Rosen, from Tiina’s family in Finland. Though production ceased in 2002, the pattern is available from vintage dealers, including Sataman Antiikki, Tiina’s brother’s antiques shop in Finland. It can also be sourced on Etsy and eBay.
Above: Kaj Franck’s Kartio colored glassware from Iittala is on display in Tiina’s open kitchen. A set of two seven-ounce Kartio Tumblers is $22 from Tiina the Store and comes in several colors and other sizes. Didriks also sells the glassware. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista. Above: Iittala’s 2001 Essence wine glasses come in a range of shapes. The Essence White Wine Glass, shown, is $40 for a set of two from Tiina the Store. Amazon also offers the collection. Above: Kivi Votives from Iittala are a 1964 design by Heikki Orvola; they’re available in 10 shades of thick colored glass; $21 each from Amara. Above: Linen Suits Napkins from Crate & Barrel are $39.95 for a set of four, each in a different stripe.
Furniture
Above: The biggest splurge in Tiina’s open living room: her Piet Hein Eek table from the designer’s scrapwood series. The 240 Canteen Table is $7,400 from the Future Perfect. (West Elm’s Emmerson Reclaimed Wood Dining Table, $899 to $1,299, was clearly inspired by the design.) Above: Piet Hein Eek’s Canteen Bench in Scrapwood is $4,400 from the Future Perfect. (The Emmerson Reclaimed Wood Bench from West Elm is $499 to $599.)
Above: At the table, bench seating is paired with vintage Scandinavian dining chairs that Tiina’s husband found on eBay. For a similar look, consider O&G Studio’s ebonized ash Colt Low-Back Side Chair, handmade in Rhode Island; $680 each.
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