LESS IS more

PIRKKO AND PASI ALANEN’S CAREFULLY CURATED HOME HAS A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING, PROVING MINIMALISM IS NOT INCOMPATIBLE WITH FAMILY LIFE

- MIRSA KAARTINEN/KAREN WILSON

Living/dining room ‘A custom oak slatted wall between the dining and living room space creates separation,’ says Pirkko, ‘but still allows plenty of light to pass through.’

BUY THE KEY PIECES Ferm Living Mingle table top, £915; legs, £229, both Dot Maison. Nofred Mouse junior chair, £309, Finnish Design Shop

HOME NOTES 

WHO LIVES HERE?

Pirkko Alanen, 40, a marketing manager, lives here with her husband Pasi, 42, an entrepreneur, and their children Erkka, seven, Okko, five, and Renne, three.

THE PROPERTY

A four-bedroom detached self-build house in Maununneva, Helsinki, completed in 2019.

THE LAYOUT

The ground floor has a dining, kitchen and living space leading to a glass walled terrace, with a boiler/boot room behind the kitchen. Four bedrooms are located upstairs, with a dressing room and small balcony to the main bedroom. A sauna/shower room, WC and laundry room has access to a larger balcony.

Building a house when you have young children is a challenge, but as this was Pirkko and Pasi’s third consecutive construction project, it had almost become a way of life for them.

WHY DID YOU BUILD THIS HOUSE?

‘A few years after our previous house project was completed, we realised we needed another bedroom. So when this 540sq m plot of land came up for sale near schools and a park, we didn’t think twice.