Pure Chic

Hanna and Aleksi Heinonen’s home is anything but shabby, especially when it glows with seasonal sparkle

- Melanie Whitehouse

Christmas is a time of high excitement for Hanna Heinonen, her husband Aleksi and their three young children: Iines, Lilli and Frans. ‘Finns take it very seriously,’ explains Hanna. ‘We spend quality time at home with the family and enjoy the results of our hard work through the dark days, as we wait for the snow.’ When the couple were expecting their second child, Lilli, they decided to move to a bigger home outside the Finnish capital, Helsinki, and Christmas played a part in choosing a town on the southwest coast. ‘We were looking for a place to spend Christmas with a big family – and a big tree,’ says Hanna. When the couple first saw their house, they fell in love with the functional layout and open space. ‘We adored the large windows opening to the south, the gardens for the children and the nice neighbourhood, all just two kilometres from the city centre.’

Most of the work facing them was cosmetic. ‘The floor was wood but it was yellowish oak,’ recalls Hanna. ‘We sanded it down and then rubbed lye and white oil into it. Lye is a strong, alkaline solution, an old-school option that prevents wood from yellowing.’