A ski factory’s chic loft home conversion

The conversion of this former ski factory to a stunning loft home required plenty of creativity, persistence and a little humour.

Who lives here: Nita Hauhia, an interior stylist; her partner Valtteri Vartiainen, an entrepreneur; and their nine-year-old son Helmer.

Style of home: A former ski factory in Finland, built in the ’50s, transformed into an industrial-style family loft.

Timeline: The couple bought the factory in January 2016 and began demolition immediately. Renovations were complete by October 2016.

Kitchen This home’s spacious kitchen, with its long Carrara-marble benchtop, has ample space for owner Nita to cook. Black kitchen doors and knobs were installed on an IKEA framework and bring a timeless feel to the space.When one renovation door closes, another one opens – or at least it did for interior stylist Nita Hauhia and her partner Valtteri Vartiainen. The pair had just completed extensive renovations on their home, previously an old laundry, in the Finnish town of Porvoo, when they heard of an old ski factory in the countryside that had come onto the market.

Dining area and mezzanine The concrete ceilings and floors feel industrial and reference the original factory flavour. Nita’s son Helmer looks down from the upstairs landing.”It was pure madness to start thinking of another project immediately afterwards, but I’d dreamt of living in an old factory since I was a child, and we couldn’t stop thinking about it,” says Nita. The dream won out and the couple soon signed the deeds.

Exterior A paved area out the back is ideal for entertaining. “Our home’s large spaces allow us to invite all of our close family and friends at the same time,” says Nita.Built in the 1950s, the spacious 307-square-metre factory was converted for residential use in 2008, but sadly the building’s history and personality were lost in the process.”It had been turned into one of those super-modern, white stone villas that we have everywhere here in Finland – very mainstream and not at all what I like,” Nita tells. “The history and atmosphere were gone; you would never have guessed you were inside an old factory.”

Kitchen and dining area The table was built by a carpenter friend using 3.5m floorboards and Hay legs. The chairs are vintage and flea-market finds, while Artek pendants are suspended above.There had also been a severe lack of foresight into the surrounding climate and weather conditions, with mould and ground frost evident in the building’s foundations.And so Nita and Valtteri faced a harsh reality: if they wanted to bring the original factory vibes back and create a home that would withstand the extremes of all four of Finland’s seasons, they would have to tear everything down and start again.

Staircase Black metal bannisters were made by a friend, as was the console, which holds Nita’s collection of gin bottles, collected while travelling. The old front door was given a makeover courtesy of copper sheeting that was glued and hammered onto its surface. It makes a lasting impression on guests.Thankfully they had the full support of their friends and family. “My grandfather happens to be a construction foreman by trade, and when he took charge of the project, we knew it would all work out,” Nita recalls.

Living area It’s not often you find a motorbike sitting in a living room, but this 1950s Norton has belonged to Nita’s family for decades. Bertoia Diamond chairs have moved with the couple from home to home, the oriental rug was found at an auction and Nita commissioned a local metalsmith to make the coffee table frame, which she surfaced with white tiles.One of their close friends also assisted with the building and interior design, and over the course of 10 months they worked tirelessly to transform the building into a liveable loft. The modern plasterboard walls and limestone floors went straight into the skip bin,and the old ceilings and pillars were sandblasted to reveal a roughness that now plays an important role in the home.

Upstairs landing Industrial-style doors are used to play up the home’s factory history. The playful artwork by Ryan Callanan (aka RYCA) came from a London gallery.Nita had a clear vision of what she wanted: a functional layout, high ceilings, plenty of space for entertaining and lots of windows to let the light in. She chose hard-wearing materials such as treated concrete floors and marble benchtops, much to the delight of their son Helmer, who can cycle and skateboard across the living room floor to his heart’s content.

Bathroom “The walls are painted white because I couldn’t decide whether to tile them,” Nita admits. The large showerhead is from Tapwell and the rug was designed by Saana and Olli for Finnish brand Mum’s.To indulge her love of red brick walls and paned windows – and to showcase her enviable shoe and clothing collection – Nita designed a dressing room upstairs with a handmade brick wall and generous iron-framed window, which looks onto the living room below. “I based its design around my favourite shop and restaurant in Estonia called Sfaar,” she says. “It’s my space to hang out and drink tea while browsing my treasures.”

Living area A vintage Karuselli chair was a gift from Valterri to Nita, while the Moroccan Berber rug is Olli Ella.The home’s interiors are fun and full of meaning, and each piece comes with its own interesting story. For instance, the old motorbike that takes pride of place in the living room has been in Nita’s family for years and speaks to their passion for racing. And a blue floral porcelain sink in the bathroom is one that Nita saw and admired during a stay at the Story Hotel in Stockholm, and promptly bought for her own home.

Bright idea The walls and floors in the shower area adjacent to the sauna were moisture-proofed, then plastered and treated with layers of matt varnish. A deep window ledge is the perfect spot for Nita’s indoor plants.Designer furniture pieces sit atop vintage rugs found at flea markets, while books, magazines and artworks collected on their travels bring an extra layer of warmth to the rough industrial features and dramatic ceiling heights. The overall effect is one that is completely unique to this family, a true representation of their passions and obsessions.

Sauna The bench-lined sauna – a must in any Finnish home – was built from birch plywood.”When we woke up in our new home for the first time, the feeling was amazing,” Nita says. “The heating wasn’t working and we were freezing, but we couldn’t believe we’d managed to see the overhaul to the end without it becoming a disaster!”

Master bedroom Bedside tables came from a Samuji Studio moving sale, while Helmer’s first drawing is framed on his parents’ windowsill. The vintage rug was bought at auction, the linen is from Balmuir and the table lamp is by Jieldé.”I wish we’d ticked everything off the list when we had the chance. We are both classic-car enthusiasts and had plans to add a big metal-framed window between the hallway and garage so we can see our cars from inside the house,” says Nita. “The garage also needs some white tiles and funky neon signs. That’s something we regret not doing in the first place. It would’ve been easier to do it then, but now… so much dust!”Story courtesy of Living Inside.

Source: Homestolove.com.au