Lokal: Where do you draw inspiration from for the language of your design and the atmosphere of your spaces?

Hanni Koroma: “I get inspired to contemplate when I come across solutions that I don’t think work sustainably. The restlessness in our environments also inspires to look for calm, natural and balanced alternatives. It is good to study and analyse nature because it knows how to balance and emphasise in a great way the constantly living environment. Yes, everything around one activates the imagination.”

L: What are some important principles for you in material selection and manufacturing processes?

H.K.: “Genuine natural materials and, above all, types of wood are very close to me. I studied carpentry before I started studying interior architecture, so I understand the nature of trees better.”

L: Please tell us something about your new Lohkoja cabinets!

H.K.: At the construction site, I met the skilled pattern maker Antti Nousiainen, who had devoted himself to intarsia work. I got excited about the technique and wanted to try the possibilities with intarsia. The Lohkoja cabinet was created in collaboration with Antti. I became interested in researching how to get a versatile surface from one tree. Ash was well suited for this because its root pattern is very variable from a narrow line to a large curved shape. Ash also has large colour variations. For this Lohkoja cabinet, in addition to Ash, we chose Birch, which is so familiar to Finns. That gave us some calm surface.’

L: What made you want to work in interior architecture?

H.K.: “Even as a child I wanted to be an interior architect. My father was an architect and he wanted me to be an architect as well. However, in architecture, regulations and rules seemed to stifle creativity, and the artistic freedom of an interior architect interested me then and still now.”

Shop: Hanni Koroma’s Works

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