Home away from home

I visited this very special space for the first time, when it was still the headquarters of Artek. I was amazed by the special vibe – thick walls and labyrinth-like hallways that lead to different rooms, which all have their own atmosphere. Now this space is a home of Viinitie.  Viinitie is a high quality wine importer and distributor based in Helsinki, Finland, working in cooperation with wineries and breweries in Spain, Germany and France. Since it was founded in 2003, the mission of Viinitie has been to provide excellent products that represent their origin with the fact the portfolio has been produced with respect for the environment.

My design process this time is led by three things: 1) the inspiring, family-like feeling of Viinitie crew 2) the main idea of this brand is to represent unique, hearty wines with an inspiring story and background 3) A painting that CEO Toni Immanen ordered from Vincent Bakkum in the beginning of Viinitie story.

The obvious choice for the entrance hall colour in my mind was the dark sophisticated Merlot red. Naturally, when wine is the thing, we needed a bar at the entrance to greet the visitors. This piece of furniture was inherited from the neighbouring Hakola shop, when it was no longer in need after they moved to a new location. Work spaces at Viinitie are spread out along two corridors. The main corridor is now coloured with different shades of green and has a small reading nook on the way, finally leading to a relaxation room. The kitchen was also updated, and clearly this is an office that needed some sparkling mirror balls and naturally a cigar room. Like the Viinitie wines, this office holds a story in all the elements – including the flea market finds, some prototypes of unique design furniture, the Artek furniture and some quirky details. And the painting? Explore this space and you will spot that too! All the different shades used here in this office can be found in this special painting.

“Our everyday work revolves around some of the most interesting wines in the world. These wines have been produced with a strong artisanal hand-on approach, with a maximum respect towards the environment. The core of our beliefs are around environmental sustainability, respect for our producers’ diligent and precise work, and also feeling like home when at work. We felt, that our working environment needs to reflect this thinking more clearly. We love our location at the heart of the city, which makes it an easily accessible place for our customers. While feeling at home at work, we also wanted our working space to deliver a special feeling to our clients when visiting us. Organic materials, warmth and close attention to details where warranted when planning our office renovation together with Kelkkaprojekti. Our vision was followed through with an incredibly precise execution – we were very satisfied with the end result, and feel that we have now a highly functioning working space and the home we asked for.” Toni Immanen, CEO, Viinitie Oy