Interiors

Selection of private, public and commercial interiors made in Finland and in Germany.

LE CABANON
Location: Heidingsfeld, Würzburg, Germany
Client: Private
Status: Commission, design, completed 2025
Program: Renovation of an existing building with an apartment and garage from 1963-1964
Use: One-room apartment with a new kitchen and renewed bathroom
Size: 37 m2 (building) + 37 m2 (garage)
Site area: 2000 m2
Gross floor area: 36,79 m2
Floor area: 28,47 m2
Materials: Terazzo, linoleum, ceramic tiles, wood
Design: Juhani Karanka / FINGERARCHITECTURE

LE CABANON is a delicate renovation project aimed at upgrading an existing building from 1963-1964 to modern standards of living. The original one-room apartment is above a garage, and has still most of the 60's materials and details intact. The renovation will include adding a new kichen, renewing the existing bathroom and interior surfaces while keeping as much as possible of the original materials and details in place. This approach is important, as the client has dementia, and his memories are dependable on these objects. Interestingly enough, we can save and reuse most of the existing, and only renew the basic technical installations and some of the surfaces that simplz have come to the end of their lifecycle.

LE CABANON is inspired by a small, minimalist cabin designed by Le Corbusier in 1951. Located in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin on the French Riviera, it served as Le Corbusier's personal retreat and is considered to be a forerunner to the "tiny house" movement.

AURORA
Location: Würzburg, Germany
Client: Private
Status: Design 2019, completed 2019
Program: Interior design of the private apartment in modern Nordic and German Styles
Use: Private apartment with kitchen, bathroom and 4 rooms
Size: 
Site area: 
Gross floor area: 90 m2
Floor area: 85m2
Materials: Terazzo, linoleum, ceramic tiles, wood
Design: Juhani Karanka / FINGERARCHITECTURE

Interior design in Nordic style for a private apartment in a 1960s residential building. White walls with a Pacific Blue accent, German full oak furniture combined with Finnish design and lamps by Alvar Aalto, Eero Aarnio and Sekto.

FIN-GER Finnish-German Concept Store
Location: Bürgerbräu, Würzburg, Germany
Client: FIN-GER GbR
Status: Design 2014, completed 2015
Program: Interior design of tiny space
Use: Store and creative space
Size:  33 m2
Site area: -
Gross floor area: 35 m2
Floor area: 33 m2
Materials: Old brick, whitewash, steel, wood and concrete
Design: Juhani Karanka / FINGERARCHITECTURE

Concept, brand and interior design for FIN-GER Finnish-German Concept Store in a 3 meter wide and 4 meter high shared creative space at Bürgerbräu Old Brewery.

ROMULUS
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Client: Private
Status: Design 2014, completed 2014
Program: Interior design of private apartment
Use: Kitchen, bathroom, and 3 rooms
Size:  70 m2
Site area: -
Gross floor area: 72 m2
Floor area: 70 m2
Materials: Remade old brick, white walls, wood floors
Design: Juhani Karanka / FINGERARCHITECTURE

Interior design for a private hipster apartment in a 1920s courtyard building in Kallio, Helsinki. As all the windows open up towards northeast, the natural daylight plays an important role. The white and monocromatic colours (light gray á la Carl Ludwig Engel) emphasize the Nordic mood all-year round. For this interior design, only one A3-sheet of paper was needed. The hand-drawn sketch included the ideas, dimensions, materials, and details that the workmen used for the renovation work. Oh, and a small smudge from the Silvaner white wine spilled over during the hectic sketching session together with the owner of the apartment. Now the sketch is framed and on the wall in the kitchen as evidence that things can be made simple.

NEMO
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Client: Private
Status: Design 2013, completed 2013
Program: Interior design of private apartment in low-cost recycling
Use: Kitchen, bathroom, and a living room
Size:  65 m2
Site area: -
Gross floor area: 65 m2
Floor area: 60 m2
Materials: Upcycled and recycled furniture combined with light interior colours
Design: Juhani Karanka / FINGERARCHITECTURE

Interior design for a ground floor apartment in a Jugend Style residential building by architect Sigurd Frosterus.

TIETO
Location: Tampere, Finland
Client: Finnish Building Information Ltd - Rakennustieto Oy
Status: Design 2008, completed 2009
Program: Interior design of a professional book shop
Use: Kitchen, bathroom, and a living room
Size:  125 m2
Site area: -
Gross floor area: 125 m2
Floor area: 120 m2
Materials: Folding ceilings with integrated technology, white wood floors, walls and ceilings
Design: Juhani Karanka & Titta Tamminen / ArkkitehtuuriAteljee Karanka & Tamminen

Monochromatic, multistorey bookshop interior for the Building Information Ltd (Rakennustieto).

ORIGAMI
Location: Tampere, Finland
Client: Neopac Metsä-Serla cardboard factory
Status: Design 1996, completed 1997
Program: Interior design of the main marketing space
Use: Marketing, presentations, meetings, contract signing
Size:  200 m2
Site area: -
Gross floor area: 205 m2
Floor area: 200 m2
Materials: Folding walls made out of brown cardboard from the Neopac cardboard factory, design furniture
Design: Juhani Karanka / Atelier Karanka

Interior design for the main marketing and exhibition space at the Neopac Metsä-Serla cardboard factory. The invited competition was won with an idea of using the factory’s own products - corrugated cardboard - as the surface material. A wide range of different cardboards were used, fineliner for details, heavyload for walls, and water resistant pizza-packaging for the kitchen. Also some furniture, light fixtures, objects, vitrines were produced following the same principle. And all were fixed to the background veneer boards with double-sided tape! As an architectural contrast to the rational factory building, the intimate, warm interior was a positive surprise to personnel and visitors alike.

URRILA
Location: Tampere, Finland
Client: Private
Status: Design 1986, completed 1988
Program: Interior design in Finnish Jugend Style
Use: Residential
Size:  144 m2
Site area: -
Gross floor area: 144 m2
Floor area: 140 m2
Materials: Following the original ideas from Jugend, original interiors conserved and renovated, remade details, original furniture
Design: Juhani Karanka / Atelier Karanka

Interior design and renovation of an original Jugend Style apartment for a private family. The design approach was to follow architect Birger Federlay‘s footsteps, and "let him guide the pen on paper". The finished interior compliments the exterior of this beautiful residential building (Tuomisen kivimuuri / Stonewall of Tuominen, 1914) by Federlay which is located next to Lars Sonck‘s Tampere Cathedral.