scandinavian design

Everyone likes receiving mail and everyone likes receiving gifts – so we were super happy recently to receive a gift in the mail from Danish clothing company Småfolk.

One thing we noticed when we moved to Finland is how many children wear bright patterns on their clothes.

Perhaps it’s to counteract the long dark winters, or all the surrounding adults in our long dark jackets – whatever it is, we like it but have yet to really embrace it for Miko.

So he and I were both super happy with his gifts from Småfolk, which included three tops, some underwear and a pair of rubber boots.

Anyone who’s been shopping for children will know that girls have it so much easier when it comes to variety and style.

I love it that Småfolk designs allow boys to move away from traditional prints with wannabe slogans to do with surfing or trucks.

Their patterns echo the clothes of the 70’s, when they say, children were allowed to be kids. As well as bold colours they incorporate animals, flowers, fruit, vehicles and tools.

They also use quality fabric, in accordance with the Oeko-Tex Standard, which tests for chemicals used in production that can harm the skin and the environment. Fabrics are also tested for colour fastness and must have a skin-friendly pH value.

We love the boots they sent as his old ones recently cracked and we have been told he’ll need them when we go blueberry picking next week.

These items were obviously gifted but I genuinely thank Småfolk for sending us cool quality clothes that still look good after several washes.

I’m looking forward to exploring more of their range on their online store as the cooler months approach.

These clothes were gifted yet all opinions are my own, as is the child that appears in the photos. Huge shout out to anyone who has ever got a three-year old to pose for photographs too. We all know how hard it is to work with them, but did you know how hard it is to shoot them?

I went on an island adventure the other day. Well, I walked to Lauttasaari, an island about 3km from the city centre and connected by a wide bridge. The sea looked amazing as I crossed over, the mild temperatures evident in the partially frozen water.

Home to just over 20,000 residents and the Finnish Sauna Society, Lauttasaari is about 4km square in size. I walked around one side and back along the coast relishing the rarely shining sun.

And then the most amazing thing happened. I came across a village of mini houses, set amongst the trees.

I was stunned. Painted in different colours these tiny houses were set evenly apart and looked well-loved but as though all the residents had simply up and left.

I marvelled at how tiny they were, just a minute’s walk from the beach and it was surprising to see that some even had chimneys!

They are of course kesämökit (summer cottages), a huge part of Finnish life. Helsinki city empties over summer as nearly every Finnish family heads to theirs. Even with the long winters, on average Finns use their summer cottages 80 days of the year.

It’s amazing to see photos of the same cottages in summer here – the difference in the landscape is incredible and you’ll even see this cottage with the same dress hanging in the window.

Apparently in the 1920s, the City of Helsinki offered poorer residents tents so they could experience summer vacations. Soon people began to ask to be allowed to build something sturdier and in 1946 an architect created a single design for the cottages, which were allowed to be 12 square metres in size. The residents own the cottage, there is no electricity, water is only turned on in summer and there are shared outdoor toilets (Source: Green Hearts).

We’ve yet to experience a holiday in a kesämökki and I can’t wait to see inside – although these tiny cottages are not typical of most summer cottages in Finland. But I’ll be sure to visit again in summer when the leaves and grass have grown back and they are once again full of life.