I wish I lived here: A nordic home by Vitra and Artek

During a sunny Saturday last week, I visited the relatively unknown Villa Hager on the Vitra campus in Weil am Rhein, near Basel. It is my dream house, three storeys of designs by the Finnish masters – Aalto, Tapiovaara, Kukkapuro – as well as contemporary designers such as Konstantin Grcic, Hella Jongerius, and Barber Osgerby, all curated by Artek for an imaginary family of four. The idea is to showcase Vitra furniture alongside Artek products for the first time in one unique but seemingly real-life setting (Vitra acquired Artek last September).

When I visited, the sun was streaming in, showing off the simple shapes and strong patterns of the designs, some familiar, others new this year. There’s a multi-functional kitchen with a dining table set for eight, alongside a vintage Aalto poster and the Bouroullec’s inviting turquoise sofa (one of my favourite rooms). Meanwhile, the living room is divided into two, with Aalto’s chairs clad in a racy zebra print and a new shelving system-cum-room divider by Barber & Osgerby. A small side room, even sunnier than the rest of the house, cleverly uses Bouroullec’s Corniche shelves for plants and succulents. Upstairs, there’s some brilliant solutions for children’s bedrooms as well as a new office chair by Konstantin Grcic called Rival for Artek. What with the fresh bunches of flowers in the Aalto vases and the design books dotted about the place, I could definitely see myself living here.

Find out how to get to Vitra in Weil am Rhein and all the visitor information here

Above: the cosy living room, mainly monochrome with pops of primary colours yellow and red. Below: the kitchen, which provides a nook for a Bouroullec sofa. I love the juxtaposition of an old vintage painting with modern products and a graphic poster.

Below: the sunniest room of the house: a small conservatory-like space.

All images my own