Janne Saarikko, friendly Finnish founder of Ekana Innovation and editor of Design Finland. "Minäkin luen PaperJamia Helsingissä!" – Finnish
T R AV E L L I N G
Helsinki – a city for all seasons Expect the unexpected when this month’s travelling guest, design crazy Janne Saarikko, proposes Finnish fun from a private shopping apartment to a bar completely made out of ice.
How much do you know about Helsinki? It is a little out of the way for many travellers, but that’s exactly its appeal. It is both unique in its culture and a world-class cosmopolitan city with plenty to offer. This month we are offered a tour by Janne Saarikko, founder and business creative of Ekana Innovation (www.ekana.fi), “a company specializing in creating first-in-the-industry business and marketing solutions.” He is also the editor of Design Finland – Finnish Design web publication (designfinland.blogs.com). Janne has been involved with exclusive marketing activities around the globe for over 15 years, serving successful companies such as Creative Labs, Bates Advertising, Saatchi & Saatchi, Toptronics and Direction Helsinki. Currently, Janne is involved with Finnish design companies promoting their products internationally, creating a new business concept for the construction industry and studying new methods to promote the Helsinki design scene internationally. Yet with his busy schedule, he is happy to propose some sites and sounds of Helsinki and his keen eye for design is evident in his recommendations. Oh, and like most Finns he enjoys hockey. “The Finnish National Hockey League is considered to be one of the best leagues in the world. Maybe the best ice hockey games in Europe,” he boasts. Let’s start with his favourite place to take a walk, the Carusel Café (Havstranden 10, + 358 (09) 622 45 22, Merisatamanranta 10, carusel@carusel.fi), an excellent seaside café 184
in the southern tip of Helsinki. There is free parking, free wireless Internet, great coffee and great food. “You can enjoy the open fireplaces and art exhibitions on the walls while being only 10 meters from the sea in the small boat harbour.” During the summer, this is a very popular summer terrace, and in the wintertime there are jazz concerts. Janne highly recommends taking a seaside walk to/from the Carusel Café “You won’t be the only one.” Janne also praises Hakaniemi closed market and Hakaniemi market place (www.hakaniemenkauppahalli.fi). “These are the best places for an authentic Finnish food shopping experience in Helsinki.” Situated side by side, they provide all the best food for professional chefs as well as home culinarists. “The soup bar in the closed market offers the best soups in the city!” For culture Janne recommends the “freshly” opened cultural complex in Espoo, just a
15 minute drive from downtown Helsinki. “At WeeGee you can visit five great museums with one ticket, including EMMA (Espoo Museum of Modern Art – maybe the best of its kind in Northern Europe), Espoo City Museum, the Finnish toy museum, the Finnish Museum of Horology (timepieces) and the Helinä Rautavaara Museum.) For shopping aficionados, a highly unusual concept is Ivana Helsinki private shopping (Franzeninkatu 21 A 7, www.ivanahelsinki.com or pirjo@ivanahelsinki.com). It is said that Ivana Helsinki clothes have “a soul of their own”. The famous Finnish designer, Paola Suhonen, transformed her previous apartment into a private shopping place. “Anyone can get a key and visit this home full of Ivana Helsinki products. Anytime, privately,” says Janne. There’s a sales person present part of the week (Wed-Fri 12 -6pm and Sat 12-4 pm) and at those times the store is open to anyone. (The only trick is to