Kitchen & bar by Maannos

Kitchen & Bar by Maannos is the newest addition to the hip Punavuori district in the southwestern part of downtown Helsinki. Located in a historical building, parts of which date back to 1898, and home to different media and creative offices, the new space was designed by Laura Seppänen Design Agency. Honouring both the historical bones of the building and the owners Elmo Luoma-aho and Jouni Rahikainen's food philosophy, Finnish designer Laura Seppänen has applied her clean and contemporary Scandinavian design aesthetic.

Maannos offers diners a seasonal menu of largely vegetable-based dishes, using produce that has been almost exclusively grown in Finland. When translated from Finnish, the restaurant's name refers to the first and supposedly most fertile layer of soil. This was interior designer Laura Seppänen's starting point for establishing an aesthetic for the restaurant, which she decided to complete in colours akin to materials like soil, mud, clay, sand, and other elements of nature. "As a designer I wanted to combine three things: the old industrial building, the owner's food philosophy, and modern Scandinavian design," said Seppänen.

Laura decided to keep the restaurant's existing concrete floors and an exposed brick rear wall. Remaining surfaces have been washed with plaster made from travertine, a type of limestone deposited by mineral springs, which leaves a chalky, pale grey finish. Bare pipes on the ceiling have also been freshened up with white paint.

Emerald green and deep blue Beetle chairs by Danish brand Gubi have been dotted throughout the space to reflect Finland's verdant landscape and abundance of lakes. "The jute carpet and ochre coloured sofa remind me of a cornfield," the designer added. Metallic touches are provided by the circular brass wall lamps and a chunky, mirrored coffee table that sits near the restaurant's entrance.

Laura Seppänen Design Agency