Butterflies in the Hamptons

Tiina Laakkonen, a former model and now a fashion stylist, grew up in Imatra, a small town in Finland. Her husband Jon spent his childhood summers in Amagansett, N.Y., and Tiina and Jon decided to buy a mid-20th-century house there, surrounded largely by working farms. The house had in fact been modeled on a potato barn, but it was in a huge state of neglect. With the help of some architects, the couple mapped out a house that looks as though two original barns and a more contemporary one have been connected by steel and glass walkways. The contemporary barn, a sleek white structure with a zinc roof and a poured concrete floor, is the heart of the house: kitchen, dining and main living areas all in one great room.

The house, Tiina says, is “full of Finland.” The couple travel there twice a year, and every room contains the spoils of their shopping sprees. No detail was left to chance: “I like when you can still see the person’s hand in things,” she says. “Anything that is made by hand will age better than something that has been manufactured. It’s the same for fashion.”

Source : T Magazine