One poppy to change your room: Marimekko floral pillow cover (Finland)

Many people in the North are afraid of strong colours. We build rooms with grey walls, white chairs, and wooden floors, and then we sit there and think it is a bit cold. But you do not need to repaint the whole house to fix this. A single, well-placed object with a brave design can do all the heavy lifting.

The Marimekko Pieni Unikko cotton pillow cover in red and white is a very sensible choice for this task. It is made from heavy cotton canvas, which means it can survive daily life on the sofa without losing its shape or looking tired after a few weeks.

The red colour is intense but not aggressive, balance being kept by the clean white background. It behaves like a piece of functional art for your furniture. You get the benefits of a bold design expression without the commitment of a large, expensive piece of furniture.

Marimekko has a quite interesting history from Finland. The founder, Armi Ratia, actually banned floral patterns in the beginning because she thought a flower could never be as beautiful as a real one in nature. But the designer Maija Isola ignored this rule in 1964 and drew the Unikko pattern anyway, out of protest. It became their most famous design, showing that sometimes it pays off not to listen to the boss.

This Marimekko red & white floral throw pillow is also available on Amazon.