Inviting Warmth and Harmony to the Bustling Airport Environment 

Balmuir launched the upgraded store concept in the Helsinki airport as a part of a wider store concept renewal project.

Balmuir Experiences Cater to all Senses

Balmuir lifestyle collection is carefully curated for each season with feeling and harmony as priority. The goal of the updated concept is to bring the same natural materials and harmony to the whole Balmuir customer experience from start to finish with the use of natural materials and colours. The material choices of the store include for example wool, wood and composite materials.

Balmuir aims to offer experiences to its customers that cater to all senses. The experience-centred approach is strongly present at the Balmuir stores as well. A multisensory experience is created by using scents, colours, soundscape, lighting as well as different natural materials.

The design team of Balmuir created the new store concept in partnership with the best experts of the field. Sustainability, Finnishness, as well as quality and durability of the materials were big weighing factors in choosing partners for the project. With the assistance of our partners, the new concept was brought to life for the first time in Balmuir’s new store: Balmuir Concept Store Helsinki Airport.

The furnishing of the store was done in collaboration with Finnish TJT-Kaluste and Luomoa.

Natural Partership with Luomoa

Luomoa was a natural choice for a partner in the project with a shared love for natural materials. The partition walls and fitting rooms were built with a completely new method of indoor building. The modular partition walls of Luomoa enabled the use of circular economy in the building of the interior, while fulfilling the specific demands of surface coating and quality of the interior. The walls received a finishing touch with the ecological Luomoa M² wall panels, which allowed the integration of various functions and devices required by the new store concept, while also allowing modifications based on future needs. Acoustic panels were used to enhance the acoustically challenging environment of the airport. Recycled wool and oak were chosen as the materials for the panels to comply with the carefully curated colour palette of the new store concept.

Harmoniuous from Walls to Furniture with TJT-kaluste

The goal of the new Balmuir store concept was to design a harmonious and complete whole from walls to furniture. TJT-Kaluste, a long-time building partner of Balmuir, helped us fulfil this goal. TJT-Kaluste is authentically a Finnish company from production to the finish. TJT-Kaluste assisted not only with the instore furniture, but the building and installation of the furniture as well. TJT-Kaluste considered all the requirements of the space while creating a polished look for the interior.

To achieve a continuous and harmonious look for the store, we used DuPont Corian material, which repeated in walls and furnishing throughout the décor. Corian is a durable, high-quality composite material, which combines natural minerals with the density and flexibility of premium acryl. Due to this durability, the material was the perfect choice for countertops. The material was provided to us by Nomart, which represents the DuPont Corian in Finland.

Carefully Chosen Lighting and Ceiling with Sisätila Design & Interior Architecture

One of the key points in designing the new store concept was to use lighting to create a warm and inviting atmosphere in the store. Additionally, we wanted the design of the lighting and ceiling to create an airy and spacious sensation to the store. Sisätila Design & Interior Architecture was chosen as the partner in charge of assisting with the design of the ceiling and lighting. In building the ceiling, Balmuir partnered with Finstudio. The innovative and eco-friendly stretch ceiling adapts to various shapes and spaces, thereby creating an immaculate finish and enabling personalised lighting options. In addition to the traditional spotlights, we incorporated a fixture of Finnish Innolux lights as an eye-catching centre piece. The Innolux lights were chosen because of their timeless Scandinavian style, quality and functionality.

In designing the flooring, we upheld the same principles with a focus on durability and Finnishness. Resta-Lattiat provided the perfect solutions to the needs of the new store concept. The floor material of the store was chosen from the selection of Hellsten Flooring. The Nordic Tuuli Flooring® material that was chosen has received its inspiration from the arctic tranquillity as well as the shapes and colours present in the Nordic nature. The high-quality, woven material ensures longevity as well as vibrancy, elevating the comfort of the space.

Harmony as the Priority

Harmony is prioritised in everything we do, which is why it was important for us to create a warm, relaxing and home-like environment in the store that is in the heart of the busy airport. We specifically allocated a space for a lounge group, where the customers can sit down and enjoy the atmosphere with a cup of coffee. The space was framed with a beautiful, premium wool rug from Rols Carpets. The furniture chosen for the space comprised the December launch chairs and April coffee table from Nikari, which elegantly combine leather and wood. The furniture by Nikari were the perfect choice for the space, as the design studio advocates good, harmonious life and asserts high value on authentic, natural materials, sustainable manufacture as well as a serene lifestyle of quality. More so, Balmuir and Nikari both share an appreciation for craftmanship that incorporates the finest materials and inherited knowledge and skill.

Explore the new store. The information and opening hours can be found here: