Kuurna pop-up restaurant opens at Helsinki Design Week’s Main Venue, in a collaboration with Finnish Design Shop
The main venue for Helsinki Design Week (HDW) 2025 is Suomitalo on Lönnrotinkatu. For four days from 10–13 September, a restaurant serving seasonal Finnish ingredients will open on the fifth floor. The interior will be furnished by Finnish Design Shop along with new pieces from Danish manufacturer HAY.
Suomitalo, HDW’s main venue, is a commercial building completed in 1911. It is located in the heart of Helsinki, next to the Old Church Park. Over ten days, the building’s fourth floor will host the international exhibition HAPPINESS — Can happiness be designed?, curated by Anniina Koivu, along with a series of installations inspired by the festival’s annual theme Celebration, a workshop space by Reaktor, and numerous discussions and launch events. The HDW wine bar will also serve guests on the fourth floor throughout the festival.
Later in the week, a unique temporary restaurant will open on the fifth floor to celebrate HDW’s 20th anniversary, created together with friends of HDW. The restaurant partner is Kuurna, a classic restaurant on Meritullinkatu also celebrating its 20th year.
“It is a joy and an honour to celebrate our shared birthdays with HDW. This collaboration is meaningful to us in many ways: we feel both of our small family businesses share a passion for making Helsinki a better city and a desire to highlight the everyday beauty, joy and craftsmanship found here. We are excited to welcome guests into an architecturally stunning space where people can enjoy dinner together and experience Helsinki from a new perspective,” say Kuurna’s owners Laura Styyra and Tom Hansen.
HDW Programme Director Anni Korkman continues: “As we celebrate our anniversary, we’re looking ahead – but it’s also fun to reminisce. In 2022 our main venue was Kanavaranta 5, where we partnered with Kuurna to open a festival restaurant on the rooftop of the Sugar Cube. It was a great success and we hope it left a lasting memory for many. We are thrilled to be working again with Kuurna’s wonderful team – it feels like coming home. Twenty years is a significant milestone for anyone, and it’s fantastic to also celebrate with our friends at the Finnish Design Shop.”
The menu will feature Kuurna classics from the past two decades. Dinner focuses on fish and vegetarian dishes, with ingredients including Finnish fish and organic fruit and vegetables sourced from Kuurna’s own greengrocer at Hakaniemi Market Hall.
The restaurant’s spatial design is led by designer Lauri Johansson. Furnishings are provided by Finnish Design Shop, the world’s largest online store for Nordic design, which is also just celebrating its 20th anniversary.
“Twenty years is a remarkable achievement, so we are especially delighted to celebrate Helsinki Design Week’s birthday together. Naturally, we both share a passion for spreading the message of Nordic design – and where better to do so than around a shared meal in beautiful architectural surroundings,” says Managing Director Noora Tirkkonen.
From its extensive selection of over 300 brands, Finnish Design Shop has chosen HAY furniture and tableware for the dining experience.
“HAY’s playful style fits perfectly with the pop-up’s festive yet relaxed nature. We are also excited to provide some visual delight by setting the table with the new La Pittura collection by artist Emma Kohlmann,” Tirkkonen adds.
The atmosphere will be harmonious yet colourful, combining Finnish Design Shop’s products with the historic architecture of the 1911 building. The main façade was designed by architect Armas Lindgren, with floor plans by Onni Tarjanne.
Miro-Benjamin Lindström of WWW Contemporary has curated an impressive selection of Finnish contemporary art for the space. “The restaurant will feature a collection that showcases artists from WWW’s catalogue, celebrating Suomitalo’s spirit as well as HDW’s 20th anniversary. The diversity of the works reflects the richness and variety of practices among our represented artists.”
Kuurna’s pop-up restaurant at Helsinki Design Week will be open from 10–13 September. There will be two seatings daily: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 5 pm and 8.30 pm, and Saturday at 4 pm. A four-course dinner (€85) will be served, with a wine pairing (€55) or a non-alcoholic pairing (€45).
Table reservations are now open for dinner, but the fourth-floor bar does not take bookings. Reservations open on 21 August at 9 am and can only be made via an online form. Tables are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that the seating is mostly arranged around large communal tables, where several parties dine next to each other.
The fourth-floor HDW Wine Bar will also feature Kuurna delicacies, with bar snacks provided by Klaava, a new wine bar that has just opened next door. HDW’s partner Viinimaa has selected wines from Pasqua and Zonin. Guests will also experience the WWW Contemporary-curated art exhibition at the wine bar, which likewise does not take reservations. Furnishings are provided by Artek. Entry is provided with an exhibition ticket.