How floors can inspire and stand out

Redefining floors with Hanna Anonen

Floors in public and commercial buildings need to be durable - but can they also serve as a canvas for creativity? Tikkurila partnered with Finnish designer Hanna Anonen to push boundaries of floor design, and the results were extraordinary. With a decade of experience and a solid background in carpentry and industrial design, Hanna’s work spans diverse creative disciplines, primarily focused on products and interiors. Known for her bold, playful approach and colourful aesthetics, she consistently challenges norms. The question was: could she bring life and aesthetics with concrete floor coatings?

Redefining floors with Hanna Anonen

“Curiosity fuels my drive to explore and experiment,” Hanna shares. “Though I’m familiar with Tikkurila, stepping into floor design was a new chapter for me. The chance to explore new creative opportunities with their products sparked my interest.”

Focusing on four core coating techniques - Marble Effect, Concrete Feel, Flakes Fusion, and Sticker Art - Hanna aimed to show how concrete floors could blend premium top coatings with artistic innovation in residential, commercial, and high-demand spaces.

Powerful design for demanding spaces

“Our process was fun, iterative, and hands-on, but before diving into design, I studied the products to understand their characteristics, possibilities, and limitations,” Hanna explains.

What could I draw inspiration from? Nail polish came to mind for its smooth flow, diverse colours, and hard surface. Surprisingly, sugar confections also fit the bill.

Hanna Anonen, Product and Interior designer from Helsinki

Creativity for everyday happiness

One challenge, according to Hanna, was finding the perfect shade for specific designs and environments. Here, Tikkurila’s colour card and system came in handy, guiding her toward bold, yet harmonious colour combinations and designs.

Overall, floor design plays a crucial role by enhancing physical and psychological comfort. The results speak for themselves. Ordinary grey surfaces have been transformed into creative canvases of colour, texture, and innovative design.

One of my goals is to make people smile when they see my work, and I believe this will do just that. It feels like we’ve bringing floor design to a higher level.

Hanna Anonen, Product and Interior designer from Helsinki