Marimekko: In Patterns (Chronicle Books, September 2014). Marimekko is widely celebrated for its recognizable patterns. This volume overviews the Finnish brand's over-50-year history as a powerhouse in the design world.

Ginkgo This delicate pattern was designed by Kristina Isola, daughter of Maija Isola, in 2008. Kristina learned the craft at her mother's knee, watching as Maija sketched textile patterns. "My mother taught me to be methodical and to plan my work beforehand," recalls Kristina. "I also learned that you don't have to see work as a necessary evil. It can be enjoyable." Today Kristina works her own daughter, Emma, continuing the Isola family legacy within Marimekko. The pair have recently created new colorways for Maija Isola's Mehilaispesa (which means "bee hive" in Finnish) pattern from 1961.

Lappuliisa Created in 2010 by designer Maija Louekari, Lappuliisa is but one of Louekari's many designs. In her other patterns, she often expresses a focus on urban and rural landscapes. "When I began an Marimekko, I knew very little about textile printing. I've learned a lot from the people at Marimekko's artwork studio over the years—especially what you can and can't do with textile print design," she says. It was when she was learning to use the technique of overlapping colors to create new shades that she developed Lappuliisa. "The design came to me after seeing old pot holders at flea markets," she recalls. "Traditional potholders can be incredibly colorful as people used leftover yarn to knit or crochet them."

Another print from the collection, called Meriheinä, depicts a kind of sea grass.

The owners of this home selected a geometric-patterned glass tile backsplash by Island Stone. The glass tile keeps the space bright, and the pattern adds interest.

A peek inside the master bedroom, with touches of marigold yellow throughout.

A close-up of the Meriheinä print.

Iso Suomu Created in 1966 by designer Annika Rimala, Iso Suomu is a versatile pattern that is a mainstay in today's fashions from Marimekko. Rimala's sartorial creations regularly appeared on the covers of international fashion magazines in the 1960s, including Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, and Elle. Rimala worked for Marimekko from 1960-1982 and her work continues to inspire contemporary fashion designers.

Benedetta's son's bedroom, which is on the second floor of the villa. The bed is her own design.

Master Bath Casale and Crofton’s bedroom is configured as a casual open suite, with a sliding aluminum screen as the only barrier separating an adjacent bathroom and walk-in closet. The screen’s dappled, lacelike pattern was designed by Fiyel Levent, a local artist and architect. Bischoff handed her design to a metalworker, who then carved it into aluminum with a digital laser cutter. It runs on a track in front of a partial wall covered in wallpaper by Neisha Crosland. The vanity, designed and built in the MADE studio, sits atop the legs from an antique refrigerator that Bischoff and his team found in a junkyard. Calacatta mosaic tile, another MADE leftover, lines the floor of the shower (not shown). The firm had a limited surplus, so the amount of tile available dictated the shower stall’s footprint. “We have a keen understanding of the challenges presented by integrating the new with the existing,” Bischoff says of his approach. “We took this blank canvas and tailored it to the needs that Dawn and Dave had for their home. The result is fresh and unique but retains the patina of the many parts from which it was made.”

Metsanvaki (Forest Folk) "I designed this pattern when my daughter was building her own home and I spent a lot time with my granddaughters," says Kristina Isola of the pattern she created in 2007. "We would wander off to a nearby forest clearing. There we would sit down, eat our lunch, and drink warm berry juice. I looked on as my granddaughters pretended some fallen trees were crocodiles lurking by the river bank…I feel happy in a forest, as if I were visiting a dear friend."

A patterned steel frame serves as a front wall to the street, allowing for light and noise to penetrate the interior. The owners were adamant about the importance of integrating the culture and traditions of Saigon into their home, hoping their children would grow up with a knowledge of and appreciation for the city.

Marimekko's iconic Unikko pattern celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

Known for his use of bold color and innovative forms, Verner Panton designed the Panton Chair for Vitra in 1960. Interested in the capability of plastic, Panton designed the chair to be comfortable and versatile enough to be used anywhere. The Panton Chair is the first chair to be created from only one piece of material, using a single mold, and it will be a welcome addition to any midcentury lover’s home.

Marimekko's spring/summer 2015 home collection, the work of Finnish artist Kustaa Saksi, features patterns and products inspired by the sea.

Räsymatto bedding by Marimekko in the studio is complemented by a green Anglepoise lamp from Sydney boutique Planet Furniture.

Made from a linen and cotton blend, the tea towel owns a chill retro vibe thanks to its bold graphics. $20 from usstore.marimekko.com.

The Lumimarja print by Marimekko.

Unikko coated cotton fabric $59 Unikko (poppy) was born in 1964 shortly after Armi Ratia had announced that Marimekko would never print a floral pattern. Maija paid no heed to Armi’s decree and designed an entire collection of floral patterns in protest. One of them was Unikko, a true icon of the future.

Puketti coated cotton fabric $40 The Puketti (bouquet) pattern from 1965 is a true Marimekko icon. Its minimalistic design language reflects functinalism, a key principle in Annika Rimala’s work.

Kuuskajaskari linen fabric$66.45 Brilliant panoramas. Bring the splendor of rainfalls and sun rays to the home all year long. This stunning fabric complements Marimekko's new, exquisite Weather Diary collection inspired by the beautiful autumnal nature of Finland.

Attika cotton fabric$48.69 Consisting of large colour blocks, the Attika print from 1959 is one of the bold graphic prints of Maija Isola.

Kuuskajaskari linen fabric $66.45 Brilliant panoramas. Bring the splendor of rainfalls and sun rays to the home all year long. This stunning fabric complements Marimekko's new, exquisite Weather Diary collection inspired by the beautiful autumnal nature of Finland.

Twisti cotton fabric $136.21 Named after a popular schoolyard game, Twisti (twist) takes us back to childhood summers.

Pähkinäpuu cotton fabric $35.94 The Pähkinäpuu print from 1974 exemplifies Katsuji Wakisaka’s close relationship to Japanese design tradition.

Taapeli cotton fabric $100.27 The quilt-like Taapeli (pile of boards) pattern takes us through the forest and all the way to a saw mill. There logs are being sawn into boards and placed in piles, or “taapeli” in Finnish, to dry.

In the Spotlight“I’m a huge proponent of lighting as architecture,” says Nix, who suggests illuminating objects instead of empty space. “Light on an object creates ambiance.” In their apartment, they’ve trained track lights from the Polish company LightArt on the Cube, as well as on the handmade cabinetry. The fixtures, which Novak-Zemplinski describes as “good quality and inexpensive in comparison to more well-known brands,” are also installed at the MoMA in New York. lightart.pl Practical DecorationOne of the secrets to living neatly in a small apartment, says Nix, is lots of storage space. To that end, the couple built big cabinets along the walls. To create a sense of visual unity throughout the eclectic but compact space, the couple hand-carved the tree pattern from the kitchen into these cabinet doors (from a template) using an electric router. It’s more than ornament: The cutouts eliminate the need for jutting cabinet pulls. biolinia.com

In the kitchen, the showstopping ceiling’s herringbone pattern is echoed by the terra-cotta tiles on the floor. Architect Michael O’Sullivan, who designed the steel-and-glass kitchen cabinets, the table, and the pendant lights (made by Lava Glass), further amped up the richness of the room by specifying an onyx kitchen island. Interior designer Yvette Jay, a collaborator and classmate of O’Sullivan, kept her material palette “tight and limited. I had to restrict myself so that everything here ties in with the architecture.”

In the home of Dwell founder Lara Hedberg Deam, her child's room features Maija & Kristina Isola's Sola bedding for Marimekko.

The back cover of Marimekko’s catalog from the early ’60s.

Pro and Con(crete) For Whitlock, using concrete for the first floor was an inexpensive alternative to stone, wood, or tile. “I just poured the foundation and it gave me my finished floor,” Whitlock says. “Way simpler!”

Little matters more in manufacturing than having your information straight. Read on and read up. We’ve got you covered.

As for the interior detailing, “In contemporary construction you have a layered approach to materials. Everything is on top of something else. We tried to avoid that.” Indeed, the house’s materials are few and hardy: polished concrete, maple, and Douglas fir, and white walls with a few bold accents of green and blue.

The recipe for each color is attached to its corresponding fabric swatch, and after the designer chooses the right combination, the recipes are sent to the color kitchen. Some colors, such as beige and gray tones, are more difficult to produce than others; turquoise is notorious for sticking poorly to fabrics. “We have our trade secrets that ensure that the colors work,” says Anu-Mari Salmi, the production manager.