Hamptons tastemaker Tiina Laakkonen talks Picky Nicky through her favourite things

Six years after opening Tiina the Store in Amagansett in the Hamptons, Tiina Laakkonen is adding an extra 100 sq m of retail space. Completing just in time for the summer, the newly constructed clapperboard barn, with a raised seam zinc roof, sits out the back of her painted veranda-fronted shop housed in a building dating from the 1800s.

Most retailers faced with a 66 per cent increase in floor space would order more merchandise to sell. But not Laakkonen. Instead she is relishing the opportunity to give her expertly curated stock more space. Instead of maximising sales per sq m, like most number-focused businesses, Laakkonen has chosen to focus on display and improving the environment, allowing her to create a better experience for her clients. The product gets to breathe more, and Laakkonen gets to be all obsessive about the customer experience, how they enter and move around. There’s also a dedicated area where people can gather and sit during their visits.

Rain supreme: Aliki van der Krujis has captured real raindrops in the Fukusen blue glaze of her Arita-made porcelain plates for Thomas Eyck. €370, thomaseyck.com. Illustration: Danae Diaz

Faye Toogood was commissioned to design bespoke display elements, which are mixed with vintage furniture from Finland. The design of the new build and interior has been overseen by Laakkonen and her husband Jon Rosen, together with local architect Blaze Makoid. The pair, who are very picky about lighting, collaborated with lighting designer Heather Libonati, whose work for the Shulamit Nazarian gallery in LA they first spotted in Wallpaper. And – just so you get quite how picky they are – Rosen, who has a background in photography post-production, set up a testing centre in the basement of their home to try out all the options with products. So you will never look better than in one of Laakkonen’s new fitting rooms.

What makes Tiina the Store so unique, and earns Laakkonen the top tastemaker award in the picked-by-Nicky list, is that, rather than focusing on what she sees as ubiquitous ‘fast luxury’, a ‘tired concept’ that she rejects outright, she looks instead to makers rather than brands, and for objects and pieces she believes have real value, integrity and longevity. I see her in Paris during fashion week but not at the shows or big brand showrooms – she’s not interested in all that marketing and gloss. Instead, she uses her curiosity, honed over years as a stylist and fashion editor, to search out ‘beautifully crafted pieces made by real people who combine contemporary design with traditional artisanal skill’. She has the guts, taste and experience to do that exceptionally well. I call this ordering off menu, and sometimes it’s the only way to do it.

What I am reading: Please Do Not Touch (And Other Things You Could Not Do At Moss, The Design Store That Changed Design), by Murray Moss and Franklin Getchell. $55, rizzoliusa.com. Illustration: Danae Diaz

A few of Tina’s favourite things

Cashmere knits by LA-based brand The Elder Statesman

Clothing by Tokyo label Arts & Science

Tailoring by Bergfabel from South Tyrol

Textiles and clothing by South Korean designer Christina Kim’s LA-based Dosa label

Denis Colomb’s soft cashmere homewares, woven in Nepal

Shirtdresses and tunics by Indian brand Péro

Traditional shibori-dyed knitwear by Suzusan from Arimatsu, Japan

Lena Rewell’s colourful mohair blankets, handwoven in Finland

Sandals by Álvaro, crafted in Florence

Isaac Reina’s leather goods, made in Paris

Scarves by Scottish brand Begg & Co

Workwear by London-based brand Toogood

Homewares by Finnish brands Iittala and Artek

Jewellery by New York-based designer Maria Beaulieu

As originally featured in the June 2018 issue of Wallpaper (W*231)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Tiina the Store website