hasan & partners has created the name and visual identity for Taulu, a new landmark restaurant opening in one of the most iconic spaces at Helsinki Central Railway Station.
Following a long and extensive renovation, the station’s historic arched hall has been brought back to life as a contemporary restaurant for everyone, deeply rooted in Finnish cultural history.
The identity and name draw directly from the monumental painting dominating the space: Maisema Kolilta by Eero Järnefelt. Measuring five by eight metres, the 40-square-metre artwork is among the largest canvas paintings in Finland and has watched over generations of travellers since its installation in the station’s first-class waiting hall in 1923.
Painted in 1911 together with A. W. Finch and Ilmari Aalto, the Koli landscape has now been fully conserved for the first time in over a century. With its restored colours and renewed depth, the painting once again radiates the intensity of Finland’s national landscape.
The restaurant’s name and identity are built around this artwork, treating it as a cultural frame rather than a decorative backdrop for people to meet, enjoy and connect.
The result is an identity that respects the weight of history while giving the space a clear, contemporary voice. The design intentionally steps back where the art speaks loudest, allowing the painting and the people to define both the name Taulu and the atmosphere of the restaurant.
Taulu reconnects one of Helsinki’s most recognisable interiors with its original significance, transforming it into a modern public gathering place where art, architecture and everyday dining meet.
