PHENOMENON: Kuuma

The sweetest siblings in Helsinki, Wia and Tara Nyman, run the town’s hottest café in Punavuori.

The café is on the corner of Albertinkatu and Pursimiehenkatu. Daylight floods in through the large windows and the place is brimming with customers. Wia and Tara swish through the clientele to bring you coffee, avocado sandwiches and all-day breakfasts. A fairly typical day in Kuuma (Hot in English).

It has been a long-time dream for the sisters to run a café together, and as soon as the perfect cornershop was on the market, Wia and Tara leapt at the chance. “We wanted to open a café that would employ both of us, so we could do things together as it seems to work out so well. We didn’t think for long, although we were obviously nervous because the space is so big,” Tara says.

As family is nearest and dearest for Wia and Tara, everyone was invited to turn the ex-office into a café. Their dad, uncles, aunts and boyfriends joined up to paint and tile. Wia and Tara took care of the design.

“We share a similar taste with my sister. We flicked through magazines and Pinterest and here we are now,” says Tara.

The floor! The bright turquoise floor brings in light even through the polar night. Easily.

“We had a thought that wouldn’t it be great to have a proper crazy floor, didn’t we, Tara? Everything else was built around that.”

“And I wouldn’t run a café with anyone else than Tara,” continues Wia and gives the prettiest glance at her sister.