The roof of the black house soars skywards, four kilometres from the centre of Finland’s oldest town. Here, one lives close to the hustle and bustle of city life, yet hidden away from the rush, in a secluded spot.
The V-shaped roof of Venla and Juuso’s striking house soars skywards like the wings of a fighter jet. Standing at the edge of the old garden plot, it is impossible not to notice this striking new black building. Yet the house remains astonishingly hidden, out of sight of passers-by on the street.
The house sits amidst older detached homes and their lush gardens. Even the driveway leading to the plot goes unnoticed by a visitor at first glance. There, the family’s young son can play to his heart’s content in peace, and the whole family can relax in the hot tub on the terrace beneath the roof, which soars to a height of 10 metres. Yet this tranquility is just a four-kilometre journey from the centre of a city with 200,000 inhabitants.
When the urge to buy a house struck, Venla and Juuso distributed notices in local letterboxes stating their interest in purchasing a house or plot of land. Their search bore fruit last spring. That was when they secured a deal for a 1,200-square-metre wedge-shaped plot. The land was ideal for building in many respects. The rear of the plot is rocky. The house was built on top of this, and some of the old apple trees growing in the front garden were successfully saved amidst the turmoil of the building work. The garden was largely complete by the time the family moved into the house last Midsummer.
A unique Nuuna
With the plot, they were closer to, though not quite there yet, the young family’s dream of a home of their own. It needed to find its own form and unique style. Venla and Juuso wanted something that deviated from the standard design.
The planning regulations allowed for a large, two-storey house on the plot. Initially, they considered a timber-framed house. There seemed to be plenty of options on the market in terms of architecture, level of completion and house manufacturers. Although the couple did not intend to be on their plot in overalls every day, they only needed materials from the house supplier, not a construction service. They were confident they could find skilled local builders to do the work.
When log houses were added to the list of options, the finish line began to come into view. Kuusamo Log Houses’ Nuuna, which can be adapted into many different forms, offered precisely the kind of individuality they were looking for. The building’s sloping walls helped seal the deal. The house’s floor plan mirrored the wedge-shaped shape of the plot.
Over the past decade, Nuuna has been built as both lakeside cottages and townhouses. It has evolved from a two-bedroom holiday home into a two-storey family home. Building on this, Venla and Juuso began working with Kuusamo Log Houses to customise the house of their dreams.
The wedge-shaped Nuuna house design follows the contours of the garden plot
With a log house, the couple achieved all the features they had hoped for in their home. No plastic was permitted in the structures; authenticity was sought in the building materials, and good indoor air quality forms the basis for the family’s healthy lifestyle. Built from logs, the house naturally took on a solid appearance.
Work began in late summer 2018. A local construction firm took charge of the building project. Venla and Juuso visited the site almost daily, considering interior design solutions and searching for the right shades for the walls. The construction work took 10 months.
The heart of the house is the 6.5-metre-high living room, which has more window area than the front of many standard houses. Making the most of the polygonal space required careful thought, as the aim was to maximise the floor area for relaxed living. The stairs leading to the upper floor were placed against a wall and ‘hidden’ behind a screen made of black vertical slats. A fireplace was installed as a room divider at the rear of the room, where the upstairs loft reduces the ceiling height by half. Behind the fireplace, there is access to the utility room and sauna facilities, as well as a gym that will appeal to an active family.
The kitchen was situated in the furthest corner of the living areas. It was designed to be as functional as possible and to offer ample storage space. Of course, the appearance was also essential. The black units were purchased from Puustelli in Turku. To complement them, a Festivo fridge in black was chosen. The worktops are made of walnut, a dark solid wood.
The square footage of the living room and kitchen, including the dining area, totals nearly 60 square metres. A separate walk-in wardrobe was desired on the ground floor, capable of storing outdoor clothing for all seasons. As expected, it is located next to the entrance hall. All the downstairs rooms, starting with the toilet, are generously sized. Juuso is a tall and strapping lad, which was taken into account when designing the sauna, amongst other things. This ensures that the master’s head won’t bump against the ceiling even when climbing onto the sauna benches.
Upstairs, there is a 30-square-metre-plus hall awaiting furnishing and three bedrooms. Väinö’s and his parents’ rooms are similar in both shape and size. Venla and Juuso’s room has a spacious walk-in wardrobe and its own balcony. From there, you can even call in Pirskatti the cat, who has climbed the apple tree, for a night’s sleep.
In the Lord’s Pocket – this article was first published in the magazine Uusi Koti, issue 6/2019. The article was written by Jorma Välimaa and photographed by Hans Koistinen.
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