The daily life of Aki Ajo, who runs a MotoGP racing stable, consists in hectic travels to different corners of the world. After completion of the new log villa, he escapes from the bustle to Kuusamo with his family.

In the empirical comparison of ski resorts by Hanna Hakkarainen and Aki Ajo, Ruka was chosen as the winner. Their holiday trips to Lapland, which began some ten years ago, started with Levi. After visiting a few more resorts, they ended up at Ruka and loved it the most. Little by little, the landscapes of Kuusamo became familiar and several acquaintances were made. Hanna and Aki are fascinated by the diversity of the nature in Kuusamo at any time of the year. The Koillismaa region has a unique charm. On their travels around the world, they felt the need to return there.

Kuusamo felt like the perfect place for building your own holiday home. A couple of years ago, the process got started. Through acquaintances, a quiet lakeside plot was found a few kilometres away from the large Ruka ski resort. The actual plot for the house measures about three thousand square metres, but Hanna and Aki purchased several hectares of land around it.

The project was completed at the end of last year. The magnificent villa and the adjoining stable were ready by the Independence Day last year. That day, Hanna and Aki spent the first night in Kuusamo under the roof of their own home.

Kuusamo Log Houses designed a holiday home to the couple’s liking tailored to suit all of their wishes.

Local First As The Guideline Of Construction

The guideline for construction was to use entrepreneurs from Kuusamo throughout the stages. First, a kit house deal was struck with Kuusamo Log Houses. The company designed a holiday home to the couple’s liking tailored to suit all of their wishes.

Hanna and Aki wanted a building resembling a traditional log house in every detail. It was to have a log frame all the way up to the roof line and long log corners. The steep gabled roof made possible the high living room desired by the couple, the large windows and open loft built on top of the bedrooms and sauna facilities. The eaves were made so long that glazed terraces could be built under them along both walls. The holiday home in Ruka will be visited all year round. Owing to the glazing, the terrace season can be started as early as in late winter-early spring, in March-April, sunny weather permitting.

The living room was made as spacious as possible, given the area. The two bedrooms were made compact. The sauna department consists of a carefully considered sauna, wash room, and utility room combination.

Products and services from the Kuusamo region were used as extensively as possible in both construction and interior design. The wood-patterned kitchen matches the floor by appearance. The kitchen has been made by Kaluste Päivärinta Oy. The tableware are Bjarmia ceramics and the textiles are from Kangas Siru.

The company Seitsemän Tähden Rakennus Oy from Kuusamo was hired as the builder. The foundations were completed by the end of 2018 and the log package was delivered to the site in February last year.

When the interior works began, Hanna and Aki pondered the interior materials together. The materials were also procured from Kuusamo. Fixtures were ordered from Kaluste Päivärinta. The impressive wood pattern chosen for the island-type kitchen matches the look of the floor. Translucent white was chosen as the interior colour of the log walls.

The sauna deal was made far from Kuusamo. Hanna and Aki unconditionally wanted Kärävä’s handsome benches. They were transported to Koillismaa from Pirkkala. While enjoying the sauna wearing felt hats resembling motorcycle helmets, there is also some candy for the eyes – the entire sauna department and the lakeside view from the benches make for a stylish experience. Dark 30×60 tiles were selected for the wash room walls.

In the sauna, aesthetics is as pleasing as the steam. The sauna furniture supplied by Kärävä is spectacular, and the bathroom clad with large tiles is not second to it by appearance. The lakeside view from the sauna can also be enjoyed in summer; Hanna and Aki use their Kuusamo holiday home around the year.

The villa is so new that the fittings are still in search for their final form, but the furniture was in place by Christmas. They were also purchased from Kuusamo. The couple got everything they wanted from Kalustetalo Tuovinen. The textiles in the photos are from Kangas Siru. The nationally known company is owned by award-winning interior designer Sirkka-Liisa Murtovaara. Among other works, she has implemented housing fair solutions that have won public votings.

Holiday Home as A Fulcrum

Aki Ajo is a former professional motorcycle racer. Today, he runs Ajo Motorsport, a racing stable founded with Hanna back in the 1990s. The stable participates in MotoGP World Championship races. Ajo Motorsport racers have become World Champions seven times.

The work requires constant travelling. There are 20 MotoGP races every year. In addition, there are tests and various events organised with co-operation partners. Aki spends more than half of each year travelling.

The living room was made as spacious as possible, given the area. The furniture was purchased from local Kalustetalo Tuovinen.

The holiday home in Ruka is the new fulcrum in the life of Ajo’s family, providing the much-needed counterbalance to hectic everyday existence. At Ruka, one can relax in summer and winter alike. The family is very fond of outdoor activities – traditional cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snowmobiling, and sometimes Aki even takes his motorcycle to an ice track. When summer comes, fishing is on the to-do list.

It is good to have dreams in life. One of Hanna’s and Aki’s dreams is moving permanently to Kuusamo some years later.

The article Escape from the Bustle to Kuusamo was originally published in the Uusi Koti magazine, issue 1/2020. The author of the article is Jorma Välimaa, photos by Hans Koistinen.

Log Villa Pohjola is a holiday home built based on the customer’s own images and wishes. The villa is also included for inspiration in our Special Collection brochure. 

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