Beautiful and durable

Customer story

03.03.2024

The living room of the log house, with large windows opening onto the terrace and the surrounding countryside. The blue Artek Crinolette armchair stands out beautifully against the otherwise calm interior.

Tiia and Heikki set about building a long-term home when they were still in their twenties. They chose log walls not only for the good indoor air quality but also for their stylish appearance and durable structure.

When it comes to building a house, the appetite grows with eating. Right at the start of their life together, Tiia and Heikki Jussila decided to build a house as their long-term home and, whilst still in their twenties, purchased a large, 1,690-square-metre plot in Masku. The plan was to take things slowly; there was no intention of rushing the build. But once the spark was lit, it was soon blazing at full force. The plot was purchased in 2019 and the couple have now been living in their new home for just over a year. The pace of the project positively horrified Tiia and Heikki’s circle of friends, who tried to rein in the young couple’s enthusiasm.

The couple explored their favourite house designs by collecting a large stack of house manufacturers’ brochures and diligently visiting open houses. They had in mind a single-storey house that would work well for everyday life, with the sauna and utility areas in a separate section, away from the living quarters. An L-shaped floor plan seemed the best solution. We wanted log walls for the house. We had heard many people praise living within solid timber walls, and we were aware of the excellent indoor air quality in log houses. However, what Tiia and Heikki loved most was the stylish appearance of modern log houses and their durability, comparable to that of a stone house.

They cast their net wide among many house suppliers, but the choice was quickly made in favour of Kuusamo Log Houses. They quickly found common ground with a local house dealer, and the Kuusamo-based Rusko house model appealed to them both for its floor plan and its sleek appearance. As it was easy to incorporate the changes the couple wanted, the decision was an easy one.

On the left of the photo collage are the Sauna and Washroom facilities, which feature popular dark tones. On the right is an exterior view of the Log house, which has a hipped roof and is painted white. — The couple chose the Rusko model from Kuusamo Log Houses partly because of its appealing appearance. The white exterior colour emphasises the clean lines of the design, whilst the black slatted wall on the terrace adds a touch of elegance. A dark colour was chosen for the sauna walls, whilst the benches, made from thick aspen planks, were kept light in colour.

The house features two pent roofs sloping in different directions. The large roof slopes down towards the entrance to the plot, and the roof over the wet rooms turns 90 degrees from there. The terrace, built in front of the high living room wall, is perfectly positioned in the southern sun. The four-bedroom house has a floor area of 166 square metres – plenty of space even as the family grows. A baby is expected in the house at the start of summer. During their first year in the house, Tiia and Heikki’s pride and joy has been Nala, a three-year-old Shetland sheepdog.

On the right of the photo collage is the bedroom, featuring plenty of soothing exposed log surfaces. The window is fitted with Marimekko curtains. On the left is the breakfast cupboard, which also contains Marimekko tableware. The breakfast cupboard combines wood with black. — All four bedrooms in the house are at least 10 square metres in size, with Tiia and Heiki’s sleeping area measuring almost 15 square metres. The log walls have been treated once with a light-coloured wax finish. The Kitchen features an exceptionally large breakfast cupboard.

Installed out of the elements, with the rest done by hand

The logs arrived in Masku from Kuusamo in March 2020, around the same time that the pandemic turned everyone’s lives upside down. A carpenter they knew built the walls of the house from non-settling logs. From then on, Tiia and Heikki donned their work clothes almost every day. The house was largely built by the couple themselves. You have the energy when you’re young, as they were working full-time at the same time and Heikki was still pursuing his studies.

Tiia particularly enjoyed the task of selecting and purchasing the interior design materials. She wanted their future home to be as beautiful as possible, with a harmonious colour scheme. She gathered ideas from blogs and visits to housing fairs. The overall look of the home is warmly light. There are few completely white wall surfaces; the bedrooms feature wallpaper as an accent, and the interior surfaces of the logs have been treated just once with a silky-toned Osmocolor. The wood’s natural colouring and beautiful grain patterns stand out beautifully. The floors are vinyl cork.

Tiles were purchased both at the nearby K-Rauta and at the Caisla showroom in Helsinki. A dark tone and striking patterns were desired for the sauna areas. The steam room itself features almost black walls and light-coloured aspen panelling. Adjacent to the utility room is a small dressing area, the walls of which are finished in a stylish dark shade.

For the kitchen, the couple wanted black-stained birch veneer doors. They enquired about these from several kitchen brands. Puustelli was chosen, and they supplied an impressive set of fitted units for the house. The breakfast cupboard is spacious, the worktops are solid oak, and the wall units feature light-coloured veneer doors, unlike the rest of the units. All the Siemens appliances were purchased from the same supplier as the fitted units.

The kitchen interior is a combination of wood and black. In addition to the logs, the kitchen worktops, among other things, are made of wood. — The couple wanted black-stained birch veneer doors for the kitchen units. These are complemented by solid oak worktops. The ceiling in the kitchen and living room is flat, even though the house has a pent roof. The ceiling height is 2.8 metres.

The couple chose an air-to-water heat pump for heating. Additional warmth is provided by a substantial Tulikivi fireplace, which stores heat for a full day. It is rare to see such a substantial fireplace in new detached houses these days. As the moving day approached, some furniture was purchased, whilst some was moved to the new home from their previous terraced house. The centrepiece of the living room is a classic Crinolette chair designed by Ilmari Tapiovaara. A family of friends were about to throw it away from their home, so Tiia was happy to offer it a new home.