Aki Ajo, who runs a MotoGP racing team, leads a hectic life travelling all over the world. Now that his new log villa is finished, he is escaping the hustle and bustle with his family to Kuusamo.
Ruka emerged as the winner in Hanna Hakkarainen and Aki Ajo’s empirical comparison of ski resorts. Their holidaying in Lapland, which began around ten years ago, started in Levi. After visiting a few other ski resorts, they came to Ruka, which they fell in love with the most. Little by little, the landscapes of Kuusamo became familiar, and couple found many familiar faces there. Hanna and Aki are fascinated by the diversity of Kuusamo’s nature throughout the seasons. The North-East of Finland has a charm all of its own. It draws them back there whenever they travel the world.
Kuusamo felt like the absolute right place to build their own holiday home. A couple of years ago, they set about doing just that. Through friends, they found a peaceful lakeside plot a few kilometres from the large Ruka ski resort. The actual building site is around three thousand square metres, but Hanna and Aki bought several hectares of land surrounding it.
The project was completed at the end of last year. The magnificent villa and the garage built next to it were put into use on Independence Day. That was when Hanna and Aki spent their first night in Kuusamo under their own roof.
Local sourcing as the guiding principle of the build
The guiding principle for the construction was to use local Kuusamo-based contractors at every stage. The project began with a house package deal with Kuusamo Log Houses. The company naturally designed a holiday home to the couple’s liking, tailoring it to meet all their wishes.
Hanna and Aki wanted a building that resembled a traditional log house in every detail. They wanted a log framework extending right up to the roofline and long log corners. The steep gable roof made it possible to create the high-ceilinged living room the couple had hoped for, with its large windows and an open-plan loft built above the bedrooms and sauna facilities. The eaves were made long enough to allow for glazed terraces to be built beneath them on both sides of the building. The Ruka holiday home will be used all year round. Thanks to the glazing, the terrace season can begin as early as late winter, when the sunny weather arrives in March–April.
As much of the floor space as possible was allocated to the living area. The two bedrooms were designed to be compact. The sauna area comprises a steam room, a bathroom and a utility room, forming a carefully planned whole.
Seitsemän Tähden Rakennus, a company based in Kuusamo, was hired as the builder. The foundations were laid at the end of 2018 and the log package arrived on site last February.
When the interior work began, Hanna and Aki discussed the materials for the décor together. They also concentrated their purchases in Kuusamo. The built-in furniture was ordered from Kaluste Päivärinta. A striking wood-effect finish was chosen for the island kitchen, matching the look of the floor. An off-white shade was chosen for the interior colour of the log walls.
When building the sauna, they travelled far from Kuusamo to find what they needed. Hanna and Aki were determined to have Kärävä’s impressive benches. These were shipped to Koillismaa from Pirkkala. Wearing felt hats reminiscent of motorbike helmets whilst in the sauna is a treat for the eyes too – the benches offer a window-like view of the lake shore, and the entire sauna area is a stylish sight to behold. Dark 30×60 tiles have been chosen for the washroom walls.
The villa is so new that the furnishings are still finding their final form, but the furniture was in place in time for Christmas. They found the right place to buy it in Kuusamo too. The couple found everything they wanted at the Tuovinen furniture store. The textiles shown in the photos are from the nationally renowned Kangas Siru. The company is owned by award-winning interior designer Sirkka-Liisa Murtovaara. Among other things, she has designed housing fair show homes that have won public votes.
A holiday home as a focal point
Aki Ajo is a former road racing motorcyclist who has retired from active competition. Today, he runs Ajo Motosport, founded in the 1990s, together with Hanna. The team competes in the MotoGP series, aiming for world championships. Ajo Motosport’s riders have won the world title seven times.
The job involves constant travelling. There are 20 MotoGP races a year. In addition to these, the team conducts tests and organises various events with partners. Aki spends over half the year on the road.
The holiday home in Ruka is the new focal point of the Ajo family’s life, providing a much-needed counterbalance to their hectic daily routine. In Ruka, it is possible to relax in both summer and winter. The family spends a lot of time outdoors – cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snowmobiling, and sometimes Aki even takes his motorbike out of the garage to head for the ice track. When summer arrives, they plan to go fishing.
It’s good to have dreams in life. Hanna and Aki dream of moving to Kuusamo permanently one day, years from now.
Escaping the hustle and bustle to Kuusamo – this article was originally published in the magazine Uusi Koti, issue 1/2020. The article was written by Jorma Välimaa and photographed by Hans Koistinen.
The Log Villa Pohjola is a holiday home built based on the client’s own images and wishes. The villa also features in our Special Collection.
