HOMES FINLAND

IN BRIEF
–

Natural
NAMES Mikko Nissilä and
Kaisa-Maria Rintal
AGES 41 and 32
LOCATION Espoo, Finland

appeal
TYPE OF PROPERTY Semi-detached,
timber-framed new-build
BEDROOMS 3 BATHROOMS 2
PROJECT STARTED August 2015
PROJ ECT FIN IS HED October 2016
SIZE 88sqm
CURRENT VALUE £430,000
A well-planned use of space and a sense of
community were the priorities for the architect-owner
of this timber-frame house in the Finnish countryside
WORDS JULIET BENNING
PHOTOGR APHY KRISTA KELTANEN

Mikko Nisillä designed an

estate of six houses so
that they stand in pairs
around a courtyard, each
with its own timber deck
overlooking a central,
communal lawn

MAGAZINE.COM / MARCH 2019 75

  HOMES FINLAND  HOMES FINLAND

F
While the kitchens in their
neighbour’s houses are
decorated all white, Mikko
and Kaisa-Maria decided
or architect Mikko Nissilä and his wife Kaisa-Maria to include the warmer
Rintala, the scent of wood will always tones of birchwood in
mean the smell of home. In moving from theirs. The kitchen and
living room are combined in
their small inner-city apartment in Helsinki to live one large, open-plan space
in the suburbs, the couple have discovered a new nature-filled
lifestyle that is more suitable for their young family. ‘We didn’t
actually have any plans to leave the city,’ Mikko reveals. But
when one of his clients bought a large plot of land and asked him
to pitch drawings for several homes to fill it, the project – and a
house move – began to look very alluring.
A traditional Finnish house, built in the 1950s, had stood on
the half-acre site for a number of years but had been demolished
some time before the land was bought by Mikko’s client.
Mikko specialises in the design of commercial and residential
properties with a fresh, minimal, Nordic aesthetic. For this
project, he decided to build six semi-detached homes to fill
the space efficiently and create a natural sense of community.
The two-storey houses, including Mikko and Kaisa-Maria’s
own home, are arranged in three differently configured pairs
positioned around three sides of a central courtyard. The fourth
side of the plot is open and faces the forest that covers the hill
beyond the site. ‘I wanted to recreate the way that farm buildings

Mikko, Kaisa-Maria and

their daughter Sylvia

76 MARCH 2019 /  MAGAZINE.COM MAGAZINE.COM / MARCH 2019 77

  HOMES FINLAND  HOMES FINLAND

‘I wanted to have a light

and airy feeling for our
new home. The only
black you will find is in
the furnishings’

The use of pale timber

inside contrasts with
the black exterior

are grouped. I imagined a wooden homestead, with one
common courtyard space that I wanted to be as large as
possible, so the houses don’t sit right on top of each other,’
Mikko says. A gravel path runs between the houses, each
of which has its own decked terrace. ‘It feels very safe for
the children and there is a real sense of community.’
The new-builds are inspired by timber houses that
were built in Sweden and Norway during the 1960s and
1970s, which were rendered in a way that is ancient Viking
in origin, using black tar to colour and weatherproof the
exterior walls. Mikko’s home is clad with timber boards
that he has painted with the traditional Finnish Tikkurila
Vinha, a black paint that protects timber without hiding
its natural appearance. ‘The wood is conifer, which is
commonly used in Finland,’ Mikko remarks.
The frame of the house was prefabricated and set onto
a cast concrete base, and the roof is clad with steel plates
that, once they had oxidised, were painted with a silver-
grey finish that helps to keep the inside of the house cool The tall windows in
the living room enable the
during the summer and to retain heat during the winter. family to feel a close-knit
Thanks to the typical Scandinavian approach to sense of community with
making the most of space and for providing communal their neighbours, but they
are able to pull the blinds
storage for items such as bikes, skis, sledges and other items down for privacy
not in use, as well as laundry, waste disposal and recycling

78 MARCH 2019 /  MAGAZINE.COM MAGAZINE.COM / MARCH 2019 79

  HOMES FINLAND
Sylvia’s bedroom is in
one corner of the
house and has glazing
on two sides, to make
the most of the natural
F L O O R PL A N S light and views of the
nearby forest

SAUNA/WC BEDROOM/STUDY

BEDROOM

BEDROOM

FIRST FLOOR

DECKING

LIVING/DINING ROOM/KITCHEN

WC

UTILITY
ROOM

GROUND FLOOR

S U PPL I E R S
–
PROJECT TEAM
Architect Mikko Nissilä, Minimo Architecture
(+358 41 431 8146; minimoarchitecture.com)
Structural engineer and contractor Siklatalot (sikla.fi)
STRUCTURE
Windows Pihla (pihla.fi); Inwido (+358 800 176 911; inwido.com)
Larch wood floor Timberwise (timberwise.fi)
Roof Vaskisepät (vaskisepat.fi)
Exterior wall treatment Tikkurila (tikkurila.fi)
FIXTURES & FITTINGS
Kitchen units, fitted furniture and bathroom fittings
House2 (house2.fi)
Brick tiles in hall Tiileri (+358 2420 000; tiileri.fi)
Bathroom tiles Laattapiste (laattapiste.fi);
Kaakelikeskus (kaakelikeskus.fi)
Sauna Designed by Mikko Nissilä
FURNITURE & ACCESSORIES
Pendant lights Finom (finomlights.com)
Vintage kitchen chairs Ola Kettunen for Merivaara and
Alvar Aalto for Artek. From Wanha Käpy (+358 40 050 6704)
Vintage lounge chairs Ola Kettunen for Merivaara,
from Wanhamania (+358 50 352 9190)
Living space pendant light Alvar Aalto for Artek (vintage)
Sitting room rugs Mattotalo Helma (+358 9668 9390; helma.fi);
Koolmat (+358 10666 5170; koolmat.fi)
ABOVE Mikko lined the plywood structure of the staircase with
larch, a soft conifer wood that is often used as a veneer
facilities, the interior layout of the house is simple and
pared back. ‘There is a communal storage area for all the
owners to use,’ says Mikko, although he adds that ‘if the
building supervision authority had permitted it, I would
have created more storage space in each of the houses’.
Light in this northern part of the world is similarly
important, with windows, artificial lighting and colour
used to create a sense of both light and dark that is
equally and carefully considered. To counterbalance
the dark exterior of the house, Mikko was clear that he
wanted the rooms inside to be bright. ‘I’d used a lot of
black in previous projects and I wanted to have a light
and airy feeling for our new home. The only black you
will find is in the furnishings.’
The couple were keen to use natural materials and
used pale woods such as birch, ash, oak, aspen and beech
to design many of the internal structures, including the
staircase, which is a plywood structure clad with larch.

80 MARCH 2019 /  MAGAZINE.COM MAGAZINE.COM / MARCH 2019 81

  HOMES FINLAND
Mikko and Kaisa-Maria
followed tradition and
painted the interior
walls white throughout,
to maximise the sense
of light inside the house
all year round
Other materials include ceramic brick, clay, leather,
wool, linen, sisal and rattan, with the warmth of
underfloor heating throughout providing a comforting
finishing touch. Using the space to its best advantage
has been key in the couple’s approach to interior design.
‘Creating atmosphere, style and user-friendliness were
our starting points,’ says Mikko.
The windows that stretch from the floor to just
below the ceiling, a signature detail of Mikko’s
architecture, give the rooms plenty of light and create
a strong connection with the outdoors; on the ground
floor, sliding doors lead out onto the deck, while
upstairs, all the rooms open out to Juliet balconies.
82 MARCH 2019 /  MAGAZINE.COM
ABOVE A sauna is a common feature of most Finnish houses, and regarded
as a necessity not a luxury. This one is neatly positioned in the bathroom
In the kitchen, smaller appliances are concealed behind
sleek birch and white cabinets, while a utility room and
downstairs bathroom off the hall are luxuries that their Windows that stretch from
compact home in the city did not have space for.
As the seasons change, the thoughtfully designed
the floor to just below the
house adapts to suit, easily and naturally. Throughout ceiling give the rooms
the summer months, Mikko and his family spend the
long days and light evenings dining and relaxing on the
plenty of light and create
timber deck, while the short days and long, dark winter a strong connection
nights see them retreating to the cosy rooms inside, with
plenty of candles lit to lift the spirits and the light levels.
with the outdoors
As for the sauna... well, in true Scandinavian style, it is ABOVE The pared-back white bathroom with pale wood furniture is easy
in constant use all year round. to maintain and ties in with the rest of the house’s minimal aesthetic
  HOMES FINLAND

The ladders leading to the roof and

pairs of metal rungs outside the
first-floor windows are required for
fire safety under Finnish law

Throughout the
summer, Mikko
and his family
spend the long
days dining and
relaxing on
the timber deck

84 MARCH 2019 /  MAGAZINE.COM