A lakeside home

Northern Finland is famous for its spectacular, unspoilt landscape with its vast forests and countless lakes. On the shore of one of these expanses of water stands a recently renovated residential building with a structure originally built back in the 1970s, a period when building regulations still permitted lakeside construction. This means that the building has a unique location, as the architect responsible for the project, Mikko Uotila, explains: “The old building stood on the lake close to the water’s edge, something that is no longer permitted. So this house is a rare example of a quiet retreat on the shores of a northern lake.” The architect, whose practice is located in the municipality of Toijala 40 km south of Tampere, designed the newly renovated building in such a way as to preserve the unique spirit of the place. “It is a spruce timber building with an approximately 300 mm thick log structure,” he said. The interiors have a clean, minimalist yet cosy feel, just as one would expect in a country home. This look is partly due to the use of dark-coloured ceramic tiles, which were chosen in a variety of different colours and sizes for both the floors and walls in some areas such as the bathroom, creating a highly original wraparound, box-like effect. But in almost all the interiors (living room, bedrooms, kitchen) the architects opted for a combination of wood for the walls and polished porcelain for the floors. This juxtaposition of wood with clay and metal elements and mirrored surfaces was chosen for a precise purpose. “We wanted materials that would be easy to maintain but above all would be aesthetically pleasing,” says the architect. “The mirrored surfaces recall the reflections of the sky and water; the darker shades accentuate the pale wood surfaces; and the use of premium floor coverings in a building in the middle of the wilderness creates an element of surprise.” The desired result was fully achieved through the choice of a ceramic floor tile that reproduces the exquisite texture of marble in a glossy black colour with golden veins, the Golden Pure line from Ricchetti (colour Saint Laurent). This stark but cleverly designed contrast unexpectedly transports us from the forests of northern Finland to the high-ceilinged, vaguely Art Deco surroundings of an early-twentieth-century European imperial palace. It has a powerful impact but conveys all the personality of this project. The use of large-size square modules (60×60 cm) creates a sense of clarity and spaciousness while maintaining visual continuity with the outdoor terraces where the same collection is used. In keeping with the imposing and eccentric character of the finishes, the designers also opted for furnishing elements with a strong personality, like the Eames Lounge Chair by Vitra in the living room alongside the Vidal XL coffee table with its droplet-shaped base in a glossy white finish and tempered glass top.