Laaksolahti — a modern KONTIO bungalow

The understated charm of the Laaksolahti house

Olavi Kujanen, KONTIO's creative director, loves to travel. One of his favourite destinations is California, especially the Palm Springs area. It was from this exotic destination that Olavi drew his inspiration when designing the KONTIO show home in the Finnish city of Espoo. Olavi wanted the house he was designing to reflect Californian lifestyle and luxury. Given the purpose the house was built for, great care went into choosing materials and fittings that would guarantee easy upkeep and durability. Everything in the house was designed with the knowledge that, once its 'career' as a show home ended, it would be handed over as a permanent home to one of KONTIO's customers. So everything in this house is minimalist and timeless, so the interior could easily be adapted to the wishes of its future permanent residents.

The luxurious Laaksolahti bungalow, despite its exotic inspiration, represents Finnish design in timber form. The house has plenty of large windows offering views of the garden, which fill the interior with light and air. Its geometrically arranged floor plan underpins a clear, legible layout, which includes a spacious terrace and private nooks outside the house. The interior materials are high quality and chosen in natural tones.

One of the visitors to the show home, looking for inspiration for her future home, was singer Ida Elina. Ida fell in love with the bright, spacious bungalow near Helsinki and almost immediately got in touch with KONTIO's Finnish office to ask for help building a home.

"My husband and I didn't even have a plot yet, but I was already certain that the Laaksolahti model was the right home for me and my family. I'd always wanted a bungalow-style house. I'm someone who likes to get things done quickly, and I was a little worried about all the lengthy processes involved in finding and buying a plot, planning the house, and all the necessary paperwork that comes with building. Both my husband and I work in the arts — I'm a singer and he's also a musician — so practical matters are hard for us, and we try to avoid them where we can. That's why I was thrilled when Olavi, KONTIO's creative director who designed the whole house, told me that in a relatively short time the Laaksolahti show home would be for sale. The house is beautiful and perfectly fulfils our idea of an ideal home. Its location near Helsinki suits us well too. Olavi even offered to help us finish furnishing our future home to our own taste, which I appreciated, because I have high standards for aesthetics. I love elegance, timelessness, and especially clean, smooth surfaces, and I always welcome a professional's help."

Ida was thrilled at the quick chance to get a spacious, luxurious home, and as soon as possible she began working together with her husband and the house's designer, Olavi Kujanen, on adapting the interior to her own taste. What she appreciated most was that the house was designed as a bungalow. Ida and her husband were delighted with the bright, spacious interior. The milky-brown oak floors are warm and inviting and practically beg the household to enjoy the feeling of bare feet on them. Given the amount of clothing a performing artist's profession requires, Ida's house was, at her request, fitted with plenty of storage space. At the same time, care was taken to keep the furniture low enough not to block the light pouring in through the generous glazed surfaces. The materials inside the house are timeless and stylish. Elegant white marble pairs with the milky-white kitchen units. The kitchen is simple and open to the living space. Ida, who loves to bake for her family, appreciates having plenty of storage and worktop space, and she's thrilled with the elegance of the smooth, luxurious white kitchen surfaces. The coffee tables are also made of marble, in brown with gold veining. The rest of the interior is, at Ida's request, kept in natural colours. Comfortable grey-beige sofas invite you to sit with their velvety softness.

"In the evening, when everything goes quiet and the pace of the world slows down for a while, my husband and I light the fire in the fireplace, watch the flames, listen to the crackling, and enjoy the comfort and cosiness of our home."

Just like in the kitchen, the rest of the storage throughout the house is in an elegant milky white. The wardrobes in the bedroom and the storage in the utility room are white. The bathroom cabinets are also white. In the children's room, white wardrobes contrast nicely with the bright pink of the carpet. So the interior wouldn't feel bland or impersonal, the rooms were finished with personal items Ida brought back from her travels. Round stools upholstered in cowhide add sparkle and charm to the interior, as does a chest of drawers in a greenish patina, handmade ceramics from the island of Kemiönsaari, and rugs and textiles in natural colours. Like the rest of the house, the bathrooms are bright and elegant. Contributing to this elegant impression are light, large-format tiles, large mirrors, and a bathtub and basins made from a material with a high quartz content, which guarantees hardness and durability.

Another important feature Ida values about the Laaksolahti house is the covered terraces, connected to an open concrete area. These outdoor spaces are linked to the interior by French windows, so they're easily accessible from inside the house.

"We use the outdoor spaces very often, and we love them. When it rains, my daughter and I love to sit under the covered terrace, drink tea, read fairy tales, or just watch the rain. Since baking is my hobby, on sunny days we bring out a bundt cake or a small cake I've made myself out to the outdoor seating, where we enjoy it with coffee while our daughter plays in the garden."

A visit to the KONTIO show home, which was meant only as a source of inspiration for Ida and her family's future home, led to a truly unexpected result, and turned out to be quite literally fateful.

"I never expected that a tour of the KONTIO show home would lead to such a fast, wonderful turn in our lives. A year and a half ago we started out with tentative plans and ideas for our future home, and now we're living in a wonderful house," Ida concludes her story.