The Finnish coastal archipelago consists of over 80 000 islands. The islands started emerging from the sea after the ice age about 10 000 years ago. Their cliffs of mostly granite and gneiss have been polished smooth by the kilometers tall ice sheet that had been pressing them down. The first inhabitants of the archipelago settled about 4000 years ago and the biggest islands are still settled all year round.
The wonderful island of Långholmen is stunning with its high and smooth shores, wild nature with crooked pine trees and large amounts of various mosses and lichen. This family retreat is carefully placed in with the rock formations and the hundreds of years old pine trees around it.
The visitor arrives from the open sea to a hidden cove with a large timber jetty forming the major outdoor living area. From the jetty an elevated path in timber leads one through tall reeds and a small pine forest. The cottage emerges between the tall pines, and the visitor heads up to the terrace and is guided by a decked path along the back of the house, to arrive at the centre of the building where a view through a covered terrace opens towards the sea.
The hut is built in two volumes with a single folded roof. The first part houses the sauna, shower and dressing room and the second is a single space for living and sleeping.
Between the two volumes a covered outdoor living room becomes the heart of the building. Its wall facing the sauna is in light bricks with an open fireplace cutting diagonally through. This opening between the volumes frames a piece of nature typical to this part of the archipelago.
All exterior timber is untreated larch. Untreated timber plank facades are vernacular to the local fisherman’s huts. On the seaside sliding timber slat shades protect birds from flying into the windows, the space from overheating and provide privacy. The roof is light grey metal sheeting to reflect excess summer heat. The back facade disguises an outdoor kitchen, and the outdoor dining area is lowered not to distract the view from inside.
The interior spaces are clad in timber and some of the floors are tiled with oiled cement tiles. The main volume is designed with great care to fit a bespoke bunkbed with pull out double beds, a small kitchen, dining and a fireplace. The building has a composting toilet and natural ventilation with bespoke ventilation shutters by the beds.
A sauna is a must in Finnish cottages. The sauna in this cottage is placed to receive a golden glow interior during the evening sun and with the shortest distance for a dip in the sea.
