YOUR DREAM HOUSE IN FINNISH NATURE

Villa Dogi was built in 2014 by the architect Jussi Kalliopuska. The 300+ square metre house is built into the solid Finnish hillside and is angled to embrace the landscape. It is in the municipality of Ingå

Villa Dogi is a unique home for sale located close to the sea about an hour outside of Helsinki.

TEXT: DAVID J. CORD

There are four real luxuries in life,” says Dr Ykä Kumpula. “Clean air, clean water, pure nature and not too many people.”

This healthy philosophy is manifested in the house he has created, Villa Dogi, in southern Finland. Nestled inside a forest close to an archipelago in the Baltic Sea, the house defines Kumpula’s luxuries. Best of all, it is now for sale.

Villa Dogi was built in 2014 by the architect Jussi Kalliopuska. The 300+ square metre house is built into the solid Finnish hillside and is angled to embrace the landscape. It is in the municipality of Ingå, famous for being the home of World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm. The roads in the area look perfect for rally, but Kumpula is more interested in wind power than horsepower.

“This is why I’m selling the house,” he explains. “Now that I have retired it is time for long sailing trips! I am happy to let someone else enjoy the happiest life in the world at Villa Dogi.”

A place you have to experience

Kati Helanto leads the way out of the house. She carefully avoids a robot lawnmower sedately rolling along the immaculate yard.

A calm pond sits in the centre of the lush green lawn. On the far side of the tree-lined pond sits a kota, a small tepee-shaped structure used by the Saami in Lapland. At the end of the pond is an outdoor kitchen and eating area, perfect for outdoor entertaining in Finland’s long, warm summer nights. Next to the treeline is a small house for guests or a caretaker.

“It is nice to have a fine house, but what can really make a house great is the location,” Helanto says. “Look at this house’s location. Look at the nature around us.”

She falls silent for a moment. They only thing you hear is a soft sigh of wind through the spruce and pine trees, punctuated by singing birds. Pheasants? Sandpipers? There are also ospreys in the archipelago, while in the twilight evenings you can hear cuckoos echoing in the forest. There are deer out there too, quiet and shy, and if you are lucky you might see elk, the lords of the forest.

“You can look at the pictures and read the article, but this is a place you have to experience. You have to feel it,” Helanto says.

Kati Helanto has been a real estate agent for 30 years. She is a founding partner at UpHouse LKV, her familyowned company with her daughters Janni Väätänen, licensed real estate agent (left) and Fanny Kourula, CEO and senior licensed real estate agent (right). “Now that I have retired it is time for long sailing trips! I am happy to let someone else enjoy the happiest life in the world at Villa Dogi,” says Dr Ykä Kumpula.

Why is Finland the happiest country?

Helanto has been a real estate agent for 30 years. She is a founding partner at UpHouse LKV, her family-owned company. She and her daughter Janni Väätänen, who is also a licensed real estate agent, are selling Villa Dogi. They have offices in the Finnish capital Helsinki and the neighbouring city Espoo, but she obviously relishes being in the forest.

“Helsinki is a great town, but Finland is more than Helsinki,” she says.

Finland has been named the happiest country in the world by the World Happiness Report five years running. Some of the reasons cited include the lack of corruption, strong human rights, highly educated citizens, stable democracy and well-functioning society. Kumpula also has a few ideas why people are so happy in Finland.

“We have the cleanest air in the world,” he says. “We have safety, freedom and we have Every Person’s Right, which gives everyone the right to fish, pick berries or gather mushrooms in the forest.”

Life in nature

The right to enjoy nature seems to have been the guiding principle for his house. The giant picture windows frame nature like a Romantic painting. Wood is everywhere, from the dark rich floors and the rustic steps to the benches in the ubiquitous Finnish sauna. A gourd-shaped fireplace dominates the centre of the multi-level living area.

The house is only a few years old and entirely modern. Nearby are schools, doctors, a large wooden shopping mall, and any service you could want.

“This would be a great second home, or you could even live here year round,” Helanto says. “If someone is interested in experiencing this, I hope they contact us to make an appointment. We could go outside and meditate in the peace and quiet.” |

If you would like to learn more about Villa Dogi and life in the happiest country on Earth, please use the QR code to visit www.villadogifinland.com. You can also contact Kati Helanto at +358 50 568 8404 and kati.helanto@uphouse.fi or Janni Väätänen at janni.vaatanen@uphouse.fi.