Creative corner Finland
LA VILLA LOCA Gone are the days of cosy clutter and shabby chic. Finland’s facelifted wooden villas are all about modern design and community spirit. TEXT AMANDA SOILA PHOTOS AMANDA SOILA, CAFE SIILI, AND BRINNA CREATIVE
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n the forest-filled north, wooden housing was the norm for centuries. Timber was abundant, and wooden homes provided clean air and a pest-free environment for residents. But, alas, many old wooden neighbourhoods were demolished to make way for concrete housing blocks or brick rowhouses during the housing boom of the 1960s and ’70s. Timber buildings fell upon tough times, with owners showing little interest in investing in the pricey upkeep of the crumbling beauties that survived the demolition spree. But now some of Finland’s most visionary entrepreneurs, from restaurateurs to hotel owners, are rediscovering these grand dames of wooden architecture.
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MARCH 2019 BLUE WINGS 55