Interiors

In terms of house interiors, the building that inspired us the most was definitely Craig Ellwood’s Steinman House – a post and beam house located in Malibu, built in 1956. In the draft visualizations done on our home, one can see a similar post and beam structure, which is visible also inside the house. The material palette is also very much alike to the Steinman House: glass and wood, complemented in our case with dark stone.

The big windows in the living room and in the bedrooms open towards the sea. The master bedroom (with an access to a walk in closet and a bathroom) is located in the top left corner (of the above illustration), whereas the kids’ rooms are in the top right corner. The kitchen, dining area and living room all form an open space.

A small detail Minna is especially excited about is a small utility kitchen behind the kitchen. We wanted to hide the fridge and freezer there, as well as all the smaller appliances usually located on the kitchen counters, such as the toaster, kettle and microwave. Out of sight, but still close enough for our needs. From the utility kitchen one can access a storage room, where, in addition to the house’s technical equipment, will be space for all recyclable waste.

Behind children’s rooms, there is a small guest room, one of the bathrooms and Pekka’s man cave. The space facing to the direction of the sea and separated by a fireplace from the rest of the living room will be a small open office.

Similarly to the structural design, the color palette of the house will be very simplistic: white, wood and black. The floor in all rooms will be black natural stone, and the fixed furniture and interior doors will all be made of the same material. This may sound a bit boring, but we are fascinated by simplicity and clarity. And besides, let’s not forget the accents brought by different textiles when we eventually move in. But these choices are still far away, so let’s focus on building the house first.

Any questions, thoughts or reflections? Ideas are also welcome, but we are approaching the point where making changes no longer makes sense, because everything affects everything and all changes either increase costs or slow down the process (and in the worst case, do both). Anyhow, we are thrilled with the current plan, and can’t wait to see draft renderings evolving to reality!