Villa Ruka - A house with a view

VISITING THE HONKA TRIBE

Jonna and Ilkka Ulvinen are living the dream, having left behind their hectic life in the Finnish capital, Helsinki. Snow-covered pines trees now glisten outside their windows, as the sun rises from behind the nearby fell. The 1,500 m2 sloping plot offers peace and seclusion aplenty. A sledging run, popular with the couple’s children, Rene, 5, and Siiri, 4, runs past the front door.

This was always going to be a log house. This area is dedicated to holiday homes and no other material would have been quite right. Log houses also offer a healthy living environment – the air is clean and the house is completely free from plastics. We chose Honka because of the high quality of their designs.”

Jonna Ulvinen, customer

A design from Honka’s collection was adapted to suit the family’s requirements. As the land for the project had already been secured, the team were able to go ahead and focus on the design. The parents wanted to dedicate their free time to their children, leaving the building process to the professionals.

For Jonna and Ilkka, it was important that the house blended well with the surrounding landscape. To this end, they chose grey for the exterior walls and black for the window frames. The kitchen and living space are housed in a single, high-ceilinged area, with a nine-metre-wide and six-metre-high glass window. This enables them to enjoy their views to the fullest.

It is an amazing privilege to be able to sit in our living room and just watch the sun rise above the nearby fell. At times it is almost difficult to tell whether we are inside or outside, the sense of being close to nature is that strong.
Ilkka Ulvinen, customer

The glass offers energy efficiency on a par with the log walls and it is possible to sit next to it in complete comfort, even when the outside temperature drops to minus 35 degrees Celsius.