Sommarnöjen’s tiny summer home built for the House by an Architect exhibition has all the essentials – and loads of character

The lightly furnished mini cottage contains only the essentials. That’s enough: this is what a great summer is made of.

THE SMALL COTTAGE, dressed in the same vibrant green hue as its surroundings, has settled on a meadow in the center of Fiskars village, with a background of old trees typical of the area. It's impossible not to amuse yourself and imagine yourself as Alice in Wonderland, observing at a little green house familiar from the Monopoly board game.

That's exactly how archetypal the shape of the Sommar 30 cottage from the Swedish company Sommarnöjen is – and that's exactly how magical and playful the space is. The light, airy and unequivocally summery ensemble is apt for creating unforgettable summer memories. Artek Helsinki's interior designer Joanna Amemori has designed the interior of the cabin, using primarily Artek Helsinki's product range for furnishing and decoration.

The inside space throws itself in a dialogue with the environment, and the interior is just as carefree and light as a meadow swayed by the wind. Soft and tender tones have been carefully and skilfully selected to support the light-colored walls and maintain the lightness of the whole – which has also been taken into consideration when choosing the shapes and sizes of the furniture for the interior. Space has been left for air and light.

The interior of the cabin is just as carefree and light as a meadow swayed by the wind.

Don't let the small size fool you, because the CLT-built cabin contains everything essential and more. Thirty square meters can accommodate a bright living room with an integrated kitchen, a toilet and shower room, a separate bedroom with storage space, and an additional bedroom in the mezzanine floor. The cabin is also equipped with a dishwasher and a washing machine.

The sleeping area located on the other side of the building can be separated from the rest of the space into it's own little nook with the help of a sliding door. Two people can easily spend a summer at the cabin and if everyone is feeling quite amicable, there is even room for two more – at least temporarily.

Soft and tender tones have been carefully and skilfully selected to support the light-colored walls and maintain the lightness of the whole.

The architecturally modest house is inspired by the shape of a traditional barn. Made of natural materials, the cabin is perfected with a wooden roof, which is finished in the same green shade as the exterior walls.

Sommarnöjen's cottage is part of the Fiskars Biennale exhibition House by an Architect. The exhibition, which is open until the beginning of September, features a range of miniature houses, all of which are built with wood and have a living area of ​​no more than 30 square meters.

In a couple of years, it should be possible to build mini-houses in Finland exempted from the current building permit procedures – we will surely see more and more clever, small houses in the future.

See also:

• Asun Homes Vol 4 -bookazine >
• All products by Artek >

This story was originally published in the Asun magazine's issue 03/22.

Text: Hanna-Katariina Mononen Images: Sameli Rantanen