Exploring Helsinki - Alvar Aalto House Interior

When you think about famous architects you often have this preconception that they would live in some grandiose house and have a luxury lifestyle or sorts. So it was surprising for me to visit Alvar Aalto’s house and see the quaintness in this property and the relaxed vibe that he was able to design. All of the furniture and most of the objects were designed by him over the span of his career, so he was very unique in this regard.

I talked about this property being an experimental one for Aalto, using it to test out a few different materials and how spaces work with each other. It’s great to see the openness of the living and dining space, something which is very prominent in modern homes now but wasn’t in the 1930’s. A very radical use of space for the time.

My interest in Japan resides with the fact that there are ties with Scandinavia, being minimal and quite restraint in nature. As a child I lived in Denmark, so that could be a link to my fascination with this style, but I think there's something to be admired about living and revolving around spaces with such properties at this. Not only does it help you in a functional manner, ease of use etc, it seeps in to your lifestyle and keeps your mind uncluttered and focusing only on the essentials. I suppose there is a spiritual element too.

I took these particular photos with my film camera and even though they are a little grainy, partly because the shadows were towards the front of the house and the sun was glaring in to the back, I think they give you an idea of some of the details from inside the house. Enjoy.

Click here to read more about Alvar Aalto's Home on the Aalto website →

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More from my Travels:

Exploring Helsinki - Finlandia Hall by Architect Alvar Aalto
A Selection of Outtakes from Kettle's Yard in Cambridge
Exploring Naoshima - A Visit to the Lee Ufan Museum
Naoshima - Tadao Ando's Concrete Walls
Exploring Osaka - Inside the TRUCK Furniture Showroom
Exploring Tokyo - Hama Rikyu Gardens
Exploring Tokyo - A Visit to Sensoji Temple in Asakusa
Exploring Kyoto - Tenryuji Temple & Grounds

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