Aalto’s house located in peaceful Munkkiniemi is definitely worth a visit. For me, Munkkiniemi had until yesterday been a place somewhere a bit further away, close to the hospital district – but it is, in fact, really fancy, not unlike for example the areas of Kulosaari or Lehtisaari. A lot of lavish villas from various periods and built in different architecture styles, full-grown trees, proximity of the sea and a sea promenade, well, when I win the lottery I might like to consider living there!
One of my future neighbour houses would be Alvar Aalto’s home (and office for some time) located at Riihitie 20, facing former cadet school, and is really pretty, even in early Finnish winter.
I did not have the right lens to take pictures of the garden which constitutes an important part of the house. It was quite humble, but as the plot is located on a slope overlooking a football plan it feels really spacious and airy.
There is a little catch, and that would be that the house visit is not for free (except for the exterior, obviously), and Museokortti will not give you any discount this time. This house and the nearby Studio Aalto are managed by Aalto foundation, private management has its perks and downsides. The house is in mint condition, but there is a certain (affordable) price to pay for this;)
The interior is planned in a really rational and functional way, yet thanks to the use of natural materials (fabric, wood, reed mats, etc.) and traditional Nordic (and Japanese) elements it feels really homey and cosy. Maybe even too cosy this cold November afternoon due to the small number of lamps. The round roof openings letting natural light helped a bit, but the overall impression was Wow, it is dark in here, how can one sit comfortably in the sofa and read?
I’m a big fan of Aalto’s furniture and lamps, but I have my comments on the latter: they are beautiful, yet not very functional. I’m sorry. I understand that a part of the design was to conceal the source of light, and in this respect he succeeded, but maybe too much has been concealed..?
… and some abstract artwork by Aalto:
About a 10 minute walk from Aalto’s house, at Tiilimäki 20, you will find the Studio Aalto. Alvar Aalto ran the office from 1955 until his death in 1976. After that, the office continued under the leadership of Elissa Aalto until 1994 and today it houses the Alvar Aalto Foundation, the Alvar Aalto Academy and the Alvar Aalto Museum Architectural Heritage. And it was closed yesterday, so I only managed to take a few peaks of the exterior:
And about 38 seconds away from Aalto Foundation House you will find those kind of views:
That white patch in the top section of the picture is THE SUN. Very welcome that day.
Come and visit some day. Really. Take a walk around Tiilimäki and the sea promenade, the atmosphere is so noble and peaceful.
I promise I will prepare a longer guide to Munkkiniemi one day, I just wanted to let you know that Aalto’s house is worth the visit, despite its non-central location.
Contact information: Tram 4 to last stop at Munkkiniemi, for more info see the website.
100 things to do in and around Helsinki 