Friday, June 17, 2016 | Language: Finnish | Currency: Euro

The day was rainy but our spirits were peaked by Life On A Leaf, a most unusual house in Turku designed by Jan-Erik Andersson. Whether a house could be shaped like a leaf was an idea he explored in his doctoral studies. Then, in 1999, the Finnish artist and Erkki Pikaranta, an architect and collegue, designed the house. Used as his personal residence for himself, his wife and his son, he eagerly opens his home for all to see the art and design in every nook and cranny.

The three-level house has a leaf-shaped floor plan, windows fashioned like lips and a glass dome modeled on a bluebell. It was quite dramatic in design.

The home’s sauna (after all, we are still in Finland) was designed to resemble a clove of garlic. “I think everybody needs a stimulating environment,” Mr. Andersson said. “People need more connection to their fantasies, to their memories.”

There was design in every aspect of the home from floor to ceiling and up every wall.

From every desk to each kitchen counter.

They seemed to have fun with it.

We discovered upon parting that the welcome message was written backwards to be read reflected off the mirror.

From the website, Life On A Leaf: Pshycology [sic] One of the purposes of building the house has been to investigate ways how to gradually mediate the outdoor nature into the house through culture. Using pictorial elements as the leaf shaped ground plan, leaf and drop shaped windows, ornamentation based on natural form, as well as the curved shaped indoor walls which create a feeling of walking on a pathway in natural surroundings. We are interested in how these elements help to create a mental state in the inhabitants, which make them more connected to the place and even create a feeling to dwell more emotionally in the house, thus inspiring a more local, poetic and sustainable lifestyle.