Hvitträsk
Three architects built themselves a house in the forest and designed everything inside it, down to the chairs and the light.
At a glance
Hvitträsk is a studio home about 30 kilometres west of Helsinki, in Kirkkonummi, built in 1901–1903 by the architects Herman Gesellius, Armas Lindgren and Eliel Saarinen as a shared house and workplace. Set on a wooded ridge above Lake Vitträsk — the name means “white lake” — it joins log, stone and tile into a romantic composition that seems to grow out of the rock. The interiors were designed as a whole, furniture, textiles and fittings together. It later became the private home of Eliel Saarinen and is now a museum open to the public.
Key facts
- Architects: Gesellius, Lindgren & Saarinen
- Built: plot bought 1901; mostly completed 1903
- Purpose: shared studio and home for the three architects
- Setting: a ridge above Lake Vitträsk, Kirkkonummi
- Later: private residence of Eliel Saarinen
- Status: museum open to the public
History
At the height of their fame, after the Pohjola Building and the Finnish Pavilion at the 1900 Paris World Fair, the three partners bought a forest plot west of Helsinki and built a house where they could live and work together. Construction was mostly finished by 1903.
The household was a small artistic colony, and Hvitträsk drew visitors from across Europe. As the partnership dissolved, the house passed increasingly to Eliel Saarinen, who lived there before emigrating to the United States.
In 1922 the northern wing, Lindgren’s former home, was partly destroyed by fire; Saarinen’s son Eero, later a celebrated architect in his own right, designed a replacement in 1929–33. The estate is now a national museum.
What you see
The main building faces the lake under a red roof, its lower walls of rough stone and its upper storeys of log and render. Wings and courtyards step down the slope; a separate sauna stands by the water. The whole reads as a picturesque, asymmetrical village rather than a single villa.
Indoors, the National Romantic spirit becomes total design: built-in benches, woven hangings, ceramic stoves and carved detail all conceived together, so that the house and its contents form one continuous work of art.
Practical information
- Hvitträsk is a museum with a café; check current opening hours and season.
- The grounds, gardens and lakeside paths can be walked freely.
- Time needed: 2–3 hours including the house, the grounds and the café.
Getting there
Hvitträsk lies in Kirkkonummi, about 30 kilometres west of Helsinki, reached by car or by local train to Luoma followed by a walk; signposting from the main roads is good.
Nearby
- The lakes and forests of the Kirkkonummi countryside.
- The architecture of central Helsinki, half an hour east.
- The Pohjola Insurance Building, by the same firm.
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN), “Hvitträsk”.
- Hvitträsk museum (official site).
Find it on the map
See this place and what’s around it →📷 Diventa un fotografo di Cultural Heritage Online
Condividi le tue foto dei luoghi: restano pubblicate con la tua firma come autore. Più vengono viste, più ti fai conoscere — e presto un concorso premierà le foto più apprezzate.
Accedi o registrati gratis per aggiungere una foto