A journey which begun in April 2015 has now ended. The Most Beautiful Home of Finland in 2017 has been chosen. In the end, the choice was quite obvious for us Finns, the winner being a beautiful home from Luvia, located right at the shore of Gulf of Bothnia.
We proudly finished at fourth place. Being two competitive spirits it would have been great to win, not only the competition but also the hearts of the Finnish people. But looking back, the past year has really shown us something much more valuable by proving true an old piece of wisdom: it is the journey, not the arrival, that really matters.
And what a journey it has been. Last summer was not a vacation, it was a labor camp, which feels like hell but truly makes a great story afterwards. Restricted with budget and time, friends and relatives were called in to help to finish what needed to be done. We were often simply exhausted and occasionally demotivated by all those bumps in the road, which in the end make the story worth telling. But it is amazing what humour, cold beer and a few hours of sleep can do. Next morning, we were again ready to tackle the challenges with a fresh spirit.
As a result, we have all grown wiser and learned to laugh at failure. We have realised the true importance of having a shared vision and clear objectives, and thus achieved so much as a family. We are proud to have started to show Sofi and Eino that anything is achievable. If there is a will, hard work will lead the way.
This home has been our project since 2012. And it will continue to be just that, quite a few more years. Next summer, however, will be a bit different. We don't usually travel very much for obvious reasons - a simple choice between investing savings for example in slate terrace materials vs. flights overseas. But summer 2017 will take us to San Francisco, to see some dear friends, the
Eames House (and a bunch of other case study houses), Highway One, MCM antique fairs. Another dream coming true.
Last but not least, thank you. All of you. Thank you so much, for all your support, votes, and positive comments. We tend to walk our path, located a bit aside from mainstream, and it's been just overwhelming have such a crowd following our walk. If you continue to be curious, please stay with us. As the road will go on and on...
(all photos in this post by our fantastic and inspirational friend and photographer,
Nani Annette)