Behind the scenes

Related to the previous post referring to last summer's as labor camp we thought it might be fun to post a few quick and dirty behind the scenes photos (non-styled, non-edited) including some of the key characters (non-styled, non-edited) during the last few, perhaps the most intense weeks.

Pekka, Sofi and Urho witnessing arrival of Tosca slates for the front entrance

The best thing in a big project is that everyone, irrespective of what their skills are (or are not), can make themselves useful. It does not matter if you are a generalist or a more detail oriented person, a perfect task to flatter your strengths can easily be identified.

Pekka's father Kari was responsible for priming and painting the door frames

Pekka's mother Merja finished a huge number of different assignments ranging from child care to painting

If you really are a pro, your skills will not remain unutilized to their fullest potential. In these cases, the bar is set really high and tolerances at minimum. And you need to deliver. It is a family business, and no such thing as truly constructive criticism exists. Needless to say, not very many team members meet the criteria to be included in this high-class worker group.  

Pekka's sister Irmeli preparing a complicated diffuser

And then there are those tasks which are too dirty to assign to a non-resident. Tasks which still need to be done, and they will, because it is yours, and no one else (but an overly committed resident) would take responsibility. Fortunately in a high-performing team the value of this kind of work is also acknowledged and thus completed with class (at least without audible complaints).

Minna washing a big and dusty rock in the bunker

And what do the minors do in the meantime? Let's be honest - at the age of 4 and 1 they were still a bit young to be included in the actual work force. Thus, their key task was to adjust in the constantly changing conditions, by finding a quiet corner or a place to play and avoiding the most intense eye of the renovation storm. And since they are both born in the middle of it, they simply don't know any other way and fit in just perfectly.

Sofi watching her favourite kids' show comfortably in our bed

Eino relaxing at the backyard terrace after being kept out from harm's way in an inflatable pool

So, by trial and error, everyone making the best use of their skills, whatever they may be. Accepting detours as a part of creative and operative process.

Just pick up a hammer and do it!

Himmeli

As if there would not be enough to do with completing the world before the Holidays, also DIY spirit seems to magically strengthen during that time. In the beginning of December 2016, Minna got and idea to make a himmeli (FI), a traditional mobile decoration made of straws. So a few nights before Christmas, Minna and her cousin Anu had a small himmeli workshop. Neither with prior experience on working with delicate straws, a relatively straightforward model was chosen to start with - Ostrobothian (Pohjalaanen) Himmeli, from Eija Koski's book Himmeli (highly recommended, if you master Finnish).

Instructions for Ostrobothian himmeli (by Eija Koski)

In addition to great instructions and a lot of enthusiasm, a pile of straws cut to measure, long needles, some soft bamboo string, mulled wine and chocolate were the key components of this project.

Materials and mulled wine

The first minutes felt slightly challenging but in the end, it was easier (and faster) than expected. Yes, some invisible tape was needed to fix a few glitches here and there, but surprisingly it was not too complicated. The trickiest step was to combine six diamonds together to create the basic shape. 

Six diamonds

Careful, careful!

It was a great night! Craftwork, good company and very satisfactory end result. A perfect way to switch off from daily routines. Altogether four Ostrobothnians were made. Kindly enough, Anu donated one of hers to complete the series of three, which now hangs from the living room ceiling.

Three Ostrobothians

Inspired by the initial success, the Himmeli team has already agreed on the next project. Also, the downstairs guest room has an empty corner which is just screaming to host a himmeli...

Visions - revisited

It was Friday night after a crazy week. The kids were finally asleep and I had just finished working on a blog post.

Time to call it a day.

But the scraping noise outside reminded me that Pekka was still, at 11 pm, finishing the terries seaming, and the sound made me think of an old blog post written back in 2014. 

This post was not about a concrete step in our never-ending renovation saga. Nor did it describe an interesting restoration project. And it was not teamwork, but written by Minna alone.

Instead, it was about respect for those who are truly visionary. For those who are passionate and determined to chase their vision without (too many) compromises. It was about the holy triage of Vision, Strategy and Implementation, and what I had learned during Project Olive Green.

After two years, I still stand behind my words. 

First, it is true what is said about realism: it is the worst enemy of creating an appealing vision. It is not easy to let one’s mind wonder unrestricted. With any project, one should imagine having pockets as deeps as a millionaire’s and a mind as powerful as Neo’s, who could modify the matrix at will. Anything less will result in settling with a suboptimal outcome. So, get obsessed with your dream first, and after you are too committed to give up, just find a way to make it happen.

Second, it is not a single strategy that can lead to a successful end result. Strategies should be adaptable. It is fine NOT to have all the answers when reluctantly crouched at the starting line. And NOT every single corner needs to be polished and fine-tuned before the kick off. A general outline is often more than sufficient. Thus, no need to be perfect. No need to have all the answers. They will come.

Finally, successful implementation is really about three basic things: confidence, patience and extremely hard work. Very few of us do have the pockets of a millionaire. Expectations in terms of time are nearly always unrealistic. And even fewer are ready to commit to the countless hours of work. So always, always add at least 25% to your budget and time needed, and you might get close to what is really required. 

But most of all, one should have no fear. Fear for aiming too high, fear for facing problems or fustration, or most of all, fear of failure. Fear, that sneaks in so well disguised that a mind lacks a fair chance fight back. Forget the fear. Crazy and unrealistic is the way to go. That is, if you want to make extraordinary things happen.

And perhaps, most importantly: know yourself. I am not one of those fearless, visionary people. Quite the contrary. But I am extremely lucky to share my life with someone who is. So each day, I'm learning something new about chasing a vision. Sometimes I get instantly inspired. Sometimes I think he's simply gone mad. But one way or another, it is always a step forward. A step closer to our shared vision.

And by the way, the terrace seaming is completed.

All photos by Nani Härkönen (http://naniannette.fi)

About renovation and relationships

Some years back we came across an article about challenges of building a house. There was one paragraph that stuck with us (freely translated): "I'll build a house. You take care of the kids. See you in two years." Unfortunately we were no longer able to find it online, which is a pity - it was a great read.

It is also a well known fact that while building a house or extensively renovating one things may go sour quite easily. The entire process is a stretch for a relationship, and thus a true test. Will we really see in two years as agreed?

We have always been renovating. Thus when asked how do we deal with such a lifestyle it would be easy to say: "Oh, it is our mission. We just love it."  But the fact that we tackled our first shared project only a few months into our relationship and are still on that road does not make us superhuman. Quite the contrary, we do not love every minute of it. There are times when we absolutely hate renovation. And there are times when we grow frustrated with everything, even each other.

Helsingin Sanomat (a national Finnish newspaper) wrote about renovation and relationships just recently (1). The article was based on interviews with a couple who had finished a major project and a therapist, who compared renovation to a third wheel in a relationship. It all starts with a beautiful idea of a perfect home to be built/renovated together. Then, one commits to the project work whereas the other takes care of the kids. Slowly, the latter one starts feeling excluded and stranded. Most likely, unexpected challenges will arise, deadlines and budgets get exceeded. Everyone who has ever renovated can vouch for this message.

We have certainly received our share. Nasty surprises of a 1960's apartment, broken machinery, unfavourable weather conditions, stretched budgets, constant mess and eternal incompleteness, long working hours either with the project or children,  - the list is quite extensive. In addition, as mentioned before, we have very different personalities. Pekka enjoys to process, Minna would love to finish things as soon as possible. Keep adding careers, daycare and a dachshund not forgetting too few hours of sleep. At worst, it might get very interesting. Still, we hardly ever really fight.

Of course we have talked about it trying to recognise our key success factors. The HS article mentioned above lists a few very good points we fully agree with. Choose a partner with a similar taste. Recognize each others strengths and utilise those. Allow ideas to fly, bounce them back and forth with each other to reach the best outcome for both. Celebrate project landmarks.

Another crucial one for us is involvement. It is not sufficient just plan something together, we both need to participate in the actual work, be project owners. Even if Minna would be mostly watching the children, every now and then the roles get reversed and she will get to do the "dirty work".

Also, there need to be breaks for "normal life" and to allow inspiration. Sometimes it is difficult to get started even with the smallest project, there is no drive. In these cases, we drop the gloves, forget renovation for as long as it is needed. We dive. Play tennis. Visit relatives. Sometimes the wait is shorter, sometimes longer, but eventually the motivation and enthusiasm will return.

And finally, acknowledgement of each other. Visitors always kindly pay their compliments to how beautifully something has been designed and implemented, but the work of a support team remains more invisible. But it doesn't matter. The most important thing is that between the two of us, not a day go by we wouldn't thank each other or recognise the other person's achievements.

It is teamwork. And fortunately we seem to be pretty good at it.

Last but not least. These photos were taken by our favourite photographer, Nani Härkönen from Nanianette Photography during a day when she was photographing us in our home. Thank you Nani, you are a Star - a pleasure to work and hang out with and skilled beyond measure!

Reference:
1. Helsingin Sanomat 2.8.2015 (http://www.hs.fi/koti/a1438311010004)

Clearing the way for an excavator

Today we woke up full of energy. After morning coffee, it was decided that the first thing to do was to buy a chainsaw to be efficient. An hour later Pekka returned with his Makita.

The Makita

And what did we do? The goal was to empty and clean the terrace area, including removal of about 130 concrete blocks each weighing 29 kg. The excavator would arrive on Monday morning at 8.00 am. To make a long story short, we made it.

10.00 AM

12.30 PM

3.00 PM

5.30 PM

The leftover slates and most of the wood moved to their temporary locations.

10.00 AM

12.30 PM

5.30 PM

In the spirit of recycling, 66 concrete blocks were sold on a Facebook flea market. Hope they serve well their new owner!

Blocks in line

Urho proved himself once again of being very skilled in positioning himself in very ungrateful places as related to where the action was. Call it a dachshund's luck, but once again he survived a day of serious renovation without a scratch.

What on earth...?

Plan B for Friday night

On a regular, non-renovation Friday night a plan A for Pekka's first night of summer vacation would have perhaps been something different. An unseamed slate floor, however, urged us to choose a different option. With a bottle of Plan B and couple of wine glasses off to downstairs we headed!

Plan B for the night

We started the work from the most difficult (and least visible) part of the floor, under the stairs. Pekka took care of the seaming, and Minna followed by cleaning the excessive concrete off the slate edges. Never done slate floor seaming before, the progress was painfully slow.

Detailed cleaning

Based on the earlier experiments, we chose to use 1.6% titanium oxide to tone the seaming concrete (4 dl in 25 kg of concrete). It takes quite a long time to dry and adopt the final colour, so the seam in the photo below is still slightly darker than it will be in the end. Also, the contrast will be strengthened further by a layer of protective toner applied on top.

Some seamed slate

So, we started around 10 pm, finished at 2.30 am and completed about 4-5 square meters of floor. In the wee hours of the night, a thought of the total time required to finish up the rest (25 m2) might have raised some fleeting moments of despair, but fortunately the company, wine and the ultimate vision will compensate the lengthy road ahead!

Floor around the staircase - completed!

Returning underground #2

The power of teamwork was proven once again today. We made fantastic progress, a lot of junk was hauled out from the bunker. A light year ahead from where we started. Therefore, this post is really dedicated to all our fantastic friends - Juha, Janne, May, Teemu, Tiina, Matti & Rasa - who help us to make things happen. Again, we can't thank you enough.

Cleaning the cleaner

Digging deeper and deeper

As we are in Finland, of course in these kind of events the day ends in sauna. Instead of using the normal firewood to warm the sauna, Pekka cut up some of the old casting wood we had drag out from the bunker earlier. Talk about recycling.

Man and a chain saw

All team members got to experience the weight of granite. Sometimes it took one, sometimes two or even three people to move the stones. And even then there were a few which remained in place waiting for some professional help.

Power girl

Doubling up

Three men and a very heavy piece of stone

And while some stayed in the bunker digging, others were running up and down the hill with a wheel barrow. The third essential function was the quality team, whose task was to ensure the discarded materials ended up on the right pallet, and if necessary, make the proper adjustments by moving material from one pallet to another.

And the dwarves dig deeper and deeper...

Up, up, up the hill we go!

Quality checker

And this is how the far end of the bunker looks at the moment. All the junk has been removed and the desired depth to start laying the foundations for a cement floor has been reached. We are extremely happy, but also extremely tired. So off to bed we are to gather our strength for one more day, quietly thanking Sofi's grandmother for taking the little human alarm clock for an overnight trip during this weekend. Aaah, the bliss of a good night sleep!

Bunker panorama

Introducing Pekka & Minna

First of September 2013, Olive Green Window will celebrate it's first birthday. Yesterday it passed a significant landmark - the blog has now been viewed over 50 000 times. Thus, we really want to thank all of you for following our journey, it means a lot to us to know there are so many renovation/restoration/MCM enthusiasts who are interested in frequently taking a peak for what is happening behind the Olive Green Window.

Some of you may remember the story behind the blog, how we first got started. For a long long time, Pekka has been really keen on mid-century modern architecture and design, and collecting and restoring lights and furniture from that era. When we fell in love with our 1960's dream home and eventually closed the deal in August 2012, we knew we were about to launch a major renovation and interior design project, which we really wanted to document. This is when a budding idea of a blog finally materialised, and the Olive Green Window was born. This is also when we invited all of you to join us by making the blog public, and looking back, we are really glad we did. The blog has become an important element of the renovation project and a shared hobby, to which we both contribute in different ways.

Pleased to meet you in person! (Photo by Nani Härkönen, http://naniannette.fi)

So, who are we, and how do we work on this? Pekka is an industrial designer, co-founder and a creative director in Seos Design. His professional background is in design and design related research, consisting of working in several different positions as designer, design director, researcher and visiting professor. For last 15 years he has been working both in business and academic fields in Milan, Barcelona, Shanghai and Espoo. For the Olive Green Window -blog, Pekka takes most of the pictures and is the primary source of all the background information concerning the different pieces. Pekka just loves hunting down interesting MCM-pieces, and subsequently restoring them, whenever necessary. For him, it is often the process rather than the end result which he finds most interesting and rewarding. Without a doubt, Pekka is the driving force of creativeness also in the Olive Green Window team. 

Minna, on the other hand, has a very different background and profession. She has a long academic career in cancer science, after which she has ventured a commercial career in pharmaceutical marketing. Thankfully, she shares Pekka's passion for MCM architecture and design, and so far only a few of Pekka's obsessions have received and absolute "no" from her side. In terms of the blog, she is responsible for writing up the stories based on the background information provided by Pekka. In contrast to Pekka, Minna tends to prefer a completed project over the process, but has a very patient and flexible take on renovations, stretched schedules and continuous innovation. Where Pekka is the innovator of the team, Minna could be described as the (occasional) voice of reason.

So, we hope you continue following us, and enjoy the future posts to come. We have several projects ongoing and many more planned, so there will be much to share in the future as well! We really welcome your insights and views, so please keep leaving comments or send us email at theolivegreenwindow@gmail.com.

Finally, we want to finish by thanking Nani Härkönen (Nani Annette Photography) for taking our picture next to the Olive Green Window. She is a fantastic photographer, and receives our warmest recommendations!