When I first saw Verstas Architects’ City Cottage in the New York Times, I was smitten with its simple lines and clever use of space. Now, the cottage is available for serial production and purchase in cooperation with Finnlamelli Oy. A modern interpretations of Helsinki's shoreline Summer huts, it's truly a beautiful little design. Let's take a tour of this charming cottage.
Photos by Tuomas Uusheimo
When one thinks about perfect Summer getaway spots, Finland usually isn't on the top of the list — but maybe it should be, if Saunders Architecture's Finnish Summer house is any indication.
Located in the Aland Islands, a group of islands in the Baltic Sea just north of Stockholm, the house is nestled in a pine forest close to the sea. The home is comprised of a series of folding wooden structures that make up the walls, stairs, roof, floor, and roof garden. From the roof garden, guests can gaze at the islands surrounding the home, while at ground level all that can be seen is a thick pine forest.
The Summer house is also quite eco-friendly, with features including insulation made from woven linseed fibers and wood protected with cold pressed linseed oil. All of the wood for the home was sourced from a local sawmill, and the house was built on pillars, which eliminated the need to create a foundation that would uproot trees or disturb the forest.
Keep clicking to take the full tour!
Photos courtesy Saunders Architecture
Finland has just become the first nation to make broadband Internet access a legal right. According to the legislation, which goes into effect today, telecom operators must provide reasonably priced broadband connections to every permanent residence and office. According to the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority, fast Internet access is considered a staple, just as telephone and postal service are considered so.
There has been talk of bringing a similar law to the US, but it's still caught up in a lot of legal red tape — not to mention the physical infrastructure that would have to be completed in order to bring access to everyone. Finland has assigned 26 broadband companies as legal providers across the country and says that a "fair price" is around 30-40 euros monthly — about $37-$47. Do you think access is a legal right?
Be it Eritrean cooking or Colombian cuisine, I'm obsessed with trying new foods from around the world. I'm sad to say I haven't made it to any Scandinavian countries yet — but thanks to FinnLover, I'm dying to go now. During a recent trip to visit her husband's family in Finland, she ate her way through a number of Finnish specialties, like Ruisleipä, or black rye bread, shown above. To get a glimpse of her palatable pictures, read more
In this Helsinki home, a mélange of various design styles (Hollywood Regency, mid-century, French, traditional) and eccentric pieces come together seamlessly, creating an interior that is calm, inviting, and unique. To take the full tour, check out this slideshow.
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Money could very well be the root of all evil — though in the latest study of corrupt countries, it's actually the lack of money that sparks trouble. The new report by Transparency International found that in two-fifths of the world's nations, corruption continues to intensify — a trend that can be traced to economic realities. In the countries found to be the most corrupt, 40 percent are classified by the World Bank as low income.
Transparency International's rankings range on a scale from 10 (on the up-and-up) to 1 (rampant corruption). How common is corruption? Of the 180 countries surveyed, 132 of them had scores below a 5. Other factors that contribute to a cloudy ethical picture are weak governments and conflict. The chairman of Transparency International says, "Countries torn apart by conflict pay a huge toll in their capacity to govern. With public institutions crippled or nonexistent, mercenary individuals help themselves to public resources, and corruption thrives."
Another troublesome mix? Weak government plus plentiful natural resources, like in Equatorial Guinea where 30 percent of the newly discovered oil profits go straight to government officials' wallets. To see which countries ranked where, read more
It may seem like a joke, but wife carrying competition is a serious tradition in Finland. The practice comes from an early tribal practice of wife stealing. Sacks of rye have been swapped with wives, as the relay race is modeled after the work of 1800's bandit leader Ronkainen, who screened wannabe robbers by testing how they faired racing with sacks.
The tradition has gone global. Couples from 14 countries, including the US, Britain, China, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, and Kenya, competed in this weekend's Wife Carrying World Championships. A husband from Estonia won the big prize — his wife's weight in beer!
To see video of the competition, read more
Finland's popular foreign minister is the latest politician to lose his job over naughty text messages. Ilkka Kanerva sent over 200 erotic text messages to a stripper, pictured. He initially denied the story when it broke in a gossip magazine, but later confessed to using his taxpayer cell phone to send the messages while attending an EU meeting in Brussels.
Technically he lost his post because the incident destroyed the confidence and respect needed to do the job. The embarrassing incident was reason enough to end the statesman's credibility, and thus, career.
Back in the US, Detroit's mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is facing federal criminal charges over 14,000 steamy text messages between him and his ex-chief of staff. Some want the mayor to stay in office, because the texts concerned a private sexual matter between two consenting adults, so lying about it to a grand jury is no big deal. Do you buy it?
If no crime is alleged, like with the Finnish foreign minister, should the public just get over it? Politicians aren't the only ones sending flirty text messages.
To see the 40-year-old man who will replace Kanerva, read more
