No. 001 is 72 square meters in central Pori, in a building I had walked past a hundred times. When the apartment came up, the surfaces were tired but the proportions were right: high rooms, big windows, good light. That is something worth building on.
Start from the floor
As a carpenter I learned that a renovation should start where your feet land all day and your eyes land first: the floor. Here that meant oak parquet. Oak survives guests, suitcases and moved sofas, and looks better after ten years than it did new.
The brass was a decision, not a coincidence. Handles, taps and lamp frames share the same material, which is what holds the whole together. Brass needs no polishing; it is allowed to gain patina.
One luxury per room
In the bathroom I went furthest: marble tile and Grohe fittings. A small room can carry one proper luxury, and it needs no justifying. The kitchen got Bosch machines, not for the badge but because a dishwasher has to work on its hundredth cycle too.
The bedroom got a standing desk and a 32-inch monitor, because plenty of people come to Pori for work. The workspace cost little, and guests thank me for it often.
It never got finished, because homes do not get finished. But going by the reviews, the most important part worked out: the place is calm.
Two of the homes are open for guests. See the homes