Second home in Alvar Aalto’s Sunila filled with Aalto’s treasures—“I spent more on the interior than on the apartment itself”

The Mäntylä building where Jani Kylmänen lives dates back to 1937, comprising 45-square-meter two-room apartments and 30-square-meter studios. The shiplap airing decks give the façade its distinctive character.

Sunila’s white-painted rows of houses emerge one after another among the pines. Mäntylä, a two-story building constructed in 1937, is where you’ll find Jani Kylmänen’s second home.

Kylmänen and his partner, seasoned in finding, renovating, and moving between homes, live permanently in a 1960s apartment building in Helsinki.

Here, in the far reaches of Kotka, they’ve found a place they love, and Jani is increasingly convinced it will be a lasting one.

The houses built across the rolling terrain are protected by the zoning plan. The shiplap airing decks give the façade a distinctive appearance.

Sunila’s logo is the handiwork of Alvar Aalto and is attached to the chimney of the area’s heating plant. It is one of the area’s landmarks.

The two-room apartment has 45 square meters, a well-functioning layout, and an abundance of items: each more beautiful than the last, showcasing the golden age of Finnish design and ingenuity, craftsmanship, and turning scarcity into an advantage. Most of them are creations by Alvar and Aino Aalto, with a few exceptions: a handcrafted chestnut wood chip chair by the French Pascal Raffier Vannerie, a 1950s serving cart made by a Sunila carpenter, and a 1930s wall shelf.

The unique coziness and warmth of the place makes you tingly. It stems from the lacquered wooden doors, linoleum floors, the pine twisting outside the window, a sense of moderation and harmony. Although there’s no space to waste, there’s enough.

Jani Kylmänen has curated furnishings, textiles, and small items for his home that reflect the era it represents.

Kylmänen has become an avid Sunila enthusiast, spending his free time developing the area and raising its profile.

In front of the living room window offering a pine landscape, an unusual serving table also competes for attention. It is believed to be a masterpiece by a Sunila carpenter from the 1950s.

Sunila came into Kylmänen’s life a few years ago. His interest in design is longstanding, and he has been a fan of both rustic antiques and Art Deco.

Here, he was suddenly struck by a complete Aalto fever, resulting in an unexpected chapter in his life serving as an advocate and promoter of the architecturally significant area.

“A few years ago, I took a sabbatical, and one day, I recalled a story I’d heard about the Sunila factory and residential area designed by Aalto’s office. I decided to take a walk here with our Russian greyhound Faron and wandered around here for a couple of hours. I looked into the housing prices and was shocked. I shifted into buying mode immediately.”

Kylmänen paid less than 30,000 euros for the apartment, which had already undergone pipe renovations. On top of that, there were only the renovation costs of a bit over 10,000 euros.

“When I removed the laminate from the floor, some concrete came off with it, and the floors in the living areas had to be recast. Because of the previous resident’s enthusiasm for darts, the walls had to be evened out. I painted them and the ceilings with a German air-purifying lime paint and the insides of the cabinets with solvent-based paint. I replaced the yellowed switches and sockets from the 1990s with ones that match the original style. So I got off relatively easily.”

Kylmänen ponders that the area’s low pricing might trace back to the previous economic recession. During that time, Sunila ended up with residents whose life management was not in the best possible state, and the area’s reputation hasn’t been the best, at least in the Kotka region.

“Those times have passed, and we are moving toward a new renaissance. Several Aalto enthusiasts like myself have settled into these buildings, and investors who appreciate Aalto have also found their way here.”

The room next to the kitchen serves as a dining area and guest room. The pendant lamp is by Alvar Aalto, model A201.

The early 1950s Artek table has X-legs.

The new Sunila activism is represented by the spare parts bank in the basement of the Kuusela building, the apartment renovation guidelines, architect Rurik Wasastjerna’s architecture tours—and the open house days that Kylmänen holds a few times a year in his second home.

The factory director’s house, Kantola, which had been underutilized, has already been harnessed as an event venue, and together with a group, Kylmänen is planning to refurbish apartments and rent them out to travelers.

One of the advances that have already been realized is incorporating Sunila into Kotka’s national urban park. Thanks to this, the city has committed to, for example, restoring outdoor areas. Recently, Kylmänen was involved in clearing a 700-square-meter thicket with his horticulturist friend from Helsinki.

“In Aallon Maja, which is visible from my living room window, there was originally a public sauna and laundry for all Sunila residents, and it would still be possible to restore them. It would be great to have an architectural and cultural sauna here.”

The long-term goal is to get Sunila onto the UNESCO World Heritage List.

“Sunila is primarily a residential suburb but it is hopefully evolving into a significant center for design and architecture as well.”

The work certainly doesn’t threaten to run out at any point.

“I sometimes say that I need to go to Helsinki to rest. Life here is social and eventful, and there’s just not enough time for everything.”

Among the glass objects are several gems from the 1930s to 1950s. The boomerang-shaped Savoy vase resembling a beer bottle in color is part of a special edition released in 2021.

It is a long-term endeavor to search for items for his second home that are to his taste. Kylmänen scours every possible auction, second-hand shop, flea market, and recycling center he comes across around the country. Occasionally, he has even published newspaper ads seeking Aalto artifacts.

Kylmänen adds to his collection on an emotional basis and out of his great appreciation for the design of the era, which is economical without compromising on aesthetics. Even the hat shelf in the hallway becomes more interesting when you learn that Alvar Aalto used the same shapes in his other furniture.

“I’ve spent more money on the interior than on the apartment itself,” says Kylmänen.

All items are used without excessive caution.

“We’re not in a museum here, even though someone might think it is precisely that. I want to live in the present, and the idea isn’t to create the illusion of a home from a certain era. However, there’s no television, and the radio is unobtrusive. I just happen to love this style.”

The living room includes a traditional sleeping alcove. The drawing is a pencil work from the 1950s by an unknown artist, and the Beni Ouarain cushions are souvenirs from a trip to Morocco.

The collector’s treasures also include many reference books and old magazines, which contain invaluable material.

Sometimes Kylmänen buys too much and doesn’t know where to place his latest finds; the trunk of his car has been bulging with functionalism rugs at times. Then the purchases are taken to storage to await the right time and place.

“However, it’s different from chasing after new things. Where would the world end up if everyone acted in the spirit of the consumerism feast of the 1980s?”

Although there may be old towels on offer in the cupboard, Kylmänen prefers to showcase his new hand, kitchen, and bath towels. They have a twist, and quite a one at that. He has had the towels made by Kotka-based textile designer Tarja Javanainen at Birta Design. The collection is intended to expand and go on sale—naturally under the name Sunila.

Kylmänen describes his current lifestyle as modern cottage living.

“I get to just sit here and become Aalto-crazy. From another perspective, I represent people for whom multi-locality is a natural way to be and live.”

We have to check how much Aalto pieces Kylmänen and his partner have in their Helsinki home. Probably every corner is brimming.

“The décor is far from typical Finnish. There’s no Aalto there at all. And there won’t be. Probably.”

The originality has been preserved down to the apartment’s interior doors, their locks, and keys.

The staircase leading to the apartment has a masonry railing with its top surface covered with a lacquered birch plank. The handrail is black-painted round wood.