9 home features you hardly see anymore in Finnish homes—even the nation’s point of pride is fading away
First, walls became fewer. Then, upper kitchen cabinets vanished. Now, even traditional toilets are on the brink of extinction. We’ve gathered the home features that are conspicuously absent in newly built Finnish houses.
1. Vestibule and porch
In today's Finnish homes, the difference is clear the moment you step inside: where is the porch or even the vestibule? Lately, the trend has been to remove the vestibule altogether or at least leave the path from it to the rest of the home open. Often, opening the front door brings you directly into the main entrance or even the living room or kitchen. Still, a semi-heated porch had its charm: after all, what could be nicer than a spot to overwinter pelargoniums and other plants!
2. The boiler room
In the past, the boiler room was a regular feature in our houses. But once construction shifted toward systems like air-to-water heat pumps, vast boiler rooms were no longer needed. Today, heating units are often installed in the laundry room—or even high up on a living room wall.
3. The fireplace room
Over the years, our homes seem to have fewer and fewer walls. In the past, each function could have its own dedicated room. Now, though, it’s increasingly uncommon to build a space solely for enjoying the glow of a fireplace.
4. Dining room
If you’ve ever watched a home makeover show or read about a renovation, you’ll know that many people crave openness—especially merging the kitchen, dining, and living area into one shared space. Although some assumed separate dining rooms might return during the pandemic, we haven’t seen convincing evidence of that so far.
As upper cabinets disappear from many kitchens, dish-drying cabinets vanish, too.
5. The dish-drying cabinet
Even our national point of pride invented by Finnish Maiju Gebhard, the dish-drying cabinet [in Finnish], hasn’t escaped changing tastes. As upper cabinets disappear from many kitchens, dish-drying cabinets vanish, too. While most dishes and utensils can be popped into the dishwasher, people remain divided over having—or losing—this Finnish classic.
6. A pull-out baking board
In days gone by, Finnish kitchens commonly had a pull-out baking or cutting board hidden in a drawer unit: just grab the handle, slide it out, and fold down the front. Now, kitchens have all sorts of clever features—from smart recycling solutions to ever-popular breakfast cabinets—but hidden baking boards have mostly disappeared.
7. The traditional toilet
For the longest time, it was obvious that a toilet sat on the floor. When wall-mounted toilets hit the market, they took some getting used to, but they’re now more of a rule than an exception in new buildings. And it’s been ages since we’ve seen a pull-knob flush!
8. Baseboards
You’d think at least one element of construction would be guaranteed, but apparently not. Even baseboards aren’t essential—indeed,going without them appears to be a growing trend. Although it’s technically challenging to finish the floor and walls neatly without baseboards, many people find the minimalist look appealing.
9. Visible eaves
Perhaps next to go will be traditional eaves. Nowadays, it’s possible to hide the eaves within the building’s structure. Are hidden eaves the next big building trend?
