The eco professor’s dream home: this black tiny house of 34 square meters even has a sauna!

The happy resident in front of his brand-new home. Professor Matti Kuittinen planted “rescue shrubs” salvaged from another construction site in his front yard.

The first impression is striking. On a small plot of just over 300 square meters stands a container-like black building that elicits mixed reactions. They don’t get much uglier than that, had one cyclist quipped while speeding past.

The harsh assessment reached the owner, Matti Kuittinen, who found it amusing: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And in the eyes of the Aalto University professor of sustainable construction, House Varjo is perfect.

More tiny houses like House Varjo are planned for Lohja’s new Haikari residential area. One is already completed, and the next is under construction. On the neighboring plot, a wooden house built on-site is currently rising.

Professor Kuittinen’s house is the opposite of traditional construction. For one thing, about half of the tiny house’s building materials are recycled or reused.

“It’s hard to design for oneself when there’s no external judge,” he laments, however.

But never mind others’ opinions: after all, he built the house for himself, and it could be exactly as he wanted. The history of how the house came to be is rich with philosophy and concern for the carrying capacity of Earth, which has underpinned Matti’s individual choices.

This tiny house in Lohja aims to demonstrate concretely how it can be possible to live in a detached house with low emissions and high resource efficiency. The expenses of House Varjo are about the same as those of a high-quality electric car. The house stands on pillars set on concrete footings.

Construction phases of House Varjo:

The walls are insulated with Isover glass wool. Heating is provided by an energy-efficient air-source heat pump. The Airfin ventilation unit utilizes artificial intelligence in managing ventilation.

The facade is clad with recycled boards. The boards of varying lengths create a relief-like effect.

The tiny house was prefabricated at the Aulis Lundell Oy factory in Lohja. The company has been a long-term partner of Matti Kuittinen.

Moving the 11-ton, container-like house was a novel task for the crane.

The uniform black color of the tiny house surprised everyone. Dubbed the “Grumpy Cabin,” it was transported from the factory to the site on a truck bed.

Since spring, the 11-meter-long Varjo has stood on its plot, after being transported there by truck trailer. Prefabricated at the Aulis Lundell Oy factory in Lohja, the house became home to its sole permanent resident—the builder himself—at Easter, as a kind of experiment. Matti wanted to test how his creation, transformed from his computer screen into reality, would function in real life. If he ever wishes to move, he can take the house with him.

Matti designed and drew his tiny house entirely himself, down to the routes of the electrical and heating systems. He began drawing in April 2023.

For his teenage son, the father built a room where the son got to paint the end wall to his own liking—a light purple shade. An LED light that flashes in different colors runs along the ceiling. The small details serve as incentives for the youngster’s comfort and visits.

You can easily sense the enthusiasm from the builder as well. The tiny house has a limited number of square meters, but it feels larger than it actually is. Every material and detail has been carefully considered, as befits a low-emission, recycled home.

The piping running along the top of the kitchen has been left exposed as part of the aesthetic of the house. Visible structures are also easy to repair.

The kitchen countertop and sink are made from Durat composite material.

The interior of House Varjo is dominated by black. The living area is lined in black, creating a cozy, nest-like feel. Floor-to-ceiling curtains cover the walls on three sides. The number of visible items and furniture can be counted on one hand. The focal point of the house is a floor-to-ceiling window that opens onto the backyard’s untamed nature. It’s like gazing at a giant, living painting.

“You see a lot of animals here,” Matti says.

Perhaps the home’s most beautiful item stands in front of the window.

“I got this chair from my grandmother when I was in first grade.”

Sitting in the beautifully patinated armchair, you can observe the forest life through the seasons.

The well-worn armchair aligns with the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, the beauty of imperfection.

Above the plot on the hill looms a massive wooden house, but a strip of forest blocks the direct view to it.

One by one, Matti pulls the curtains aside. Everyday life is revealed. One wall has an office with a computer, books, and a fold-down desk.

On the opposite wall is a long row of black boxes for clothes and other items. Hidden within the same wall are a television and a pull-out dining table. Guests don’t have to sit on the floor to dine; they can sit on chairs at the table.

The wall facing the front yard is reserved for the kitchen. While cooking, you can look out through a small window.

“The refrigerator, faucet, and sink are recycled,” Matti explains.

The kitchen countertop is made of Durat composite material, which is almost entirely recycled plastic. The cheerful color creates a fresh contrast to the dark tone of the apartment. Durat reappears in the bathroom.

Matti has to crawl into his sleeping nook. His son’s sleeping area is built on a loft in the room next to the sleeping nook. Instead of cabinets, storage shelves are attached to the wall in the son’s room, making it easy to change their arrangement.

The floors are covered with Forbo’s black wall-to-wall carpet, made from recycled fishing nets. The roofing material produced by Kerabit comes from old car tires.

The view comes close to you. Matti Kuittinen utilized construction side streams and acquired recycled furniture and materials for the house from a secondhand online shop, demolition sites, and demolition companies’ online stores.

The Liune sliding door leading to the multipurpose room features a photographic work by photographer Heikki Willamo.

In the son’s bedroom, you climb to the loft via a ladder built by Matti.

The inspiration for Matti’s sleeping nook came from Japanese capsule hotels. The walls are OSB panels.

Despite its nest-like coziness, House Varjo is open. It doesn’t conceal its structures but displays them openly. You can see Aulis Lundell’s carbon-neutral steel beams on the ceiling and the electrical wires on the walls.

“If I could do something differently, I would make even more precise plans for the electrical wiring,” Matti reflects.

Matti says he was inspired by the Japanese writer Junichiro Tanizaki’s essay “In Praise of Shadows.” It’s reflected in House Varjo through touches of Japanese twilight aesthetics and minimalism.

“I wanted to experiment with how many natural resources are needed for a good life,” he explains.

Floor plan of House Varjo:

To the right of the workstation opens the entrance to Matti’s sleeping nook.

The bathroom sink and faucet are recycled. The wall features Durat composite material.

You can enjoy the heat of the sauna on the loft.

The TV screen fits harmoniously into the puzzle of black storage boxes.

Matti enjoys his home. The limited space is sufficient. The house exemplifies exactly what is expected from construction globally, in the professor’s opinion.

“We should reduce the emissions of the built environment by nearly 90 percent while building nearly two billion new homes during our century.”

It remains to be seen how emissions can be kept in check and people guaranteed their own home.

Matti has not yet calculated the emissions of his own tiny house. They are low, as he has done everything in his power to reach his goal. Approximately 53 percent of House Varjo’s materials are recycled or reused. The target was to get over halfway.

Matti Kuittinen says that when working with recycled materials, you need a tolerance for risk. Not everything may last: “The first recycled windows I acquired broke. I had to go for a second round of purchases.”