SPECIAL – Northern (High)Lights!

Welcome to another travel special in our summer series designed to help you to make the most of a week(end) away. If you missed our previous instalments on Spain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Houses to Stay in, you can find them on our homepage.

Meanwhile we continue our journey in the Nordic countries where a variety of wonderful modern house museums are ready to welcome you in Norway, Denmark, Finland and Estonia! Among the 20th-century gems to explore there are several Aalto houses, the futuristic Futuro in Helsinki, or take a trip to Arne Korsmo's magnum opus in Oslo and make some fascinating discoveries. We’ve arranged the houses from youngest to oldest. Even if you decided to have a staycation this year, you can still travel the houses from home. Enjoy!

New at Iconic Houses in 2025!

Majamaja, Helsinki Archipelago, 2023
Wake up to the subtle sounds of seabirds, a whispering wind and gently rolling waves of the Baltic Sea. Majamaja is a pioneering solution for future off-grid living with minimised environmental footprint, that allows you to reconnect with nature. Bookings are now open for the 4 unique off-grid designer homes in the Helsinki archipelago, initiated by Finnish architect Pekka Littow.

Note: Plan your visit(s) well in advance, as house museums can have irregular visiting times and often require online reservation.

Futuro House, Matti Suuronen, Espoo, Finland, 1968
The Futuro is an elliptical plastic house designed by architect Matti Suuronen. It captures the experimental forms, new materials and optimistic ideas of the space-age architecture and design of the late 1960s. The WeeGee Exhibition Centre in Finand has acquired the first ever mass-produced Futuro, restored it and opens it to the public in Summer.

Didrichsen House, Viljo Revell, Helsinki, Finland, 1956
The Didrichsen Art Museum was founded by art collectors Marie-Louise and Gunnar Didrichsen in conjunction to their home. Didrichsen was a Danish businessman who settled in Finland in 1927 and married Marie-Louise Granfelt in 1939. Viljo Revell first designed a villa for the family and later on a museum wing to house the growing art collection.

Studio Aalto, Alvar Aalto, Helsinki, Finland, 1955
The studio was completed for use by Alvar Aalto’s architect’s office in 1955, within walking distance of Aalto’s home. 'You can’t create architecture in an office environment', is how Aalto described working in an architect’s office. The building curves around a stepped, amphitheatre-style courtyard sheltered from the wind.

Muuratsalo Experimental House, Alvar Aalto, Säynätsalo (Jyväskylä), Finland, 1954
Alvar and Elissa Aalto designed their Experimental House including a separate smoke sauna on the island of Muuratsalo. It served both as a leisure home and as a test site. On the walls of the courtyard, Aalto tested ceramic materials, brick types and sizes and the effect of different surfaces.

Arne Jacobsen's House in Klampenborg, Denmark 1951
The house is part of the Søholm estate built 1945-1953 in three stages and with three types of houses all designed by Arne Jacobsen. The house was built as the architect's private house and studio. He moved here from his previous home in Charlottenlund and lived here until the time of his death in 1971. For information about guided tours, please contact info@realdaniabyogbyg.dk.

Munch's House, Åsgårdstrand, Norway 1947
Of all the places where Munch lived and worked as an artist, he perhaps left most traces of himself at Åsgårdstrand. Munch's House, is the only one of his several homes that remains intact, and the landscape remains much as it was in Munch's day. Over a period of more than 20 years he painted some of his best works here.

Finn Juhl's House, Charlottenlund, Denmark, 1942
Finn Juhl's House was opened to the public in 2008 as a part of Ordrupgaard Museum. The house is one of the finest examples of modernism in Denmark and was designed and decorated by the architect and furniture designer himself. The house is temporarily closed, while a new extension of Ordrupgaard is being built, designed by the Norwegian architects Snøhetta. They expect to reopen by New Year 2020-2021.

Villa Mairea, Alvar Aalto, Noormarkku, Finland, 1939
Villa Mairea was the residence of the progressive industrialist Harry Gullichsen and his wife Maire. It marks Aalto’s transition from mainstream modernism towards his own unique synthesis of the traditional and modern, organic and technological, structural and aesthetic, emotional and rational. It's a groundbreaking masterpiece.

Villa Stenersen, Arne Korsmo, Oslo, Norway 1939
Villa Stenersen is one of the icons of Norwegian Modernist architecture, designed by the internationally oriented Arne Korsmo as a private home/gallery for the stockbroker, art collector, and author Rolf E. Stenersen and his family. In 1974 Stenersen donated the house to the Norwegian government. Since 2000 the house has been open to the public.

The Aalto House, Alvar Aalto, Helsinki, Finland, 1936
The Aalto House at Riihitie 20 was completed as Aino and Alvar Aalto’s home and studio. Aalto’s architect’s office was in this building until 1955. Designing their own home gave them an opportunity to make various structural and material experiments. Pay special attention to the use of wood, brick and natural stone.

Markeliushuset, Stockholm, 1935
The architect Sven Markelius cooperated with sociologist and social democratic politician Alva Myrdal to plan a 57-unit ‘Collective house’. The purpose was to emancipate women and give full-time working couples with children as well single professionals the opportunity to get help with various everyday tasks through the house's collective functions, under the motto “Individual culture through collective services”. Markelius’ Collective house initially offered communal amenities like a child day-care, a restaurant with food elevators ('dumb waiters'), an intercom system for the restaurant, laundry, and cleaning services, as well as two shops: a grocery store and a milk shop.

Villa Tammekan, Alvar Aalto, Tartu, Estonia, 1932
It is possible to stay overnight at the Villa Tammekann in Estonia and thus experience the unique environment of this building by Alvar Aalto. Although staying at the house is primarily intended for university staff on work visits, special groups interested in architecture are also welcomed. Accommodation includes breakfast and use of the sauna :-)

The Vigeland Apartment, Oslo, Norway 1930
In 1921, sculptor Gustav Vigeland signed an agreement with the City of Oslo. In return for promising the City his extensive collection after his death, he was given a large studio with an apartment. The studio would later and up to serve as the Vigeland Museum to celebrate his work. The artist wanted to put his personal touch on the interior.

Arne Jacobsen's House in Charlottenlund, Denmark, 1929
The villa was built in 1929 by the architect Arne Jacobsen as his private residence. An extension was added in 1931 to house a private studio. The house is Jacobsen's first example of a building that takes inspiration from international functionalism. For information about guided tours, please contact info@realdaniabyogbyg.dk.

Gallen-Kallela Museum, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Espoo, Finland 1913
Painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela is best known for his illustrations of the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. His work was considered very important for the Finnish national identity. His explorer’s soul took him to East Africa and the United States. He designed and built his studio and house about 10 km northwest of the centre of Helsinki.
   

Hvitträsk, Eliel Saarinen e.a., Luoma, Kirkkonummi, Finland, 1903
Hvitträsk was built by Herman Gesellius, Armas Lindgren and Eliel Saarinen. The main building, in National Romantic style, built of logs and natural stone, served as an architectural office and a home for Eliel Saarinen and Armas Lindgren. It's is also the boyhood home of architect Eero Saarinen, who made his reputation primarily in the US.

Posted February 20, 2024