I know I have a tendency to romanticise cottage living... Despite of the fact that I live in a multistorey house built in the early 1960's and quite enjoy it! There was a real housing boom after the wars in Finland, which means many of us live in functionalist modern houses built in the 1950-70's, far away from the red wooden cottage that would be the typical traditional habitation in Finland. So I decided to celebrate concrete and tower blocks today! Don't stop reading now...
...cause I'm going to give one of these concrete boxes away, just tell me what kind of house you live in (I'm curious) and which one of these you would like to have and you're in the draw! Draw open until my next post some time the day after tomorrow :) Check out my flickr to get a better view of the buildings!
The concrete is of the softer kind, it used to be a flannel shirt :) One house is about 17 cm high (6.7'').
Have a happy day!
Oh, that sounds terrible Chris! I hope that you will hear from the insurance company soon and that you will be compensated! And that you eventually will have the sewing room of your dreams. Sometimes we have to wait awhile for our dreams to come through!
Posted by: Kajsa Wikman | 20 March 2012 at 07:29 AM
Right now I live in a single level house built in the 1950s which is in the country 20 minutes drive from Christchurch, New Zealand. I have the best of both worlds. We've been waiting for 18 months to find out if the insurance company will demolish or repair the house after the foundations cracked and sank in the earthquakes. An enormous sewing room is highest on my wish list for a new house. All your houses are very cute. Number 12 appeals most to me. Love the colour combination.
Posted by: Chris | 20 March 2012 at 12:13 AM
I love #67! We are moving to a new home on monday! It is a renovated 2-floor home with a basement suite below and was built in the 1930s. One of the cozy rooms in the attic will be my new craftroom/studio! I can't wait!!! Hugs, L
Posted by: PatchworkPottery | 24 February 2010 at 01:22 AM
We live in a cosy Victorian bungalow by the sea, but I wouldn't say no to a concrete block with an actual view of the sea. If I won one of yours I could live the dream!
Posted by: Jane | 19 February 2010 at 09:06 PM
my flat was in London and I did swap it for a old house in the Netherlands...but I tell you I miss the flat..less cleaning,lol
Posted by: kaylovesvintage | 19 February 2010 at 05:07 PM
I've always wanted to live in a house with a red door, I love that one!
Posted by: Stacey | 18 February 2010 at 08:30 PM
Heipsan! Käyn aina silloin tällöin kurkaamassa kauniiseen blogiisi.. Ja nyt on sitten kilpailu täällä.
Kaikki talot on kyllä todella kauniita mutta jos pitää yksi valita niin tuo missä on limenvihreä katto on kivoin näin kevään kynnyksellä =D
Ja itse asun keltaisessa mummonmökissä, melkein maalla...
Aurinkoa päiviisi toivottaa Sanna
Posted by: sanna vallius | 18 February 2010 at 12:22 PM
Fina hus:)
Själva bor vi i ett tvåvånings radhus.
Men min dröm att är att bo mitt i stan i ett gammalt hus med höga rum!
Hälsningar Katariina från Åbo
Posted by: Katariina Olofsson | 18 February 2010 at 06:50 AM
My name is Becky, and I live in Pearland, Texas - a suburb of Houston. My home is a townhouse, actually. It's a very southwestern Santa Fe style home. My interior is primarily Mexican Folk Art with lots of primitives and beautiful colors. i would love to be in a drawing for any of your lovely houses.
Posted by: Becky | 18 February 2010 at 04:19 AM
You have such a fun imagination.
Posted by: Megan Young | 18 February 2010 at 03:06 AM
First, I love all of your delightful creations! I live in a stucco house built in 1940 in Burbank, CA (suburb of Los Angeles). It was built during WWII back when Burbank residents mostly worked for Lockheed Aerospace. It's sweet and cozy, has a gigantically (and precariously) tall tree out front with a tire swing, and a large yard for my daughter to play in. My favorite cloth house is the 2nd from the right, with the green roof.
Michelle:)
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1335456888 | 18 February 2010 at 01:53 AM
Oi, ihania taloja :)
En kyllä voi valita vain yhtä suosikkia noista, miusta parhaat ovat 1, 2 ja 1963.
Ite asun 1950-luvulla rakennetun kerrostalon valoisassa kaksiossa kivoilla näköaloilla. Muutin vasta ja kaikki on vielä kesken, mutta eiköhän kaikki löytäne paikkansa.
Posted by: Maria | 18 February 2010 at 12:16 AM
Oh, I wish I lived in a sweet house like the one with the pink roof.. We rent the first floor in a small white wooden house north in Norway, with a lovely view of a field with horses grassing (or not so much grassing since the field is completly white at the moment :)). The house is nice, but since we are going to live here less than a year, we rent furnished. And they have filled the small apartment with large furnitures in dark, solid wood, not so nice..
Posted by: Gunn | 17 February 2010 at 11:18 PM
I live in a concrete box,with 15 flats.
But I´m glad that I can see the sea in all my windows and I have a huge balcony.
I like the number 23!
I love your concrete boxes!!
Posted by: Margarida Godinho | 17 February 2010 at 11:16 PM
I live in an old house that the landlord doesn't take very good care of; I'm on the first floor and I have neighbors upstairs. I like my little flat because there is a lot of great light and a garden and lovely neighbors all around.
I think the building with the black roof and red door is the best!
Thanks for the chance to win!
Posted by: Rossie Hutchinson | 17 February 2010 at 09:40 PM
I love them all! Just like everything else you do. Your apple fabric is delicious! We live in an apartment building in Switzerland that is an orangey-rust color that my friend says reminds her of star trek. Our apartment is full of color and I must say you have been a source of inspiration! Thank you!
Posted by: Holly | 17 February 2010 at 08:15 PM
They look so happy.
We live in a 2 storey house with a barn roof in the downtown area of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Our house was built in 1943 and we have lived in it for 38 years, have made many changes and just had the kitchen totally remodeled after one done by my husband 30 years ago. White with red accents, love it. So of course I would like the house with the red roof.
Bev
Posted by: Bev Longford | 17 February 2010 at 07:11 PM
i just adore your houses - they all have such character! I think number 12 is one of my top faves, though it's hard to choose! we live in a condo, though we call it a townhouse, since that seems to sound nicer! :)
Posted by: Ashley | 17 February 2010 at 06:07 PM
We live in an Edwardian terrace house - lots of original wooden floors and fireplaces. If I am lucky enough to win I would love the house on the far right with the blue door - just like our house!
Posted by: Jenny | 17 February 2010 at 05:54 PM
How fun! I live in a one story suburban house...can't think of the word I want....just a regular house. I love farmhouse style....built in bookcases, wood floors, wide porches, etc.
Posted by: Kristin | 17 February 2010 at 05:36 PM
I live in a two story brick house. I love the spaciousness but sometimes crave the coziness of a small cottage. All of your houses are wonderful but I am partial to the ones with the black and white roofs. :)
Posted by: susanlr | 17 February 2010 at 05:11 PM
they're all lovely! Especially the pink roofed one.
We live in a small 3 bedroomed 1920's semi. One of the bedrooms used to be a sewing room then we went and turned it into a nursery!!
Posted by: ClaireP | 17 February 2010 at 04:43 PM
En muista olenko aikaisemmin kommentoinut täällä...Mutta käyn aina välillä kurkkimassa mitä ihanaa olet tehnyt :) Nuo talot ovat aivan ihania! Eniten pidän ehkä omppupuukattoisesta.
Me asumme 70-l. alussa rakennetussa tiilitalossa, jossa minulla on iso ompeluhuone ;) Kaupunkiin on n. 4km matkaa, mutta olemme kuin maalla.
Posted by: TilkkuSatu | 17 February 2010 at 10:32 AM
We live in a Victorian semi detached house with three floors, built in about 1880. I love the idea of celebrating life as it is! I love the house with the orange roof, but all are lovely!
Posted by: dee | 17 February 2010 at 10:19 AM
we live in a 50's era condo - an urban housing experiment with high density housing that allows for lots of open space. the buildings aren't great but living on acres of park-like greenery in a city is nice - especially for the kids
I like all of them but 1963 stands out for me because of the bold colors
Posted by: katie | 17 February 2010 at 07:55 AM
I love you little houses! I have already won a dear house and can attest that you make lovely pieces, so don't need to enter this drawing. However, if I were to pick, I like the red and green one with the gold door. I think it's the apple trees on the roof that I love the most about that one!
Posted by: Kristin | 17 February 2010 at 06:14 AM
i live in a pathetic house in japan, made of what I imagine must only be chopsticks and lightweight wood. whenever there is a strong wind or earthquake, the whole house shakes. on the bright side, the layout is nice, and just right for my husband and I. I love your concrete jungle, humourous, colorful, yet a reminder of days gone by.
Posted by: vibromama | 17 February 2010 at 04:47 AM
These houses are so much fun. I should make one of mine--it is called a Cape Cod Cottage and was built from plans purchased at Sears in 1940. Much of it is original--wood floors, plaster walls, lovely arches between rooms. While we like it very much, someday I would love to live in a "modern" 60s style house--not too many of those in Iowa!
Posted by: Kolleen | 17 February 2010 at 03:52 AM
I would say we live in a cottage. It's little story and 1/2 place with a big yard.
This was what it looked like the year we bought it: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lemoncadet/418290509/
But now it is light grey and the porch is falling off so we need to rebuild it.
I really love what you did with the selvedge to make the house numbers. Wow.
Posted by: beth | 17 February 2010 at 02:46 AM
Your houses are adorable!
I live in a tiny 3 bedroom flat roofed house. It used to be a beach shack (a really, really dodgy, falling apart beach shack) many years ago and we've slowly been renovating it - my husband is doing the kitchen as I type!
Thanks so much for the chance to win a house.
Posted by: One Crafty Mumma | 17 February 2010 at 02:45 AM
Oh, I'm lucky to live in a typical American ticky tacky like everyone elses house on the outside suburbian home. I don't take a house for granted. I've made many places into a home. I've lived in a basement, apartments, delapidated condemned houses, a trailer, a shot gun cabin with knotty pine throughout, my grandmother's 1930's home, other people's homes and rental homes and now I have a home of my own. It is big because I used to have two teenagers and my mother living with my husband and I. Now I have a granddaughter and could see her visiting and snuggling with the blue door house number 23 when I babysit her. You've been a big inspirataion Kasja and I'm very happy to see you exploring your creativing with more houses. I used to dream and still do sometimes of having a beach cottage by the sea or at least near enough to take walks along the ocean. Ahhh,
Posted by: Laura Lea | 17 February 2010 at 01:58 AM
I live in a split level house. One main floor with bedrooms up and down off the side of the house. My fave is number 12. Very cute!!
Posted by: Jade | 17 February 2010 at 01:16 AM
You got all those houses done with one single t-shirt? my, you do know how to make use of materials! I love the one with the polka dots on red door. I live in a big house, 8 dormitories, facing a lake, near Montreal. It is very quiet around here, the nearest shop is about 10 km away. Lovely and nice, but it is a drag when you have to commute for 2 hours everyday! Thanks for the giveaway!
Posted by: Patricia | 17 February 2010 at 12:41 AM
Ufff, i can't decide... 12 maybe? They are all beautiful!
We live in an unifamiliar house the four together with our two dogs, our cat, and our turtle :)
Posted by: Tartaruga | 17 February 2010 at 12:21 AM
We live in half of a twin built in the 1970's. (Two separate houses that share one wall.) I would love to live in a single home some day. Where we are now we have to get the neighbors to go in on any outside home improvement product because of our association rules. So things like a new roof, etc. means the whole roof has to be done--theirs and ours so they match, etc. A big hassle.
If I was to win, house number 23 would be very appropriate. :) Thanks for letting me enter.
Posted by: K. Anne | 17 February 2010 at 12:11 AM
My favorite is house number 12 with the bright green roof, it's the same colour as my living room. My house is on Vancouver Island, Canada. It's a two story house that has everything I need except a sewing room! Love your work.
Posted by: Jennifer Zahavich | 16 February 2010 at 11:45 PM
Hej! Jag tycker mest om huset nummer 12 eller 23. Det är så svårt att välja.. Vi bor nu i ett gammalt hus från 1940 talet. Det finns så mycket att renovera i vårt hus! Vi har trädgården med gamla äppelträd och vinbärsbuskar samt jordgubbar och örter. På vintern har vi många småfåglar i trädgården. Det tar bara c. 10 minuter att gå till torget. Ännu drömmer jag om huset vid sjön...
Posted by: anne from finland | 16 February 2010 at 11:29 PM
These houses are great, I love the brightly coloured blinds, my favourite house is the green roofed one second from the right, but they are all very cheery.
I live in a 1 and a half storey small grey render house with a green wooden porch, with big windows that let the late night summer sun in, set in a big garden which could do with some help from a gardener but which the birds seem to like to visit, we look out onto fields of sheep and beyond to the sea and the boats coming and going :)
Posted by: phatsheep | 16 February 2010 at 11:26 PM
I lobve the use of selvedge for the numbers. They are beautiful!
Posted by: jodie | 16 February 2010 at 10:57 PM
Hejsan Kajsa,
You are such an inspiration to me. I love your work (and your name...I wanted to name my daughter Kajsa but couldn't convince my husband). I live in a detached home in a wooded neighborhood in North Carolina where I have room to keep my sewing machine set up and am grateful for the space. This is a tough choice but I'd have to say the house with the red and white door (#3). Thank you!
Posted by: Katie | 16 February 2010 at 10:57 PM
Your houses are so cute. I live in an white squar house build around 1950, ít's designed by a famous dutch architect who use to be a friend of my grandfather. My grandparent build the house, my mother is born in this house and now my boyfriend, daugther and I live in it. So it is a very special house to my family. And it still looks very modern from the outside. I love house number 1963
Posted by: mariek | 16 February 2010 at 10:51 PM
I love your cute houses !!!
I live in a 2 storey concrete house similar to the wee ones !!
Posted by: Lorraine | 16 February 2010 at 10:33 PM
Aivan ihania taloja!
Me asutaan -52 rakennetussa kerrostalossa aika lähellä pääkaupungin keskustaa. Kodissa on parveke, iso ikkuna kadulle. Kolme makuuhuonetta, olohuone, keittiö ja halli. Kalanruotoparketit.
Ihanaa viikon jatkoa sinulle!
PS. Armas-tonttua ei voitu pakata joulutavaroihin vaan se nukkuu lähes joka yö Haitulan vieressä. Neiti on alkanut piirtää Armas-tontusta myös piirroksia, tänään tonttu oli kalastamassa merellä. Joulumyyjäisistä kannettiin kotiin siis uusi perheenjäsen josta on valtavasti iloa! Kiitos sinulle.
Posted by: Jonna | 16 February 2010 at 10:22 PM
We own a cotswold stone house in rural Wiltshire, UK but currently we are living in a three bed bungalow in the Falkland Islands. Very windy blowy falkland Islands!! I love the one with the lime green roof, would match my new living room curtains :)but to be honest I am not fussy I love all your work.
Posted by: Helen Shields | 16 February 2010 at 10:20 PM
Love your houses! I live in a 3 bedroom semi built in the 1960s. My back garden is tiny but the house is on the edge of a recreation ground so if we're feeling a little closed in, we go out front!
Posted by: Amanda | 16 February 2010 at 09:59 PM
I forgot to say........I live in a brick built 1960's bungalow with a strange angled roof!!
Posted by: Jill | 16 February 2010 at 09:46 PM
I love love love your blog and the things you make! I especially like the two houses on the right, but if I had to choose one it would be the second from the right I think!
Posted by: Jill | 16 February 2010 at 09:42 PM
I live in a white two-storey house with a small garden and trees around.
Congratulations for your houses. My favorite is number 2. But I also like number 23 very much.
All of them are lovely.
Posted by: Nanoufr | 16 February 2010 at 09:34 PM
I live in a 4-story apartment building built in 1930. It's tan and light brown (brick/stone) and has a turret in the center of the building (complete with spiral stairs). We live in the penthouse suite (4th floor apartment with a master suite built on a 5th level--on top of neighbour's apartment).
I love #67 with the trees on the roof. Reminds me of our rooftop garden.
Posted by: Hannah | 16 February 2010 at 09:03 PM
I live in a two story house the color of cream. Surrounded by woods and a cow farm. I can only see one other house...almost perfect!
I would love number 67!
Thank you!
Posted by: JM | 16 February 2010 at 09:02 PM