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House Apelle by Casagrande Laboratory

House Apelle is a single family home designed by Casagrande Laboratory located in Karjaa, Finland. It’s situated in what is a natural harbor, much like a boat, surrounded by bedrocks and mature trees. The house, both long and narrow, is built along the same lines as traditional Finnish architecture, in that the interior is laid out with multifunctional spaces where you do everything from socializing, working, to sleeping, all in the same space.

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This house, along with the other homes in the area, is surrounded by and very much a part of nature and the architecture “is a mediator between the modern man and nature.”

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The large round windows are similar to the windows you see on ships. The house was built by two local carpenters who not only build houses, they build wooden boats and so they looked at this structure as a boat.

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Situated in an area with harsh winters, the home is well-insulated and stays warm with thermal heating and two fireplaces.

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Three more round windows adorn the exterior, giving it a ship-like appearance.

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There’s even a sleeping loft above the the kitchen cabinets that you access through the bedroom.

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A circular fireplace creates a division between the bed and the rest of the bedroom while also being functional.

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Photos by AdDa Zei.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.