Warm summer house ambiance with Secto Design lamps
After the long and dark winter, the Finns flock to their summer cottages like migratory birds to their old habitats. The lush nature by the lake or sea, the sauna, swimming, fishing and berry picking are some of our all-time favourites, but nothing compares to the most important thing that Finnish cottage life has to offer: peace and tranquillity.
This is something that real estate entrepreneurs Tea Skog-Mikkonen and Jouni Mikkonen also expect from their summer house, or rather, their second home. Although Finnish summer cottages have traditionally been quite ascetic, nowadays people invest more in the comfort of their cabins and spend longer periods there.
This scenery stole Tea’s and Jouni’s heart. As entrepreneurs themselves, Tea and Jouni want to support Finnish family companies. This was one of the reasons why they selected Secto Design lamps.
Tea and Jouni also wanted a modern, energy-efficient log house that they could visit all year round. In 2021, Jouni built a log cabin himself, according to the design of log house manufacturer Honka, on a forested slope by the sea. The site is located in Kuivasto region, Southern Finland, only a two-hour drive from the couple’s Helsinki home.
“Our life is very hectic. We therefore come here every Thursday to work remotely on Friday and stay until Sunday morning. We try to keep Saturdays free”, says Tea.
The living room nook with the Secto floor lamp is a cosy spot especially on winter evenings. The floor lamp and the Octo Small pendant create a beautiful atmosphere even when they are turned off.
The most important interior design element at Tea and Jouni’s log house can be found outside: the wonderful scenery of the pines and the shore that can be admired through the large living room windows.
“The scenery changes every day and the four seasons set the mood. That is the reason why we wanted a clear and simple interior design that emphasises nature and Scandinavian design.”
The Secto wall lamps on the bedroom wall are Tea’s favourites. She loves the indirect light that they provide. The Octo Small pendant lamp is a harmonious match with them.
The black, white and grey interior colouration paired with light wooden surfaces also embrace the scenery. The couple decided to bring warm light and create a natural atmosphere throughout the interior with handcrafted Secto Design lamps – eleven of them to be precise.
All the lamps are laminated black, the same colour as the exterior of the house. Another reason for choosing this colour was that the black light fixtures stand out against the light walls and ceilings.
Tea and Jouni like to invest in timeless and durable design objects that last for a long time, such as the Secto Small pendant lamps over the dining table.
“The first thing we did was find lamps that are ideal for the high ceilings in the hallway and over the dining table. Since the Secto Design collection had many different models and sizes that you can mix and match easily together, we decided to choose several of them. This created a sleek interior look.”
Many of the lamps were chosen also for practical reasons. When looking for suitable lamps for the high ceiling the couple found the Secto Small pendant lamps. The compact Atto pendant was chosen as a general light for the small guest room.
According to Tea, Secto Design lamps are harmonious decorative items in the daytime, and create a warm, cosy atmosphere when the day turns dark.
“I am generally not a big fan of pendant lamps, because they can feel like bright interrogation lights, but these pendants emit a soft and pleasant light. I also like the fact that the light passes through the wooden slats in a different way in every model.”
When working in their second home, Tea and Jouni appreciate both the opportunity to use a direct light to read and especially the soothing effect of indirect light. “After all, this is a place for us to unwind and spend time together.”
Surprisingly, Tea and Jouni spend less time at their log house during the summer than the rest of the year. In summer, they work, travel and enjoy the summer in the city while their cottage is out for rent for others to enjoy.
