450 metres from the house, at Tiilimäki 20.◇ Aalto became acquainted with Munkkiniemi and developed a liking of it when he was drafting a proposition for building along the shores of Laajalahti Bay for the company of M.G.

The façade is toward the street, it is closed-off and harsh, but it is rendered softer by climbing plants and a slate path leading up to the front door.

The house anticipates the later Villa Mairea, and it bears hints of a “new” Aalto, of romantic functionalism.

But in contrast to Villa Mairea, this house is not a luxurious residence but a cozy and intimate living quarters, in which simple, uncluttered materials are used.

The locals knew that Aalto and his wife liked to take “open air baths” naked in the yard when services were held at the nearby church.

The house was protected by a law in 1982, and it was renovated inside and out in the early years of the new millennium, funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture and the city of Helsinki.