There’s a particular kind of longing that comes with living far from home—and for many expats, it’s important to find a way to stay connected to their culture. For Finnish entrepreneur Jussi-Pekka Kajaala—who founded design studio Super Finnish and is now based in Pasadena, California—that longing lingers in memories of his grandparents’ sauna: the scent of birch smoke, the rituals of sauna culture, and the space to slow down and disconnect from the world.

Before moving to the U.S., he wanted to build a place to evoke these memories, where he and his American husband—Olympic figure skating medalist Adam Rippon—could return to each year to reconnect with Finnish traditions, nature, family, and each other. 

The answer lay in a modest prefab kit mökki (a Finnish summer cottage) with a separate wood-fired sauna, located in the countryside about an hour from Helsinki. Built with his father, the project is deeply personal. A tribute to Jussi-Pekka’s memories of home and love for traditional sauna culture, the retreat—which cost just over $250,000 to purchase and build—is where the couple spend four to six weeks each year, with hopes to one day spend entire summers.

“Our mökki is our own little piece of beautiful Finland,” says Jussi-Pekka. “I always thought having a house in Finland would be important, but living in the U.S. has made me realize just how much it truly means to me. It’s perfect for bringing everyone together. Our little, secret hideaway home is where time stops and worries disappear.”

Returning to My Roots

Jussi-Pekka Kajaala: I live in the U.S. now with my husband, but I wanted a place in Finland to return to every year—a place that felt like home. Building this house and sauna was my way of holding on to my heritage. I grew up immersed in construction, as my family has always worked in the industry. I started flipping apartments in my twenties, and I loved the process of renovation. But this was the first time I built something entirely from the ground up.

Location: 25300 Pine Crest Ave, Idyllwild, California

Price: $768,000

Year Built: 1966

Footprint: 1,800 square feet (3 bedrooms, 3 baths)

Lot Size: 0.27 Acres

From the Agent: “Dolly Parton’s former Idyllwild retreat! If walls could sing, this charming three-story mountain retreat would be humming a country tune. Recently owned by the one and only Dolly Parton, this home is as full of character as the Queen of Country herself. It has a primary suite, a guest bedroom, and a spacious loft that sleeps five—and it was Dolly’s favorite spot to write and play her music. Nestled along a peaceful seasonal creek and just a short stroll to town, this private escape offers the perfect mix of tranquility and convenience. Locals still share fond memories of Dolly’s time in Idyllwild, where she was known for her kindness and down-to-earth spirit. Designed with chalet-style flair, this home features soaring, wood-beamed ceilings, woodsy details, and a spacious deck where you can soak in the forest views. A brand-new roof ensures it’s ready for its next chapter, while the serene creekside setting adds to its magic. This is more than a home-it’s a piece of music history, a true mountain retreat, and a dream getaway waiting for its next storyteller.”

Welcome to Tiny Home Profiles, an interview series with people pushing the limits of living small. From space-saving hacks to flexible floor plans, here’s what they say makes for the best tiny homes on the planet. Know of a builder we should talk to? Reach out.

Haruhiko Tagami had been living in his 1960s Eriba Puck when he came across a unique problem: however timeless the travel tailer was, it was not equipped for putting the kettle on. “During winter months, boiling water would result in wall-to-wall condensation, and without absorbent tape, even the sleeping bag would get wet,” Tagami recalls. “Mold gradually grew and the ceiling turned black, and the room began to smell like mold.” Coming from a family that had owned a sawmill, and having once apprenticed as a carpenter, obtaining a second-class architect license (a credential needed in Japan to design smaller buildings), Tagami was well qualified to build a trailer that better suited his needs. “I thought I might be able to build a comfortable wooden one,” he tells us. “So I bought a used bike trailer and built a Usonia-style home out of Japanese cedar.”

That was in 2014. Since, his company, Tiny House Japan, has made several designs that follow Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian principles—from a deployable emergency shelter, to an itinerant tea house, to a stationary home made up of two linked modules—that each aims to make the most of a five-and-a-half meter trailer bed. Here, Tagami shares the philosophy behind his work, a few of his past projects, and his latest build that’s ready for tea-making: the Triangular Roof House.

How did you decide to live in and build tiny homes?

My partner and I have sensitivities to sound and pesticides and have lived in and out of various places. Because of these experiences, it was reasonable for us to have a house that we could move around in, rather than live in one place. From a production standpoint, it was also rational that we could build homes for distant clients in our factory.

For lovers of house museums, there is little better than the Frick. The former home of the titular Henry Clay Frick on East 70th Street in New York’s Upper East Side is ostensibly an art museum, as it houses the American industrialist’s formidable collection, but as fans know, it’s more than that: the house itself is the art.

So it was with real excitement that I stepped through its doors for the first time after its five-year closure on one of New York’s first real spring days, a little bit nervous and a lot just happy to be back. I wasn’t alone; it felt like every attendee at the press preview was a true fan of the original 1914 building, and ready to be a fan of its rework and additions. Even the architect on the project, Annabelle Selldorf of Selldorf Architects, admitted in her opening remarks that she was “quite emotional” seeing everyone there.

The draw of a good house museum—whether the Frick considers itself one or not—and particularly a historical one is the idea that it is as close to what it looked like when it was first built as possible. But we all know that’s a fiction; after all, it is not 1914 anymore, and the Beaux-Arts mansion’s original designers, Carrère and Hastings, famed architects of the Gilded Age, are long gone. As are those that made many of the tweaks to the building over the years, particularly when it was first converted into a museum in 1935, per its late owner’s request, by John Russell Pope, who added the nine-story art research library; or in 1977, when the 70th Street garden was notably added, along with a reception hall and the (cramped) basement special gallery rooms. “People tend to think the Frick has never changed; in fact, the Frick has withstood a number of changes,” Xavier F. Salomon, deputy director and Peter Jay Sharp chief curator of the Frick Collection said before we were released to explore the museum, which opens to the public Thursday April 17.

Welcome to Someone Buy This!, a monthly shopping column featuring the fun, the frivolous, and the practical from a very discerning shopper.

Flatware is one of those everyday essentials that often gets overlooked in interiors, yet it’s one of the things in your home that you’ll use every day. When I talk about flatware (which is embarrassingly often) or even Google it, Sabre’s Bistrot line currently dominates the conversation. Search interest for Sabre’s brand has been on the rise over the last five years, peaking during the 2024 holiday season. Their retro-modern flatware has become the go-to choice for wedding registries, food stylists and anyone who’s released a cookbook in the last few years. I love Sabre, especially their very slept-on Icone line, and while I do love a candy-colored dessert spoon, I’d like to broaden the table a bit—literally.

There’s a whole world of other brands making beautiful pieces that can elevate your meals. Let’s explore what else is out there.

Cutipol

Cutipol flatware is the kind of design detail that whispers instead of shouts. Its pieces look minimalistic and delicate but feel sturdy in your hand. While we were in Lisbon two summers ago, my boyfriend and I dragged his family across town so that we could visit the Cutipol showroom and see every piece up close. The brand’s Goa and Moon lines are my favorites. Both feature spoons with perfectly round bowls, which is really playful and unexpected. This allows you to bring some fun to the table without your cutlery looking like it’s from the kids section. Cutipol pieces come in two different, dishwasher safe styles—fully stainless steel or with resin handles. 

(If you’re not ready to take the plunge on a full set, there’s a pretty good dupe available at Webstaurant Store.)

Vintage Mismatched

There are a ton of Etsy sellers out there offering curated, mismatched vintage flatware. This seller, for instance, focuses on midcentury designs. I bought a set from them as a Christmas gift for my aunt and she loved it. If you’re looking for vintage flatware, I strongly suggest you stick with stainless steel pieces that can go in the dishwasher. Silverware made of actual silver is more finicky and high maintenance, though you may not mind the upkeep if this is your special occasion set.

Vintage IKEA flatware is great too, and readily available on Etsy, though I don’t think it’s a good candidate for the mismatched look. I love the negative space in this 1980s set.

Lorien Stern

Artist and designer Lorien Stern’s first flatware line, released late last year, made me squeal with delight. There are two styles, one shaped like tulips and the other like snakes. They’re definitely more on the quirky side, so you’ll need to really think about them within the context of the rest of your table.

You could pare everything else down and let the tulips shine or you could fully lean into the quirkiness with bold plates and glassware.

HAY

Known more for its furniture, HAY would not be my first stop for cutlery—but I found a surprise in the utilitarian MVS line, which really puts the “flat” in flatware. With its subtly off-kilter proportions and unexpected mix of matte and polished finishes, this set feels both deliberate and effortlessly cool. If you’re feeling adventurous, mix up the colors!

Mepra

What if you want Sabre but… not? Mepra’s Fantasia line is a great alternative. You’ll get similarly bright, sturdy handles but with a more delicate shape overall. Much like my other colored-handle picks, you can commit to a color or buy a pre-mixed set of colors that compliment each other.

Laguiole-style flatware

Laguiole is a type of traditional French pocket knife; it’s also the name of a brand and a style of flatware with handles that resemble a switchblade. Jean Dubost’s Laguiole flatware is what I most commonly see in restaurants and stores, but there are tons of dupes out there. You don’t have to commit to a full flatware set, either. The knives are a great way to dip your toe in without replacing your entire set. I have two sets of Laguiole knives that I found at Home Goods and will mix them into meals that require a bit more cutting power.

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