Life on a leaf

There is a bridge over the entrance to the master bedroom and a heart-shaped window over the bed. Allover the floors, walls and ceilings is covered with sharp colors and lively patterns. Plan of the house located in Åbo in Finland resembles a leaf which was owner's desire from the beginning.

Jan-Erik Andersson who lives in the house with his wife and ten-year-old daughter asked a number of his artist friends to create some works of art around the house and denied to be consulted about what they were going to create. "It was important to bring in ideas to the house that I myself had nothing to do with; since otherwise it would have been like living inside my own brain which is not healthy at all!" he clarifies.

The interesting part of the story is the numerous warnings he had received from prominent Finnish architects while determinedly trying to realize his dreamy house with help of architect Erkki Pitkäranta. They believed that the family of Andersson will soon get bored by striking colors and playful shapes established right in the middle of their daily life and not for example in a play ground or Disney Land. Their opinion however did not come true; at least after one and half year!

If you ask me, I go with Finish architects: "This is a terrible place to live in"! The point is that tastes are vastly different and the client has the right as long as the place is not within the public realm. Still the exterior look should not contradict neighbourhoods ín a way that it could be considered a visual threat to its surrounding.

Source: http://www.dn.se/bostad/konsten-att-bo-i-lovformat-hus

P.S.

On 28 Sep. 2011, I got this message in my mailbox:

Hello Pouriya Parsanezhad!
I would LOVE to comment your blog article about "Life on a Leaf" -house. But the comment form does not work.
So anyway, this is the comment:
I haven't seen you living here ;), so maybe you can not say that "THIS IS A TERRIBLE PLACE TO LIVE IN!" This is NOT terrible place to live in. This is my home. And belief it or not I am (now you can laugh) a minimalist.You are more than welcome to see and experience the real house!
The Wife (still alive)

To which I replied:

Dear Marjo,
Sorry for late reply,and so sorry for having written that sentence even though I had tired to moderate it with the following sentence: "The point is that tastes are vastly different and the client has the right as long as the place is not within the public realm.", still I was partly influenced by DN's article when I was writing that post, I should confess. The thing is that when one reads something in a newspaper, it is considered merely as a written document and one easily becomes ignorant about the fact that behind those words, there are in fact some people with their passions, emotions and lives specifically when talking about a house.
I have vividly gone too far by speaking out in such a deterministic way. This is in fact YOU and your family who are the most legitimate persons to judge how it feels to live in your dreamy house not me, DN's editorial or architectural critiques. Nevertheless, you do not need to bother yourself much since my blog does not have so many readers as far as I know:) ... 
But a 'minimalist' loving such a style for living place still sounds confusing to me I should confess!
Kind regards,- Pouriya Parsa

Lovely Marjo finally left me speechless by replying back as follows:

Dear Pouriya Parsa!
Take it easy, don't be SO sorry ;)! I understand that you need to have some edge when you write something.
We have been hearing criticism so much that it does not bother anymore. And without that there was no reason to do the house. We have also seen so many different people that like about the project that it feels that we made something interesting.
Anyway, if you have some time, look at the house's websites, in spite of that you (and meny other :) don't like the house, the process have been more than interesting.
I use to hate the idea of the house, but the process made me see things in a different way.http://www.anderssonart.com/leaf/index.html
And look all the artist's who have been doing art in the house:http://www.anderssonart.com/leaf/artists/index.html
If you like you can use pictures from the websites and you don't have to be politically correct ;).
best,Marjo
ps: I am sorry to say to you that my partner has also done some works to the public realm. ;) www.rosegarden.fi

Such an amateur blogger that I am, I feel more than indulged to see a single post of mine receiving so much attention!