Saturday 30 July 2022

The European Design Festival, Tallinn

Tallinn
Tallinn will host the European Design Festival, for the first time, during June 2022. 

Estonia, a country in Northern Europe, borders the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland. 

Including more than 1,500 islands, its diverse terrain spans rocky beaches, old-growth forest and many lakes. 

Formerly part of the Soviet Union, it's dotted with castles, churches and hilltop fortresses. Tallinn, its capital is known for its preserved Old Town. 

The European Design Festival has previously been held in other leading ‘design cities’ like Stockholm and Oslo. 

Celebrating the very best in European design, the festival is also an opportunity to showcase Estonia’s talent and innovation. 

Places that showcase Estonian design

Maidla Nature Villa 

Nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture in 2022, the Maidla Nature Villa is a micro-hotel designed to allow guests to experience Estonia’s natural beauty. 

Located is close to Maidla Nature Resort’s 15th-century manor complex, and has been built around birch trees, elevated one metre above the ground, and driven into the soil with seven-metre-long screws. 

Its multiple wooden terraces help it blend into the surrounding forestry while remaining functional. 

Telliskivi Creative City 

The former industrial factory complex near Tallinn’s main railway station became the Tellskivi Creative City in 2009 and is today home to almost 250 start-ups and tech-based companies. 

Inspired by similar regeneration projects in Stockholm and Helsinki, Telliskivi is now the largest creative centre in Estonia. 

It has seen the rejuvenation of a previously unused area into one of the most exciting areas in Tallinn, with an array of vibrant and reflective street ar. 

The Hektor Container Hotel, on the edge of Telliskivi, has been constructed in the building of an old railway depot, with the rooms created from repurposed shipping containers.

Iglucraft 

Iglucraft in Noblessner, is a manufacturer of saunas working to re-establish the country’s historic sauna traditions, but for modern living. 

Founded by Priit Kallas in 2014, its pods can be found in the gardens of the Beckhams, Guy Ritchie, and Gordon Ramsey.

Noblessner, a regenerated harbour district, opened in summer 2021 on the edge of a former dock, and an Iglus, mostly individual sauna pods, can be rented by a group of friends to enjoy overlooking the Baltic Sea. 

One Iglu open as a bar and others have been made into sleeping pods, or spaces to work. 

ÖÖD Hotels – Mirror House 

With several clusters dotted around Estonia, ÖÖD Hotels’ mirror houses are for design enthusiasts.
 
Tallinn
Developed by brothers Andreas and Jaak Tiik, the houses have reflecting mirrored walls to create an illusion of disappearing into the surroundings, whilst allowing those inside to see the outside clearly.

The newest collection opened in Laheranna, a 45- minute drive west of Tallinn, at the end of 2021. The mirror houses are hidden in a pine forest next to Ihasalu Bay on the Baltic Sea. 

Hiking trails are nearby as well as a long stretch of sandy beach. 

Katie Cosstick at katie@wearelotus.co.uk

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