Accommodation and workspaces

The Barn at the Saari Manor has been renovated as a diverse workspacefor various art forms. The building contains a dance studio, three studios for visual artists, a sewing machine and a woodworking shop. The Residence does not have a darkroom, media room or equipment for printing, pottery, graphics or textile work (apart from the sewing machine), but artists of these fields may apply for a residency period for the planning stage of their work.

The workspaces in the barn are equipped with tables, and additional tables may be set up on trestles. The workspaces do not include tools or equipment.

Each workspace has an internet connection (ethernet). The Saari Residence does not have a Wi-Fi network.

We advise guests arriving at the Residence to acquire all needed materials in advance, as these are not necessarily in stock at the Residence and because material costs are included in the monthly grant.

Please contact the Saari Residence before your arrival for help with where to purchase any materials you may need.

The Saari Residence decides on the use of the workspaces.

Studio 1, the large artist’s studio, located in the barn, is bright and well suited to a diverse range of uses.

• The studio is equipped with a workbench, and trestle tables are available for assembly if needed. The studio does not contain tools or other implements, but is well equipped with both regular (220-volt) and high-voltage electrical outlets. There is also an internet connection.
• As with all other parts of the barn, the artist’s studio is lit with natural daylight bulbs, providing a natural effect that does not cause eyestrain.
• The studio is south-facing, with deeply recessed windows (120 cm) providing soft lighting by preventing sunlight from shining directly into the building.
• The studio has two water outlets, one of which with a lavatory. The studio has a concrete floor with a lightgreen plastic surface.
• Area: 70 m2
• Height: 295 cm
• Door dimensions: 125 x 205 cm

Studio 2, the artist’s studio, located in the barn, is bright and well suited to a diverse range of uses.

• The studio is equipped with a workbench, and trestle tables are available for assembly if needed. The studio does not contain tools or other implements, but it is well equipped with both regular (220-volt) and high-voltage electrical outlets. There is also an internet connection.
• As with all other parts of the barn, the artist’s studio is lit with natural daylight bulbs, providing a natural effect that does not cause eyestrain.
• The studio is south-facing, with the deeply recessed windows (120 cm) providing soft lighting by preventing sunlight from shining directly into the building.
• The studio has one water outlets, one of which with a sink. The studio has a concrete floor with a light green moulded plastic surface.
• Area: 30 m2
• Height: 295 cm

Studio 3, the smaller artist’s studio located in the barn, is bright and well suited to a diverse range of uses.

• The studio is equipped with a workbench. The studio does not contain tools or other implements, but it is equipped with an internet connection.
• As with all other parts of the barn, the artist’s studio is lit with natural daylight bulbs, providing a natural effect that does not cause eyestrain.
• The studio is south-facing, with the deeply recessed window (120 cm) providing soft lighting by preventing sunlight from shining directly into the building.
• The studio has a concrete floor with a light-green plastic surface.
• Area: approx. 16.5 m2
• Height: 295 cm

The dance studio, located in the barn, was designed in cooperation with experts in the field.

• The room has two large wall mirrors, which can be curtained over if required.
• The studio has a sound system.
• The audio system is equipped with a Tascam CD-200i CD/MP3 player and can be connected to a computer. It can also be connected to 1 or 2 microphones.
• The audio system uses Electro Voice’s four top/midtone speakers, as well as two subwoofers.
• The dance studio is lit with natural daylight bulbs, providing a natural effect that does not cause eyestrain.
• Dance floor area: 11 x 11 m
• Height: 280 cm
• The flexible floor provides a safe surface for dancing.

The woodworking shop, located in the barn, is a well-equipped workspace with all the basic tools and equipment required for working with wood and other materials. Due to safety reasons, we require that anyone working in the shop be trained in the use of machinery and attend a separate briefing before starting their work. The equipment in the shop includes:

• Basic hand tools
• Planing bench
• Electric planer
• Bandsaw
• Mitre saw
• Electric chainsaw
• Jigsaw
• Cordless screwdrivers and hammer drill
• Table saw and handheld circular saw
• Grinder and small angle grinder
• Shop vacuum
• Water supply
• Room size: 45 m2
• Room height: 310 cm

The shop is also equipped with machining tools, such as a large angle grinder and welding equipment, the use of which must be agreed upon separately.

Sewing shop

Guests have the opportunity to use the small sewing shop as agreed upon. The shop contains a sewing machine and three workstations.

Outbuildings

Groups working at the Residence during summer months may also work in the unheated outbuildings. The Jacob’s barn (Jaakobinlato) is suitable, for example, for use by a circus or theatre collective, and other outbuildings may be used as shared workspaces. The Residence staff will provide guests with a tour of the facilities at the start of their residency periods.

Jacob’s barn is available only in summertime.

• Floor area: 20 x 9 meters.
• Height: 8 meters.
• In the middle of the barn is a balcony 4.5 meters off the ground.
• There are four buttresses under the balcony (height approx. 3.5 meters).
• The floor is raw wood planks.
• Door dimensions: 3.7 x 3 meters.

Equipment/devices

We work under the assumption that residents bring their personal computers and devices needed for their work, such as cameras.

Guests may also use the shared PC and printer-scanner unit in the barn.

Equipment available for loan at the Residence include:

• video projector and screen
• camera tripod (SLIK PRO 400DX) with pan-tilt and video head
• illuminated Artograph LightPad 950 work surface (432 x 610 mm)
• easel

Resident accommodation is distributed among the Kitchen Wing and staff buildings in the side yards and the farmhand’s cottage in the park area.

The apartments vary in size. Larger apartments are intended for literary artists, researchers and artists with families. The farmhand’s cottage has a shared kitchen, and other apartments have a kitchen or kitchenette with basic amenities. Each apartment has an en suite shower and toilet. For individual residency periods, the stay includes a monthly grant and a personal apartment with a workspace, while groups may need to live in shared accommodations.

The apartments are serviced biweekly by a cleaner, but we expect our guests to maintain general cleanliness, clean up after themselves in the shared spaces, and follow the provided instructions on matters such as recycling.

The Saari Residence reserves the right to decide on all living arrangements.

Kitchen wing

Apartment 2

The three-room apartment in the kitchen wing (79 m2) is intended for artists or researchers doing written work. The apartment is handicap accessible.

• workroom
• bedroom
• living room
• kitchen
• shower
• WC

Apartment 3A

The bright single-room apartment in the kitchen wing (28 m2) is intended for artists and researchers who have a separate workspace at the Saari Residence.

• kitchenette
• sleeping alcove
• shower
• WC

Apartment 3B

The small two-room apartment in the kitchen wing (21 m2) is intended for artists and researchers who have a separate workspace at the Saari Residence.

• kitchenette (microwave oven, no regular oven)
• small separate bedroom
• shower
• WC

Footman wing

Apartment 4

During individual residency periods, this two-room flat (59 m2) in the footman wing is used by the Saari Invited Artist. In the summer, the apartment is reserved for groups.

• kitchen, incl. dishwasher
• large living room and workspace
• bedroom
• shower
• WC

Apartment 5

The spacious two-room apartment in the footman wing (58 m2) is intended for artists and researchers doing written work.

• kitchen
• large living room with workspace
• digital piano (Yamaha CVP 505 Clavinova)
• bedroom
• shower
• WC

Farmhand’s cottage

Shared kitchen in the farmhand’s cottage

The breakfast kitchen in the farmhand’s cottage is suitable for cooking smaller meals.

• Residents of the cottage may use the kitchen to prepare meals.
• In addition to kitchenware, it is equipped with a stove, dishwasher and refrigerator.
• The kitchen is cleaned biweekly, but guests are expected to tend to daily cleaning, to recycle waste according to instructions and to load the dishwasher after meals.

Apartment 1

The larger two-room west-facing apartment in the farmhand’s cottage (32 m2) is intended for artists and researchers doing written work.

• shared kitchen
• workroom
• bedroom
• shower
• WC

Apartment 2

The larger two-room east-facing apartment in the farmhand’s cottage (35 m2) is for artists and researchers doing written work.

• shared kitchen
• workroom
• bedroom
• shower
• WC

Apartment 3

The smaller two-room west-facing apartment in the farmhand’s cottage (22 m2) is intended for artists and researchers doing written work.

• shared kitchen
• workroom
• bedroom
• shower
• WC

Apartment 4

The smaller two-room east-facing apartment in the farmhand’s cottage (25 m2) is intended for artists and researchers doing written work.

• shared kitchen
• workroom
• bedroom
• shower
• WC

We encourage interaction among our residency guests. For this reason, we offer various types of shared facilities. There are also lots of buildings and other unheated facilities that artists are welcome to use by agreement. The verdant park is popular among guests from spring to autumn.

The cosy shared kitchen in the manor barn is a pleasant meeting place.

• The shared kitchen in the manor barn is intended for all residency guests.
• The cosy kitchen is equipped with tableware, stove, oven, coffee maker, electric kettle, dishwasher and a refrigerator.
• Staff clean the kitchen weekly, but guests are responsible for its tidiness on a daily basis. Residents are expected to load the dishwasher after meals, for example.

The computer facility in the manor barn is intended for all residency guests.

• PC
• printer
• scanner
• ethernet

Designed by Jan-Erik Andersson, the barbecue gazebo – a.k.a. the Barbecue Lover’s Carousel Pavilion – near the barn is intended for residency guests and serves as a place for meetings or for reading alone and enjoying the view while also serving as a sculpture-like landmark.

• Its shape was inspired by Andersson’s childhood memories of carousels, hexagonal dance pavilions and countryside milk platforms.
• In Andersson’s structure, coloured steel beams meet the materials and hues of nature. The roof is made of reeds, and the base was cast in holes dug in the ground.
• The floor has an ornamental pattern called Dance of the Soy Sausages.

The wood-fired sauna by the pond in the park at Saari Manor is intended for residency guests.

• Guests are requested to work out a schedule: if a guest heats the sauna, they should also inform the other guests.
• Staff clean the sauna on a regular basis, but guests are responsible for ensuring its tidiness after use.

The upstairs living room in the main building has a set of sofas, a meeting space and a small library.

• The living room also has a TV and a CD/DVD player.
• Guests are welcome to use the living room from September to April. In the summer, the living room can only be used by agreement.

The Saari Residence is located about 30 km north of Turku and about 3.5 km west of the grey-stone church in Mietoinen. The Saari Residence is an old manor, and its main building is situated in the middle of a lush, green park flanked by two courtyard buildings known as the Kitchen Wing and the Footman’s Wing. The three hectares of park area include a sauna, granaries, cowhouse, outbuildings and a small outhouse dating back to the early 19th century.

Saari Manor is located in the middle of a level, open field on the eastern shore of Mynälahti bay; the Mynäjoki river flows on its south-eastern side. To the south and west, the manor is surrounded by fields, and to the north the area borders a forest. To the east is Saarentie road, on the other side of which are the manor’s old stone cowhouse, machine shed and a building for drying grain. To the south of Saaren rantatie road is a large cart shed.

The Saari Manor milieu is an important element in the country’s cultural history and one of the few remaining royal estates in Finland, known as kongsgårds, from when Finland was under Swedish rule. In addition to its designation as a royal estate, the manor functioned for a long time as a residence for officers.

From 1959 onwards, Saari Manor housed the Agricultural Research Centre’s test station for South-west Finland. Kone Foundation bought the Saari Manor buildings and park area in 2006 and some of its fields and forest in 2009.

The Saari Residence’s office premises for its staff are located in the main building. The residence’s apartments are located in the courtyard buildings close to the main building, known as the Kitchen and Footman’s Wing, and in the farmhand’s cottage near the barn.

The Residence’s workspaces can be found in the stone barn built by Aleksander Aminoff in 1858, which originally accommodated 100 cows.

Main building

The late-Gustavian main building of Saari Manor dates back to 1779, but its cellars are thought to date back to the 1560s. Designed by Christian Friedrich Schröder, the building is a typical example of the building traditions of the Gustavian period and, upon completion, exhibited the architecture and fixtures of its era.

The main building with its hipped mansard roof has retained its Gustavian appearance on the outside, but the interior rococo fixtures – including doors, wainscoting and mouldings – were entirely removed during a renovation in the 1960s. Despite these changes, the main building is an architectural monument and is protected by the Finnish Heritage Agency. This protection specifically concerns the manor’s external architecture, Schröder’s interior layout (which is still intact) and the cellars.

When Kone Foundation bought the mansion, the buildings were, in principle, in excellent condition but had been repaired for decades without any consideration for their value as cultural heritage. Kone Foundation decided to renovate the main building and restore it to its former glory. This extensive renovation was completed in 2008, and the Residence activities were set in motion the same year.

The main building contains Residence guests’ shared living room and a small library. The anteroom in the main building is where individual Residence guests assemble for brunch every Tuesday, whereas weekly presentations and other events organised by the Foundation are held in the drawing room, “förmaaki”.

Kitchen Wing

The eastern courtyard building known as the Kitchen Wing was built at the same time as the main building. It is a log house with a purlin roof and an overhang corner and originally housed a baking room, kitchen and five habitable rooms. During a renovation by the previous owner in the 1960s, all its original mouldings and doors were removed. The building is protected by the Finnish Heritage Agency and must retain its 18th century appearance on the outside.

Today, it houses three different-sized apartments for Residence guests.

Footman Wing

The western courtyard building known as the Footman Wing is identical to the Kitchen Wing on the outside. Unfortunately, its 18th century fixtures were also destroyed during the renovation in the 1960s. The Finnish Heritage Agency has ordered that the outward appearance and structures of the building be protected.

The Footman Wing has two large apartments for residence guests.

Farmhand’s cottage

In the area between Saarentie road and the park is the Saari Residence’s old farmhand’s cottage where Metsähallitus (Forest Administration) once maintained a small nature centre and exhibitions about the nature and wetlands of Mietoistenlahti. The building was renovated and fitted with four apartments for residence guests in 2009. The apartments have a shared kitchen.

Outhouse

The small 19th century outhouse built from wood planks is slightly farther away from the central group of buildings. Its architraves, window frames, doors and door panels dating back to the early 19th century have been perfectly retained. The entire building is protected by the Finnish Heritage Agency and is out of use.

The Saari Manor milieu

Saari Manor is located close to the shore of Mietoistenlahti bay. Saari means “island” in Finnish and, true to its name, this was an island, surrounded by the sea, until the early 11th century. As a consequence of land uplift, however, it gradually merged into the mainland. The fields you see here today were once the seabed.

Mietoistenlahti, into which River Laajoki empties, is the remotest corner of Mynälahti bay, stretching far inland. On the eastern side, you will find a small inlet formed by the Mynäjoki river delta. As part of the Natura 2000 network, Mietoistenlahti is also a Special Protection Area for birds, as well as a nationally important nature reserve. Saari Manor is a built cultural environment of national importance and is also protected in accordance with the Antiquities Act due to its historical importance and cultural heritage.

Situated close to Saari Manor, Mietoistenlahti bay is one of the most valued waterways for birdwatching and an important resting place for migrating birds. Between late April and early May, there may be thousands of waterfowl resting in the bay at one time. There are three birdwatching towers in the area, two of which are located in Vasikkahaka. The trail to the birdwatching towers begins at the nature centre’s car park. A third lower tower is located in Kuusto, and you can find it by following the signs from Saarentie road. There is also a rock suitable for birdwatching at Sillankari. In the summer of 2018, a new barrier-free birdwatching platform and a culture trail to complement the nature trail were opened close to Sillankari. The nature trail runs from the car park by the Saarentie birdwatching towers and through the forest, all the way to the Vasikkahaka birdwatching towers. Along the trail are noticeboards with information about the area’s nature.

Saari Residence is committed to taking care of the valuable cultural landscape surrounding the manor in accordance with the Finnish Heritage Agency’s instructions. In the summer, Saari Manor area is also tended by sheep, while cows look after the meadows by the shore and the Natura area.

Also in the vicinity of the Saari Manor is an old protected grove of oak trees.

READ MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF SAARI MANOR

One of our apartments is barrier-free and has a kitchen, a barrier-free toilet and three rooms. The apartment is located on the ground floor and can be accessed by a wheelchair lift. In the next few years, we plan to improve the workspaces in the barn to make them barrier-free for greater accessibility.

The main building of the Saari Residence was previously not accessible by wheelchair, but is now equipped with a lift. There was a comprehensive renovation in 2022 that involved repairing the floor on the first floor, improving the accessibility of the building and updating the staff facilities. Accessibility by wheelchair has also been improved by removing the thresholds in the building.

If you are interested in applying for a residency at the Saari Residence, please CONTACT US to discuss whether we will be able to accommodate your accessibility requirements during your stay.

The Saari Residence welcomes people of all genders, abilities, ages, cultures, and sexualities. Everyone can decide by what name and pronoun they will be called.

We have a zero-tolerance for any form of discrimination, such as racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or ableist comments, sexual harassment, or bullying. We do not tolerate violence, vandalism or any other harmful acts.

We want to create and provide the best possible working environment for everyone. The keywords are respect, collaboration and safety. Everyone has a right to work in an environment that supports creativity, encourages consideration and respectful and non-sexualized working relationships.

What we mean by harassment: any behaviour that is offensive, hostile, humiliating or intimidating. It is behaviour that causes stress, fear, or anxiety on the harassed person and also a behaviour that sexualizes the place.