Moomins at Taikurinhattu and the Spirit of Himmeli

Tove Jansson was an author, painter and comic strip artist, and the creator of the Moomins. Jansson’s Moomin books balance between the children’s world and the adults’ world, dealing with playful and profound themes. In visual arts, her early work was detailed and fabulous, becoming more minimalistic in the 1950s and finally turning to abstract style. Jansson quit painting in the 1970s, but in 1984 carried out her last Moomin-themed paintings in Taikurinhattu in Pori.

The last Moomin novel, Moominvalley in November, was published in 1970, after which Jansson focused on writing for adults. Jansson’s books are available in over 60 languages, and she received significant awards, such as the Hans Christian Andersen Award (1966), Pro Finlandia Medal (1976) and the title of Honorary Professor (1995). Her birthday, 9 August, is a Finnish flag day for Tove Jansson and Finnish art.

Tuulikki Pietilä was a central figure and a teacher of Finnish graphic arts. She had hundreds of exhibitions and wrote study books. Pietilä mastered graphic techniques from metal to lithography and had the talent to mix them. Her style varied from realism to cubism and abstract expression.

Pietilä and Tove Jansson shared their lives together from 1956. Together they carried out dozens of Moomin-themed three-dimensional tableaux. Pietilä also documented their life and work together, especially on the Klovharun island, which was an inspiration for much of Jansson’s work. Tuulikki Pietilä received the Pro Finlandia Medal (1963), became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki (1982) and bequeathed over 1400 works of art to Ateneum art museum in Helsinki. Pietilä’s art and life work are a significant part of the history of the Finnish graphic arts.

The interior design of Taikurinhattu and Himmeli is a cornucopia, where artwork, various details and architecture become one. The buildings are total works of art, and it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between a piece of art and an interior design detail.

The art in Taikurinhattu was created by Tove Jansson and Tuulikki Pietilä. The children easily recognise the Moomin and cat motifs of the art work. Special furniture was also designed for the children’s play area: a carousel with animals, a kiosk and a playhouse.

In Himmeli, the art integration plan is completely different and mostly non-representational. In the Quiet room on the ground floor there is textile art by Päikki Priha and Helga Pálina Brynjolfsdóttir. There are ample textile works by Kaarina Heikinheimo and Päikki Priha in the dining halls.

Ceramic tiles are another important decorative element in Himmeli. An art wall designed by the architect couple’s daughter Annukka Pietilä can be found in the hall. In the garden there is a colourful water fountain designed by Raili and Reima Pietilä. The swimming pool area is decorated with Villeroy & Boch’s flowered wall tiles.

The daycare centre Taikurinhattu (1984) and retirement home Himmeli (1988–90) are an ensemble designed by the world-renowned architect couple Raili and Reima Pietilä. Taikurinhattu design process took place around the same time as the Pietiläs conceived their victorious plan Kiillemoreeni for the competition of the President’s official residence in Mäntyniemi, Helsinki.

The Pietiläs’ take on architecture interprets natural forms, deviating from the modernist modular thinking. In the 1960-70s their work was even considered rebellious. The 1980s postmodernism allowed more free expression, and Pietiläs’ work received a wider recognition also in their native Finland. Their architecture is now perceived as particularly Finnish.

The buildings are located in the Vanhakoivisto district, between the Sampola tower block neighbourhood and a detached housing area. Taikurinhattu is a low-slung building that reflects a child’s scale. The spaces are clustered around the main hall, and the facade is a play of white painted wood and red bricks.

Behind Taikurinhattu one can see the three-storeyed Himmeli, whose winding building mass creates a contrast to the scale of the daycare centre. The Himmeli facade is made of red brick, tiles and white wood with bay windows creating a rhythm. The finished building stimulated discussions of a home-like environment and a wide range of services.

The individuality of each building is a typical feature of Pietilä architecture. Even though they used the concrete elements and industrial segments in the 1970s and 1980s, they would balance the entities with in-situ concrete structures and details that required craftsmanship, such as brickwork and wood cladding. Nature is also embedded in Taikurinhattu and Himmeli: according to Reima Pietilä the plan resembles “two caterpillars munching on a leaf”.

Both Himmeli and Taikurinhattu are total works of art, with the interior also designed by the architects. Part of the entity is the garden and plantation plan by landscape architect Maj-Lis Rosenbröijer. Parts of it still subsist. Rosenbröijer also designed the Mäntyniemi garden.

The everyday solutions for the life of children and the elderly are the focus in this pair of buildings. The aim of the design was to promote the interaction between generations and to create a living environment. Taikurinhattu is still in its original use. Himmeli has been empty since 2021. Both buildings are cited to be protected by law in order to keep them for future generations.

Raili Pietilä (née Paatelainen) was one of the most significant women in the Finnish modern architecture. She graduated as an architect in 1956. She and her spouse Reima Pietilä gained international recognition. They founded an office together in 1963 and always emphasized their equal roles as designers.

The Pietilä architecture was characterised by spatial thinking, organicity inspired by natural forms, and the spirit of the site. Raili’s handprint was seen in the choice of materials, the interior layouts and the harmony of the buildings. An example of her personal work is Tove Jansson and Tuulikki PIetilä’s summer cottage on the island of Klovharun.

Reima Pietilä is one of the internationally best known Finnish architects. He graduated as an architect in 1953. A central part of his work was philosophical thinking, especially inspired by Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Pietilä was inspired by Finnish nature: forests, landscapes, light, water and rocks. In the 1980s we coined the term ‘nature architecture’ to describe his organic design style that mirrored the natural shapes and forms. Pietilä was appointed professor of architecture at the University of Oulu in 1973. His teaching had a significant impact on an architectural style that arose in the architecture department of the University of Oulu in the mid 1970s.

The work of the Pietiläs combined playfulness, exploration and experimenting. Many of their projects were first mostly designed by the couple themselves before they let assistants participate. Their architecture is distinctive, internationally recognised and inspired by Finnish landscapes. Among their best known works are Dipoli student assembly building in Espoo, the Kaleva Church, Hervanta shopping and community centre and Metso Central Library in Tampere, the Finnish Embassy in India, Mäntyniemi or the official residence of the President of Finland, and the Seif palace in Kuwait.