How it began

A luxury glass house, a shoreline and a question.

The first Etnika house was built for ourselves. We wanted somewhere to leave the city routine behind, and we noticed that every holiday house we looked at was a smaller version of a normal house: the same walls, the same rooms, the same distance from the outside. What we wanted was the opposite. As little house as possible, and as much of the place as possible.

So we designed a long, low volume with glass on both sides and stood it a few metres from the water. Inside, oak; outside, whatever the weather was doing. The first winter told us we were right. Snow in front of a glass wall, a fire in the room, and nothing else to think about.

"Home is the starting place of love, hope and dreams."

That house became the Signature, and the Signature became a small business. People asked to stay in it, so we began hosting. People asked to buy one, so we began producing them as complete modules in Estonia. Then people asked for something even smaller, for a garden, a forest plot or a guest room in the trees. That became the Zen.

What we believe

Dwelling in a small space expands the experience of what surrounds you. It asks for a simpler life and uses less energy. Use just what is necessary, build it well, and put it where the landscape does the rest. That is the whole philosophy, and it fits on a postcard, which is roughly the size of the houses.

Where we are going

We continue to host because it teaches us what each house and its guests need. We build one carefully considered module at a time. We also work with landowners and hospitality operators who have the view but not yet the right house, allowing more people to wake up as we did that first winter.