An hour outside Helsinki, hidden deep in private woodland, an intimate retreat mixes boutique luxury with raw wooden cabin life to relieve the tensions of stressed-out urbanites
Photography by Puuro Visuals
Words by Alia Akkam
The five-star Balinese hotel they checked into was supposed to submerge Tiia Soppela and Craig McDonald in the warm local culture. Instead, as Soppela puts it, ‘it was one of our worst travel experiences’ – noting the sterile, too-fancy atmosphere, the stiff service and the wasteful amounts of food.
‘It didn’t feel luxurious. So, we started talking about what luxury means today, how people want things to be a bit more relaxed, but with beautiful spaces and a consideration of the environment.’
This conversation between the couple – and the birth of their son that led them back to Soppela’s native Finland – was the impetus behind opening Hilltop Forest in June 2022, a meditative retreat in Inkoo, just under an hour from Helsinki, that flaunts a peaceful, breathtaking landscape reminiscent of Lapland’s.
Photography by Puuro Visuals
Prior to leaping into hospitality, Soppela and McDonald worked in mergers and acquisitions consulting in Oslo, but they both long possessed a robust entrepreneurial spirit.
Combining their prowess with numbers and an innate understanding of hotels given the ample time they spent travelling, the duo conceived Hilltop Forest as an intimate resort, a soulful alternative to the sprawling ski resorts hatched by large hotel brands.
Soppela and McDonald watched countless Oslo friends hightail it to such places any time they craved the outdoors because the Nordic region was short on small, contemporary options in rugged locales. Hilltop Forest, they decided, would be stylish yet casual, amplifying the surroundings at every turn.
‘We wanted to take things we enjoyed in the city into the middle of the forest,’ says McDonald. Once guests weave their vehicles through the verdant setting, their friendly check-in at Hilltop House is followed by a stay in one of three lightweight cabins constructed by Finnish company Space of Mind to leave the land as undisturbed as possible.
Photography by Puuro Visuals
Two are clad in Douglas fir cross-laminated timber (CLT), the other birch CLT, with the intent that they will gorgeously shade and patina over time. These hideaways, as Soppela and McDonald dub them, are intentionally placed far apart from each other to conjure a true sense of privacy and seclusion. ‘We didn’t want to just line them up along the road,’ adds McDonald.
That striking minimalism is also expressed in the interiors. Although they are stripped back (each one is accompanied by an outdoor toilet), they exude the luxe comfort that eluded Soppela and McDonald in Bali, outfitted with expansive triangular windows and cosy natural flax linen bedding.
Throughout the property, products from towels to dishware are produced by numerous local, independent businesses. When they aren’t strolling through the forest or partaking in a cycling excursion, guests linger at Hilltop Forest in the wood-burning sauna or outdoor hot tub.
Once they are back in sweatpants, maybe they will sit down to a from-scratch vegetarian pizza and glass of kombucha that maintains ‘the feel-good vibe we thought about from start to finish’, McDonald points out.
Photography by Puuro Visuals
Soppela and McDonald have a vast 16ha of land and, while they do plan to expand Hilltop Forest, they will do so organically, introducing clusters of different accommodations that they will continue to personally oversee.
For now, they are spending the shuttered winter season (eventually Hilltop plans to welcome visitors year-round) designing a guest room and 40 sq m suite, complete with double sinks and huge vanities, at Hilltop House. Slated to be ready this summer, these are ideal for the less adventurous who still yearn for transporting views.
At first, Soppela was fearful people wouldn’t seek out Hilltop Forest, but it has been sold out since its debut. It’s clear that urban dwellers ‘needed that easy escape into nature’, she explains.
Read more in ICON 210: The Finland Issue or get a curated collection of architecture and design news like this in your inbox by signing up to our ICON Weekly newsletter
