Musta Ovi -blog: inspiring Finnish design and decoration

Musta Ovi (Black Door) is a blog inspired by Scandinavian minimalism. It shares ideas and inspiration on quality, design and decoration, with reasonable budget. See what the blogger has to tell about Oras, Finnish design and showers.

Every day we use a variety of common items that represent Finnish design at its best. Many of them are so familiar and in a way taken for granted that we don't give much thought to their origin. A sink comes with a faucet and there is a shower in the bathroom – in my childhood the brand was without exception Oras.

All Nordic homes also have a number of decoration products and brands that are known to be Finnish and are strongly associated with Finland. The Made by Finland campaign by the Association for Finnish Work also promotes this cause with the aim of making Finnish work visible in all its diversity and awakening all of us to consider what work will be in the future. Finland is home to numerous inspiring and innovative companies, one of which is Oras with its head office and one of its four factories in Rauma, Finland. Oras is involved in the campaign as an excellent example of Finnish excellence. Employing some 1,400 people in Finland and abroad, Oras is the Nordic market leader in sanitary fittings and a leading company in continental Europe. It is a considerable achievement by a Finnish family company, something we should all be proud of. 

Finnish products are often associated with quality, functionality, timeless design and durability. These are also the criteria based on which we chose products for our new home. Our aim was to select durable products that stand the test of time. Our choices were also strongly influenced by our previous experiences. For our sauna's shower room we chose concealed Oras Optima showers and a cover part as well as a bath and shower faucet from the same product family. We were particularly fascinated by the minimalist design and water saving faucets of the Optima product line. Especially the rain shower was a real find. We spent a long time looking for a reasonably priced shower plate to be mounted on the ceiling and Oras Optima offered good value for money for a budget-conscious builder. In addition to its affordable price, the plate is just the right size to make showering an especially enjoyable experience. It's like being under a perfectly flowing waterfall.

Originally our plan was also to have a bathtub in the shower room. During the building process we, however, had second thoughts mainly due to financial, ecological and practical reasons. A bathtub is still possible and can be installed later where we now have a long bench if we happen to change our mind again, for example when our child gets older. 

Small details and choices make a surprisingly great difference. We want our house to stand the test of time for decades to come and that was our guiding principle when making our plans and major purchases. During the building process we deliberately chose Finnish products and companies that match our taste and values. We still follow the same principle today when making everyday choices as consumers.

*The blog has been created through commercial collaboration with Suomen Blogimedia, the Made by Finland campaign and Oras. The original blog can be read here.