Sauna and pool area in the basement of a private house built in the late sixties was completely renovated. The space with quite low ceiling height was made to feel more spacious thanks to the well-designed lighting and the thoughtful installation of the surface materials.

The original basement sauna and swimming pool had a lot of potential, but being in their original state, they required complete renovation and careful planning. The owner preferred the medium-brown, Hemlock-veneered Taive benches. And the harmonious design was completed with matching dressing room furniture, ceiling panels and Cariitti lighting in all the rooms.

The challenges of an old house
The detached house is multi-storey and the sauna facilities are mainly located underground. When the basement is surrounded by soil, it is advisable to take precautions inside the house to ensure good indoor air. A gap has been left behind the panelled walls to allow air to circulate, and the new surface materials do not accidentally get moisture from the concrete construction. This in turn reduces room space and must be considered when making the final interior plans.

Other factors influencing the design were the elongated shape of the sauna. The initial wish of the owner was to have opposite benches in the sauna room. However, the layout was changed into U-shape, as it made the space look larger. The direction of the wall panelling was also crucial: when the panels are normally installed horizontally, they were now installed vertically, resulting in a much more spacious-feeling sauna.

Lighting plays a significant role
The lighting designed and supplied by Cariitti consists of several elements and layers. Indirect lighting was used on the ceiling edge of the shower room, behind the back rests and under the benches in the sauna, in the shower niche and behind the furniture in the dressing room, as its beam is glare-free and it illuminates downwards along the wall surface. In addition, LED downlights were installed on the ceiling of the shower and dressing rooms In the pool area, impressive colour-changing Cariitti Huuhto Easy RGBW LED profiles were installed between panelling. A total of 40 metres was installed over the nine-metre pool.

Carefully selected materials, skillful design and lighting make the atmosphere of this private spa special. The architectural design of TAIVE benches attracts to relax in a comfortably lit space. Not to mention practicality! Now, inside the new dressing room furniture, there is plenty of storage space for towels and other sauna textiles.

Cariitti is a family-owned company whose mission is to brings light and comfort to all spaces. The selection includes both fibre and LED lighting solutions, and also sauna benches and dressing room furniture made in company´s own factory in Finland. The products are exported to over 40 countries worldwide, and the client spectrum is wide from distributors to contractors and sauna & spa builders; products are being used in public saunas and spas as well in private ones.

Cariitti products used in this project:
• The sauna benches are from Cariitti´s TAIVE collection in Hemlock veneer. The veneer surface is easy to keep clean. The benches are modular, which makes them easy to install, and floor cleaning is also convenient. The matching wall and ceiling panels of the sauna were also supplied by Cariitti. Indirect lighting in the sauna is built with Cariitti´s Sauna Linear LED luminaires.

• Cariitti Huuhto Easy RGBW profiles were used as lighting in the pool area, where the colour of the light can be changed as needed.

• Indirect lighting in the shower room is made with Cariitti Huuhto Easy LED profiles.

• Cariitti Huuhto Easy LED Profiles were integrated into the dressing room furniture.