Kordon, curated by the interior architects, artists and researchers Tüüne-Kristin, Urmo, Ingel and Ann Mirjam Vaikla, has been an important meeting point in Hiiumaa Island’s cultural life. The interiors, which had long been in design, were finished by the end of 2023 and now make up united integral ensemble. The central starting point for the design was to create spaces enriched by several exciting spatial interventions.
The creative residency was named after an historical border guard checkpoint on the edge of Kärdla town, which is still the central part of this ensemble. It was built of logs in 1830, during period of Russian Empire, and has a rectangular floor plan, on a low limestone foundation. It is now covered with vertical siding. During the latest architectural development, the low ceiling between the loft and interiors was opened, creating a more spacious and light-filled room, broken up by a hearth in the middle. Several historical details are extant, including the original interior doors, a baroque emerald green ceiling cornice, profiled panelling in the entrance hall, a floor of clay tiles fired on Hiiumaa and, in parts, the old wood floor.
The new additions relate with the existing ones, while following the trend lines of the contemporary interior architecture. The building’s interior walls along the perimeter are coated with lime plaster and the partition walls with smooth board. The largest new spatial intervention is the black cubical veranda on the south-eastern side, a pleasant and warm place to spend time, and also a connecting link between the two structures.
Next to Kordon’s house is the studio building, converted from a Soviet-era cinder block garage. The building is now higher and longer, accommodating two work and living areas for artists-in-residence. The façade and roof are covered with wood boards finished in a grey colour with iron sulphate. Visible in the monochrome interior finishing are the wall structures and all added volumes. The ceiling is open, the old cinderblocks and new FIBO blocks are painted white. The interior’s black concrete floor is combined with recycled wood. The residency’s kitchen is set in the former garage, cleverly making use of the old lube pit, which is now where Kordon’s house-fermented edibles and drinkables are stored.
Kordon fuses the traditions of rural Estonian country homes with completely new creative solutions, to which the imprints and contributions of the residents add nuance. Kordon’s buildings and their interiors are cosy and an experimental ambience can be detected but actually the details have been thoroughly thought through over a longer period.
218 
TAGASI
