Canopy from a cowhouse

By the way, have you noticed the ironwork canopy over our side door? It is a blacksmith-made, originally black one we bought at the Domus Classica store of the Metsänkylän Navetta, which is a treasure-house for any builder and restorer searching for traditional building materials and items as well as information.

We added the canopy a couple of years ago. I felt black would be too prominent, as well as out of line as the colour of our steel sheet roofing is graphite grey, and insisted it must be painted using the blue grey hue of the trimmings. He wasn’t that keen on the painting but was completely convinced when he saw the result installed above the entrance. It does pay to be persistent sometimes.

Should you ever be close to the town of Hämeenlinna on a Sunday do pay a visit to the nearby Navetta (meaning cowhouse). It is located in a small country community of a few families and is therefore open only once a week. Every Sunday from noon till 3 pm the place will feel like there was a small country fair going on, at least in the summer season.

Domus Classica.

The huge cowhouse and several other farm buildings are full of recovered items: doors, windows, timber, bricks, sinks, radiators, glass lamp shades and globes, and much more. There is even an idyllic café you shouldn’t miss. And there’s the Domus Classica store, also operating online, selling new materials and fixtures for those who want to renovate their old house or apartment without compromising the authentic look.

I’m including some photos I took when we fetched the canopy, as a reminder how it could be this time of the year. Now the days are mainly wet and dark. Only every once in a while are we lucky to experience a frosty afternoon like this, full of the powder-like whiter shades of grey.

More about our roofing project here.