Now that's what I call a Library

I spent most of today working (mainly doing peer review stuff that had backed up since before the holidays), but we found time for a wander out to visit the Rovaniemi library (an Aalto design) and Korundi, the cultural centre, which also contains Rovaniemi Art Museum. In the course of an exhibition of postwar landscape paintings done by artists resident in Lapland, we discovered quite a few new wonderful artists (notably Matti Saanio). But the really striking and surprising part of our little trip out was the Library, which is so 'warm' inside, with little reading niches and different levels and so much functional light without being overwhelming, and yet so plain on the outside (as the link makes clear, although in the snow it looks a bit different to those photographs). It is, apparently, according to a website I found, one of Aalto's 'most successful' late interiors. I would rather agree.

Today was one of those rare days when I didn't take photographs with a proper camera but only with my phone.