Ilmaveere hotel

Once a place of worship and today a hotel and restaurant, Ilmaveere stands on a hilltop surrounded by healing nature, offering sweeping views, local cuisine, and a peaceful atmosphere. It is a place worth discovering at the edge of the world.

The Ilmaveere building, a former late 19th-century school-church, embodies the symbiosis of historic and contemporary architecture. It has been brought back to life by singer Lenna Kuurmaa and actor Lauri Mäesepp, who have transformed it into a destination where visitors can slow down, breathe in the scents and flavors of the region, enjoy music, and admire the beautiful Obinitsa Lake alongside the sculpture of the Mother of Song.

This school-church, a rare building type in the Baltic States, was originally a two-storey wooden structure with a bell tower and held great cultural significance for Obinitsa and the entire Setomaa region. Construction began in 1897, and the Obinitsa parish and church were officially opened in 1904. In 1950, the church was closed and the building was converted entirely into a school. The bell tower was demolished, and the building was extensively rebuilt for its new purpose. For the last couple of decades, it stood abandoned.

Lenna and Lauri transformed the building, which had fallen into a very poor condition, into a functional space once again. The architectural concept began with identifying and preserving the parts of the building that were worth saving. The original log structure has been retained to the greatest extent possible.

In place of the deteriorated Soviet-era extension, and above the former stairwell, a bold new cross-shaped volume was added. This architectural approach reinterprets the location of the original bell tower with a contemporary design, emphasizing its historical significance. The extension follows the existing three-aisled layout of the building, creating a setback and a canopy over the main entrance. Its distinctive form creates a strong visual landmark facing the existing tree-lined avenue.

The original section of the building preserves its historic layout and horizontal log construction. In contrast, the extension is built from lightweight concrete blocks and hollow-core concrete slabs. The original timber façade has been carefully restored, including the traditional cladding profile and the characteristic window surrounds. The new volume is finished with plaster and articulated with projecting elements, creating a clear contrast between old and new.

The building now houses a spacious restaurant, 12 guest rooms, a professional kitchen, terraces, and a yoga studio. The terraces are integrated into both the new extension and the existing building volume, preserving the historic roof eaves while creating intimate outdoor spaces. In the most luxurious rooms, guests can enjoy views of Obinitsa Lake directly from the bathtub.

The interior features natural and locally sourced materials. Timber salvaged from the original building has been reused to make custom furniture, while old bricks have been repurposed at the entrance. A building whose future once seemed uncertain has now been brought back to life and has the potential to become an important cultural and social landmark for Obinitsa.

Client: Lenna Kuurmaa ja Lauri Mäesepp
Architecture: Mari Hunt, Arvi Anderson
Interior architecture: Lenna Kuurmaa
Builder: LKP Grup
Status: built 2024
Photos: Arvi Anderson, Silver Tõnisson
Info: https://ilmaveere.ee/en/