Ilmaveere, worthwhile moments on the edge of the world

Ilmaveere was not born from one finished plan. It has grown step by step, out of dreams, a need to create, a love for country life, and a feeling that right here, on the edge of Estonia, it was possible to bring something truly to life.

For us, it all began with a wish to live closer to nature, family and community. Lenna, known to many as the lead singer of Vanilla Ninja, had spent years living a life shaped by stages and spotlights, yet had long carried a dream of country life in her heart, the kind where children would have room to grow, where food wouldn’t come only from a shop, where work, family, nature and people would be woven more closely together. That dream began long ago, in childhood summers spent at her grandmother’s place in Türi. For Lauri, an actor by training, creating has always been one of life’s most exciting parts, a dream of building a place where people could experience something special, where ideas could be dreamed up, built, tested, and given real form.

These two dreams began growing together in Setomaa, step by step, idea by idea, until we arrived at a more than 120-year-old former Obinitsa school-church in Mokornulk. Lenna has always had a weakness for old houses. Every time she sees an inspiring old building, a vision of what it could become starts running through her mind. That’s how she stumbled upon this school-church too. Or rather, found it, right on time.

This place had stood quiet for years, yet it still carried a feeling that was impossible to walk past. The old building, the nature of Setomaa, Obinitsa Lake and the view of the Lauluema monument all quietly began telling us one and the same story.

And so we began creating Ilmaveere. Largely with our own hands, in our own image, with the understanding that every detail matters. The curtains, the chairs, the rooms, the flavours, the morning greetings, what grows in the garden, what’s born in the kitchen and served to guests, all of it is part of one larger whole.

Ilmaveere is not, for us, simply accommodation, a restaurant or an event venue. It is a way of giving life a little more momentum on the edge of the world. A place where it’s possible to rest in nature’s rhythm, savour memorable flavours and feel truly cared for.

We keep creating Ilmaveere, because there is still so much possibility here. There is room to surprise ourselves, our guests and the world. And what gives meaning to all of it, most of all, is knowing that this place touches people, that they leave a little calmer, happier, or more present than when they arrived.

Welcome to Ilmaveere. Here, on the edge of the world, worthwhile moments truly exist.

Lenna and Lauri