Every now and then we have been sharing experiences from KODA owners and users on how they have arranged their homes or businesses in KODA houses. This time, we would like to show you a magazine publishing studio, set up in a KODA: the homebase of a fabulous lifestyle mag EMA in Tallinn.

The editorial office of EMA (that’s mother in Estonian) is located in the historic quarter of the former rubber boot factory Põhjala, currently in the middle of being redeveloped as a creative quarter with accommodation. The area is already buzzing with new cafés, bakeries, exhibitions and all kinds of new businesses.

Retrofitting an entire industrial quarter into contemporary, comfortable living, working and leisure area, can be a slow and cumbersome process. To make sure they have flexible and high quality shop, office and studio spaces to offer to the already-forming community, the team at Põhjala tehas had us install 5 KODA Concrete houses.

The KODA lineup at Põhjala makes for an excellent proof of concept for using KODAs in urban areas to add rental space fast and effortlessly – and as the installation is quick, without disturbing the community. All you have to add is the landscaping: the team at Põhjala created small terraces with lawn areas around the KODAs, giving the customers and locals a welcoming vibe.

At first, the founder and Editor in Chief of EMA Merle Liivak was looking for merely a space to house a storage room – later, to add a shop, as the magazine started their own product range. Renting one of the Põhjala KODAs came up, and it was love at first sight. “Instantly, it felt cosy and comfy,” says Merle.

“We didn’t have any big plans of decorating a fancy shop. We desperately needed the space though, and had more and more people coming in, when we started selling holiday-themed items for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. So my husband quickly thought of how to cleverly use the space and elegantly arrange all our products. We made shelves and tables ourselves and turned our storage room into a nice welcoming environment for the guests.”

“Since magazines and newspapers are nowadays becoming digital, we have realised that EMA has to change too. People don’t have the time to read for as long and as much, even if they’d love to and they are constantly on the run. Realising that, we started our own podcast. Hence, our KODA has also become our EMA recording studio.”

Merle says that whenever there is an event on the block, people often just come in, when the door is open and you see, that they actually come to see the KODA and ask where they could get their own 

“We also have really cool neighbours. There’s a guy living next door in a KODA, whereas on the other side, people are taking singing lessons. There’s also a leather craft shop in one of the KODAs: IGLÀ. We have a very hip community.”