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A Journey To Tulikivi

And that’s how it began with Renata Gruber. Long before she and her husband Michael Gruber built their house northwest of Spokane, Washington, Renata remembered seeing “a photo of a Finnish home, little stocking-footed blond girls sitting on the bench of the hearth, above their heads was hard tac or Finnish rye crisp, large and round with a hole in the center hanging on poles above a large soapstone fireplace.” 

Curiosity inspired research and the discovery of Tulikivi masonry heaters. Renata remembers telling Michael, “If we ever build a home this will be at its heart, the non-negotiable element in our home.” 

In about 2005, the couple walked into Tony’s on the Lake, a restaurant near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Renata noticed a beautiful soapstone heater, thinking, “Oh my God, this is a Tulikivi!” When she inquired about it, the owner of the restaurant “lit up,” excited to talk about his Tulikivi. After a great conversation, he gave them two soapstone shot glasses, crafted from leftover soapstone from the heater’s install. Perhaps that photo of the Finnish Tulikivi years ago had been a premonition; the couple now had three blond, stocking-footed girls. 

Renata remembers telling Michael, “If we ever build a home this will be at its heart, the non-negotiable element in our home.”

A Dream Becomes a Reality

 Five years later, Renata served as general contractor while the Grubers built their home. She instructed the architect to design the house around a Tulikivi masonry heater. He had previously worked with Tulikivi distributor Ron Pihl at Warmstone Fireplaces and Design in Livingston, who in turn, directed her to area dealer Meri Berberet. 

They installed model TTU2700/5 with a bakeoven and a four-sided wrap-around bench in 2011. And as promised, it sits center stage in their lovely home, a perfect balance of design and functionality.

For the past fourteen years, the Grubers light their first fire every October, burning daily during a typical winter (24” to 36” of snow) until April. They consider themselves “wood snobs,” burning preferred local larch, and fir. Renata or Michael set up the fire the night before to light in the morning, burning for 1-3 hours. Three to four cords of wood keep their 1800-square-foot home warm on the main floor; they also installed supplemental in-floor heat. 

Michael, a retired anesthesiologist, was born in Germany, immigrating to the United States with his family in 1959. He moved to the Spokane area from the Seattle area in 1979, living on a 40-acre homestead across the road from their current home. Michael and Renata married in 1993. 

Renata, a Spokane native, has worked as a certified Nurse-Midwife since 1992, initially full-time in a private OB Gyn practice, then part-time when their three girls were little and over the past 5-6 years. She’s retiring this year.

They frequently use the Tulikivi bakeoven for the quick-baking of pizzas, and slow-roasting of meats and beans. Max, their cat, sits transfixed by the flickering flames, sleeping alongside the Tulikivi, not seeming to care about singeing his whiskers.

Max the cat snuggled up to Tulikivi (Below)

Having roots in Finland and being an avid skier, Renata traveled to Finland in February 2024. Before skiing she visited the Tulikivi factory near Nunnanlahti, Juuka for a tour of soapstone cutting and finishing, the assembly area, showroom, and nearby soapstone quarry “where all the magic happens.” 

Renata was impressed with the history of the factory, its remote location, warm hospitality, and personal feel. Tulikivi employee Aira Martikainen took good care of her during her three-day stay in guest quarters, which was equipped with a luxurious soapstone sauna. 

Renata’s five-day guided hut-to-hut ski trip in Lapland Finland's Urho Kekkonen National Park was memorable—great views, a lot of reindeer and pure white rabbits. Her stand-out day was skiing to a hut and firing up a wood-heated sauna for a sweat, and afterward, enjoying a refreshing cool-down in the snow. 

Unfortunately, Renata and her six skiing companions were struck with severe stomach flu, likely Norovirus, on the last night of their trip. The next morning, they were evacuated by sledges resembling Santa’s sleigh pulled by “angels” riding snow machines. It was a godsend—the women were tucked under reindeer hides for warmth and they didn’t have to ski 30km to civilization. 

Renata credits her Finnish grandfather Charles Höglund as “likely the cause of my recognition of Tulikivi being a central piece of a family home. It is designed with craftsmanship and purpose, an earmark of the Finns.” The Tulikivi is like a member of the family.

Renata Gruber and Aira Martikainen in front of Tulikivi factory.(Below)

Karen Reinhart has published books and articles about the natural and cultural history of Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding area since 1999. She has written articles for Warmstone Fireplaces and Designs since 2001.