The Brand Story
Narvi: Finnish Blacksmiths, a Lake, and the Wood-Fired Sauna
In southwestern Finland, in a village called Lappi on the shore of Lake Narvi, a family of blacksmiths named Rautavuori built their own wood-burning sauna stoves. Iron, fire and water were their trade, and the sauna was simply part of life. Just before the Second World War the brothers turned that skill into a company, and they named it after the lake outside their door.
Chapter 1 · 1937
A forge by Lake Narvi
Narvi traces its founding to 1937, when the Rautavuori brothers formalized the stove-making they had already been doing as village blacksmiths. The lake gave the company its name, and the village name still causes confusion for people searching for the company today, since Lappi is also the Finnish name for Lapland in the far north. The company's roots are in the south, in the old heartland of the wood-fired sauna.
A wood-burning stove is the oldest form of the modern sauna. Before electric heaters, the fire and the stones were the whole experience: the crackle of birch, the slow build of heat, and the first ladle of water hissing into steam. Narvi's range still includes stoves for traditional smoke saunas, the most elemental style of all.
Chapter 2
Made where the sauna lives
Narvi stoves are designed and manufactured in Finland, with at least 95% of production taking place in the country according to its North American partner. The stoves are built from stainless steel and black iron, materials chosen to handle years of heating and cooling cycles, water on hot stones and the moisture of a working sauna. Few products are as closely tied to their place of origin: in Finland the sauna is part of ordinary weekly life, and its stove makers build for people who fire them up again and again.
The Lineup
What Narvi builds today
Narvi builds wood-burning sauna stoves, smoke sauna stoves, electric sauna heaters and the chimneys and fittings that go with them. HVAC365 carries its wood-burning sauna stoves and the accessories that complete an installation:
- Stoves for home saunas: the Kuru 20, NC 16 Black, Luosto and Luosto VS, and the Inari and Inari Plus, rated around 16 kW for typical residential sauna rooms.
- Stoves for larger rooms: the Kaamos 20 at about 21 kW and the Narvi 30 at about 24 kW, for bigger cabins and shared saunas.
- Sauna accessories: roof flanges and 300 mm flue extensions for the chimney run, a 30-liter chimney water tank that warms washing water with heat from the flue, and stone cages that hold an extra load of sauna stones around the stove.
- Finishing touches: buckets, ladles and thermometers and sauna lighting.
In the Field
Living with a wood-burning stove
A wood-fired sauna takes longer to heat than an electric one, and that is part of its appeal. Size the stove to the room volume, plan the chimney and clearances to combustibles before the walls go up, and follow the stove manual and local codes for the flue, floor protection and ventilation. A stone cage adds thermal mass for softer, longer-lasting steam, while a chimney water tank turns wasted flue heat into hot water for rinsing.
At a Glance
Narvi at a glance
- Founded
- 1937, Finland
- Founders
- The Rautavuori brothers, village blacksmiths
- Home village
- Lappi, southwestern Finland
- Name
- From Lake Narvi
- Production
- At least 95% in Finland
- Materials
- Stainless steel and black iron
- Product focus
- Wood-burning and smoke sauna stoves
Questions
Frequently asked questions about Narvi
Where are Narvi sauna stoves made?
Narvi stoves are designed and manufactured in Finland, with at least 95% of production taking place in the country.
When was Narvi founded?
Narvi was founded in 1937, just before the Second World War, by the Rautavuori brothers, who were blacksmiths in southwestern Finland.
Where does the name Narvi come from?
The company is named after Lake Narvi, on whose shore its home village of Lappi sits in southwestern Finland.
What size Narvi stove do I need?
Stove size depends on the volume of the sauna room. Most Narvi models HVAC365 carries are rated around 16 kW for home saunas, while the Kaamos 20 and Narvi 30 suit larger rooms.
What is a chimney water tank for?
A chimney water tank mounts on the flue and uses heat from the stove's exhaust to warm water for washing in the sauna.
