From station master’s house—and jail—to a stunning vintage home

What is the history of the house, and how did you end up in this home?

Tanja: The house was originally built as a residence for Finnish railway company VR’s station master, who, judging by its imposing design, must have been an important man. Later, it was sometimes used to hold prisoners when the nearby bailiff’s jail was full. The architecture is fascinating. The exterior is clad with bricks that look like stone boulders, which we had never seen before. I fell in love with it immediately when it popped up on my screen. I could already picture us living there. When I showed my find to Tomi, we learned he knew the house from a previous visit. Our hobby is buying, collecting, and selling old items, and Tomi had once come here to purchase chairs.

Tomi: At first, I wasn’t excited about the project at all. Tanja practically insisted I see the house twice. I worried about the big workload a house this old might require. The inspection report was daunting, but Tanja was so determined that she eventually convinced me. We made a deal and got the keys in August 2023, a few months later.

How did you renovate a house that’s over a hundred years old?

Tomi: The previous owners had renovated the bathroom, sauna, and kitchen about ten years ago. We didn’t do anything to them, even though they’re not exactly our taste, because it would have been wasteful to tear out something that still works. Fortunately, most of the issues in the inspection report turned out to be just possibilities, and the house was in excellent condition for its age. We focused largely on surface work.

Tanja: We wrapped up the main jobs pretty fast. The only holdup was when my father, who was handling the tiling, got injured, so the entryway and laundry room floors were delayed. We moved in anyway, and it didn’t bother us that things weren’t finished because we expected the process to take time.

Your home is furnished with vintage items. Is that a shared hobby?

Tanja: Yes! We’ve both been into secondhand treasures for ages. Eventually, we had so many finds we couldn’t fit them all in our home. So, we set up a small venture, selling on Instagram. It’s mostly a hobby and a way to fund our treasure hunts, letting us keep that spark of discovery alive.

Heading out on a treasure hunt is always exciting, because you never know what incredible piece you’ll stumble upon next. I’m artistic and creative, so mixing different eras feels like an art form to me. We only buy something new if we absolutely must. It’s eco-friendly, and each old item has a story to tell. There’s also a story in how we find it and who sells it to us. We’ve gone all over Finland, meeting fascinating people in the process.