This art teacher’s wooden house glows in delicious hues: “Colors are the most wonderful thing in the world to me”

Tuuli had always dreamed of a wooden house. When she got a job in Loviisa and her longing for space and a garden intensified during the pandemic, the family decided to move to Loviisa permanently. The old wooden house immediately resonated with the couple.

Tuuli, what’s the best thing about your home?

The most wonderful thing is the atmosphere of the old wooden house. The fireplace, the wooden floors, and the fresh air flowing through the old logs are my favorite things. The changing seasons also have a different and clearer presence here compared to living in an apartment. When we light the fireplace after summer and smoke starts puffing out of the chimney, we know autumn has arrived. In winter, we get our wool rugs and thick velvet curtains from storage to partition rooms and keep the warmth in. In spring, it’s so nice to remove all the heavy textiles, and in summer, we can leave the doors open and tend to the garden. Living in tune with the changing of the seasons like this makes us feel that our connection to nature is that little bit stronger.

The garden is small, but with the help of a garden designer, the family managed to fit in everything essential—from a greenhouse and vegetable patch to trees and climbing plants. The porch, which was added later, has lounging spots under hanging flower baskets.

The glass-paneled sliding door to the TV room on the right was made by the previous owners. The Moroccan rug Tuuli ordered online. The elegant 1950s pendant lamp came from her grandparents.

The previous owners partitioned the TV area with glass-paneled sliding doors. They also used similar doors to create a large wardrobe, where the family now stores their clothes. The houseplant-themed painting was painted by Tuuli.

Has anything surprised you about living in a wooden house?

I’ve been surprised by how slow it is to renovate an old house. Even though we’ve had the roof renovated, refreshed the living room and kitchen, and expanded the upstairs rooms, sometimes it feels like we can’t make enough progress. As soon as you finish one thing, the next is already waiting.

What is important to you in interior design?

Light was the first thing we fell in love with in the house. As visual people, we might rearrange the sofa a hundred times, but it’s not important for us to own any particular piece of furniture or item. All our furniture has been bought from flea markets or has just ended up with us from different places. The most important thing is that they fit together, and often a third element eventually makes different things work together.

The living room gets its colorful look from shades of pink and yellow, as well as houseplants. The sofa is from Ikea, and the coffee table was found at a flea market in Kotka. The painting is by Tuuli’s friend Essi Nieminen, and the vintage lamp is from the Krinti store.

Because the house is mostly heated with wood, tending to the fireplace in winter takes a lot of time. The bright yellow wallpaper, called ‘Chinese Garden’, is by Pip Studio.

Tuuli loves ceramics and making them. She made this spotted vase during her studies at Aalto University and the brown bottle on a course at Loviisa’s adult education center.

Tuuli chose a bright salmon-pink shade for the living room wall. The rya rug, based on the ‘Metsässä palaa’ (“There’s a Fire in the Forest”) design by Kirsti Ilvessalo, was made by Tuuli’s great-aunt. The ottoman is from the Dokkan interior shop, and the velvet armchair is flea market find from Kotka. The print on the wall by Eero Lampinen was a 30th birthday gift Tuuli got from her friends.

What do colors mean to you?

To me, colors are the most wonderful thing in the world. I’m a visual art teacher and I paint myself, too, so I have the motivation to spend a lot of time with colors. I can’t think of an ugly color or colors that wouldn’t go together, because often a third color can make initially mismatched colors harmonize. A gray-black-white interior is the only style that doesn’t suit me because I feel I’m such a colorful person. I’ve noticed that in Finland, people are quite cautious about using strong colors at home, but I think that you can paint walls even with bright shades. You can always paint over them if it feels like it’s too much.

Tuuli chose a turquoise shade for the large kitchen; the wallpaper is from the previous owners. The compact dining table was made by Tuuli’s friend’s father. The chairs Tuuli inherited from her grandparents.

Tuuli has upholstered the kitchen bench with Kenyan fabric.

A golden pothos vine winds over the lamp in Siiri’s room. A gauzy canopy forms a lovely nest over the bed, which the family found through a Facebook recycling group. Some of the paintings were made by Tuuli.

The couple renovated the bedroom during their first winter. For the back wall, they chose the ‘Dahlia Garden’ wallpaper by Boråstapeter. The beautiful old wooden cabinet is from Tuuli’s mother-in-law’s home.