From an old village school to a colorful dream home: “Over the top is only the beginning!”

After this one I'm done, Heidi Koskenmäki thought as she was about to give up on her search for the perfect old school to turn into a home. It felt impossible—until an online ad mentioning an old school popped up. The pressures of the pandemic and the cramped conditions of their Helsinki apartment were becoming unbearable. So Heidi and her husband, Antti, decided to go see this last find.

“In the days between Christmas and New Year, we drove 600 kilometers to Lestijärvi, a place we’d never even heard of. The moment the doors opened and we stepped inside, we knew this was it. It was love at first sight. By our second visit two months later, the house was ours, and renovations were underway,” Heidi recalls.

When it was time to repaint the school, the family chose colors reminiscent of their favorite storybook villa, Villa Villekulla from Pippi Longstocking. Heidi’s dream of a glass porch was realized using entirely recycled materials, including old windows.

The old elementary school in Central Ostrobothnia was a place of learning for nearly all the villagers. Although regular classes ended in the 1960s, the gym and woodworking classroom stayed in use until 2005. Today, the former school gym is the children’s playroom. It's old ropes and climbing frames are still used regularly.

The school building is ideal for a large family. Four of the youngest children often lounge in a ball chair, designed by Eero Aarnio in the 1960s, with an Artek 75 Years poster in the background.

A crooked log wall was covered with a panel painted in paint company Tikkurila's shade K319 Flamingo, creating a bold backdrop for the String shelf. Antti’s parents gifted them Artek69 chairs and an Artek83 table, which Heidi reupholstered with Finnish fabric manufacturer Annala’s Yolo Loud fabric.

An old school cabinet found in the woodworking classroom was freshened up with brown paint Heidi once bought on online marketplace Tori. The lights above the table are Hakola’s Cocktail Minis.

The Mademoiselle chair, purchased at auction, sits near a wood storage area hidden behind Marimekko’s Unikko fabric.

The house, which had a well-preserved original frame, has been lovingly restored using traditional methods.

“We’ve replaced the windows, doors, and all insulation by following traditional restoration methods. We’ve painted or wallpapered every surface, and we’ve also renewed and painted the exterior cladding. We didn’t want to bring in too much modern technology, so we don’t have a flush toilet but instead a dry composting toilet with waste separation. It saves energy, water, and the environment. It’s also important to us not to send hundreds of liters of water through this old house. Our domestic water is heated with gas, and we use wood for heating. For such a large and old house, we use relatively little electricity,” Antti explains.

The kitchen features a vintage dining set from the Finnish design brand Artek, a Danish Louis Poulsen lamp purchased at auction, and a poster from Finnish designer couple Saana ja Olli. The floor is painted with paint company Tikkurila's shade V413, and the wallpaper is Boråstapeter’s Jubilee Flora.

Years ago, Heidi bought white tiles on Tori market place, hoping one day to have a century-old house where they would fit. Her wish came true. The upper cabinet, found at the mall, was painted a light color. The charming pink lamp is &Tradition’s Flowerpot VP1 plant light.

The kitchen cabinets are made from recycled pieces from the previous owner, with plywood doors crafted by Antti. Heidi restored 1950s upper cabinets, which she acquired for the price of a package of coffee. The wallpaper is Boråstapeter’s Jubilee Flora.

Heidi collects Rörstrand’s Pippi-themed decorative plates. The Limcar wood stove heats the house.

Ecological thinking is central to their interior design as well. Heidi and Antti are mindful about consumption and prefer recycling. Heidi laughs that 90 percent of their decor is old and the other 10 percent is stolen from their parents. Even with the values guiding the design, this house is anything but dull or colorless.

The stairs are painted with a soft pink shade of Tikkurila’s G321 Bebe.

Heidi removed more than 506 screws from the walls to expose the log surface behind the panels. The coat racks are Vitra’s Hang it Alls, and a Sovrn skateboard deck hangs on the wall. Several members of the family are keen skateboarders.

Four differently colored walls in the staircase live in harmony with the pink floor. The fabric, over three meters long, is by Manuela Bosco, and the poster is made from her painting. The lamp is Hakola's Cocktail, designed by Hanna Anonen.

“Our philosophy is definitely ‘more is more, less is a bore.’ Over the top is only the beginning. That goes for everything in our family—lots of color, humor, play, and endless fun! We don’t plan much of the interior. We find design furniture from auctions and Tori, and only buy pieces that are durable and beautiful—never anything unnecessary or temporary,” Heidi says.

They built the bunk bed and the walls surrounding it as well as the toy cabinet from panels found in the woodworking classroom. The cabinet door is the school’s old blackboard. Heidi painted a wooden sofa from Tori with leftover kitchen floor paint. The door curtain is Marimekko’s Karkulaiset fabric, and the small ball chair was a five-euro Tori find.

On top of the restored cabinet from Heidi’s childhood home are fun items like an Overboard skateboard and an interactive toy dog. The Batman figure hides an entire Batman cave inside.

This structure was already in the house and now serves as part of 15-year-old Oliver’s domain. The slide and swing are popular with the youngest family members. The sofa is by Eero Aarnio for Martela.

The children’s table offers plenty of room for crafts and drawing. The hot air balloon decoration was a one-euro flea market find.

The large house leaves room for projects and hobbies. Antti has a 25-square-meter space for his Lego collection, while Heidi’s flower room is a haven for her love of houseplants, where Lego flowers also bloom.

Their laid-back lifestyle extends outdoors.

“We have just enough lawn to enjoy and maintain—no perfectly pruned hedges here! We’ve planted hundreds of tulip bulbs and scattered countless mixed flower seeds. The result is a delightful mess.”

Clothes are neatly stored behind thin fabric attached to a wire, so the racks can be hidden behind curtains if needed.

The generously sized double bed accommodates sleepers big and small. Antti and Heidi’s wedding photo was created by Spanish tattoo artist Lola Garcia. The wallpaper is Cole & Son’s Palm Leaves. The lamp is Alvar Aalto’s Beehive, and the bedspread is by Marimekko.

“We call our big greenhouse the party hut, and that’s what the neighbors’ kids call it too. We host birthday parties and other celebrations there,” Heidi shares.

The family's life experienced a major shift from the capital city to the countryside, but stepping off the hamster wheel was worth it.

“The best moments are when we light the wood stove in the morning and the warmth and crackling fill the kitchen. Everyday life is the best time of life.”

Upstairs, there’s a special room for Lego flowers and real plants. Of course, the tropical corner also has a couple of parrots. The wallpaper is Boråstapeter’s Rhubarb.

Heidi hasn’t just fallen for real houseplants; she’s also smitten with Lego flowers, each of which she assembled herself.