Wooden house with neon-yellow ceilings and a scallop door frame: “To me, white isn’t even a color”
Finland-based Olya Tsikhanchuk renovated her home boldly with her favorite colors. She bought all the paints at once and finished the renovation in a month.
Home: Built in 1940, a single-family house with living room + kitchen + entrance hall + workroom + utility room + 3 bedrooms and a bathroom, 119 m² (about 1,280 ft²).
Who lives here: Graphic designer and illustrator Olya Tsikhanchuk and her son Alfred as well as the family dog Lumi.
Follow on social media: @olyatikh
They say small is beautiful, and the tiny Finnish town of Uusikaarlepyy is living proof of that. Olya Tsikhanchuk zips home from her downtown studio by bike in just a couple of minutes. In winter, Olya says she’s like a bear, happily settling into her colorful den.
“It’s nice to wake up in my bedroom.The morning sun doesn’t shine directly in, but the room is wonderfully bright. Downstairs, the sun streams into the kitchen. I brew coffee and stroll onto the porch. The best spot for morning coffee is on the steps at the front of the house.”
“This house was listed online one Friday in August. I went to see it on Wednesday, and made an offer on Thursday.”
I bought the house in 2021. The yard is my next project. I dream of having a greenhouse, but it’s not time for that yet. Now my 9-year-old son Alfred gets to play soccer in the yard with his friends in peace, and I don’t have to worry about the greenhouse.
I’m quick to make decisions when I see something I truly want and need. I had been searching for a new home in Uusikaarlepyy for a year. As a foreigner, I was, and partly still am, unaware of what people value in a house. I was looking for an old log house. This one went online on a Friday in August. I viewed it on Wednesday and made an offer on Thursday.
A lot of puzzle pieces clicked into place with this house. It’s just the right size—neither too big nor too small. The price worked with my budget, and it was the right age and condition. I could easily envision making it nice with just a surface renovation.
“White is like an invitation: do something with me.”
I’ve been living here in this house for four years now. I still think it looks really fresh. I haven’t grown tired of any of my decisions.
In the beginning, the interior was like a blank canvas, with a lot of white and cool gray. To me, white isn’t even a color. Even black has more character. White is like an invitation: do something with me.
I brought the colors of my birthplace, Belarus, into the house. I grew up in the former Eastern Bloc, where influences mainly came from the Soviet Union. In my own home, it shows up as plenty of color.
I finished the surface renovation in a month. One evening, I put together mood boards for every room. I decided to wallpaper the walls that were already papered and paint the rest. The next week, I went to Wargendal, our local paint and wallpaper store, to show my plans to owner Elisabeth. She suggested I start by buying paint for just one room—hardly anyone purchases bright yellow ceiling paint. But I went ahead and bought them all at once.
Now, whenever I visit, Elisabeth pulls a Pantone color chart from under the counter, mainly for my sake.
“Personality is born from not trying to follow trends. I don’t confine myself to any box.”
As a decorator, I’m not a minimalist, nor am I a traditionalist. I decorate with things I like. Personality develops when you’re not trying to follow trends. I don’t put myself in a box.
The only additional changes I plan are painting the kitchen cabinet doors and remodeling the bathroom. I’m glad I didn’t immediately add a door from the kitchen to the yard. I pictured sitting out on a kitchen terrace in the evenings with friends, but it turns out the spot is shady. So I built a separate terrace away from the house. I also have the foundation ready there. Someday, the terrace will have a greenhouse as its companion.
