Pasi objected, but Elina stood her ground and bought a mini cottage—now the 12-square-meter cabin is the entire family’s paradise

The Kivinokka summer cabin area might be one of the best-kept secrets in Helsinki. Surprisingly few locals have even visited this recreational spot, where the first cabins were built back in the 1940s. Kivinokka has around 600 tiny cabins scattered randomly through the forest and along the shore of bay Vanhankaupunginlahti. The original drawings for the summer cabins were made by city architect Hilding Ekelund.

Although Elina Henttonen lives in Kulosaari, just a kilometer and a half away, before the pandemic, she too had never visited Kivinokka, thinking it was quite remote from everything.

“Having my own summer cottage was never a dream of mine. I have fond memories of childhood summer trips to our cottage, but later I found the idea of cottage life a bit too middle-aged.

During the pandemic, trips abroad and cultural outings were off the table. In 2020, we were invited to spend Midsummer at a friend’s family’s cabin in Kivinokka. That was the first time I noticed how charming the cabins look, how beautifully the birds sing, and how time seems to stand still.

I realized that a cabin in Kivinokka would be perfect for our family. We don’t have a car, but it’s only a 20-minute walk from our home. The cabins aren’t prohibitively expensive, and something that’s only a bit bigger than a playhouse doesn’t need a ton of upkeep. I could already see our idyllic family summers in my mind!

So I jumped into action. I immediately started researching how to get a summer cabin. I found three that were for sale and went to see them. My spouse, Pasi, was adamantly against the idea. He refused to come along for the viewings. On my second visit to this cabin, he grudgingly came with me and barely peeked inside from the doorway, wrinkling his nose.

When I told him I intended to buy the summer cabin, he declared he would never set foot in it. ‘You can go there with someone else,’ he grumbled.

Alright, I thought. I wasn’t going to let my spouse’s negativity discourage me, so I went ahead and bought the summer cabin on my own.

It took two weeks from the birth of the dream to the purchase decision, and I got the keys that same summer. The cabin was sold with all its furnishings, so I began by sorting through things and reorganizing. The kitchen was impractical and didn’t have any storage space, but with a few smart cabinets and drawers, there’s now room for everything. It’s lovely to cook by the big windows.

I favor recycling. I kept a shopping list on my phone for flea market visits, which made it easy to find kitchen utensils and other small items at minimal cost.

Furniture had to be measured to the millimeter to fit everything in the cabin, so I couldn’t find everything secondhand. Still, I kept my budget small for new purchases as well—there’s no point bringing anything too valuable to a cold cabin. I favor natural materials like solid wood, jute, linen, and rattan. Plastic or MDF won’t enter this cabin—except in the form of Crocs.

Kivinokka is nothing short of a nature paradise. I’ve seen five badgers at sunset, a family of curious weasels, and even a white-tailed eagle soaring overhead. I see roe deer almost every time. Once, some bold bucks nearly speared me with their antlers while I was quietly sitting on the garden swing. Just past my cabin lies a nature reserve and an old, untouched forest.

A nature trail winds through the forest, leading to a bird-watching tower at Vanhankaupunginlahti. You can hardly believe you’re in the middle of the capital.

And how does my spouse Pasi feel about cabin life nowadays? He starts dreaming of Kivinokka when it is still winter. Last summer, he spent more time here than I did. He’s never still; he always has a hammer, axe, rake, grill tongs, or guitar in hand.

He hasn’t yet agreed to stay overnight, though. But our eight-year-old daughter Matilda has promised to stay the night at the cabin, with a little toy-related bribery.”