A summer retreat rooted in memory: Annakaisa named her cottage after 85-year-old Anneli

Annakaisa Kelokorpi remembers her first thought when she stepped into the 1970s round-log cottage. Her eyes were drawn to the red-brick fireplace and the yellowed log walls. She immediately considered painting every surface white.

“Luckily, I listened to Oskari! We’re so glad we kept everything as authentic as possible, because the cottage’s soul would have been lost if we’d painted it.”

Before buying the cottage, Annakaisa and Oskari had a tiny summer cabin in Helsinki’s Lauttasaari district. Over time, they began to wonder if they could find a real cottage farther away for nearly the same price.

Annakaisa and Oskari live in downtown Helsinki and spend plenty of time at the cottage year-round. The cottage’s doors and windows are trimmed with scalloped moldings.

There’s a large terrace next to the summer kitchen, furnished with chairs from Jysk. The tablecloth is actually a Tampella curtain panel—the dimensions fit perfectly. They’ve collected a few retro curtains from flea markets, so spills or bad weather won’t leave the table bare.

When the cottage fever had really taken hold of them, the couple drove to Snappertuna to see a cottage that Annakaisa was ready to buy on the spot. Oskari, however, held her back because it looked like the cottage’s foundation was mostly held together by tape. Still, that trip sparked a love for an area they hadn’t known before.

The next promising cottage in the same area was a couple of kilometers away. They signed the papers on December 22, 2019. Because the cottage is winterized, the new owners spent their first night there as early as February.

Soon after, the pandemic hit and halted the couple’s event-industry jobs. Cottage life began in earnest, because they suddenly had time for renovations.

A corduroy sofa was a must for the main room. Annakaisa admits she’s not great with proportions, so the purchase ended up a bit oversized. “But it became our beloved mothership—the place everyone gathers.”

First, they scored a dark green Bonanza dining set on Tori. The color spoke to Annakaisa so much that she wanted the kitchen cabinets to match the furniture.

The cottage got a new kitchen, and its bold green tone was lifted straight from the dining set. They’re thrilled with the IKEA cabinets. Only real dishes are used at the cottage, so they’ve stocked up on plenty of 1970s—or 1970s-style—tableware.

A period-appropriate shelf with turned brackets was snapped up at a flea market for next to nothing—maybe a euro. It serves as a seasonal display that changes with the time of year. Any ceramics brought to the cottage aim for a 1970s, or at least retro, vibe.

The tiered fruit stand was a gift from a good friend who specializes in “the most unusual” presents—sometimes so bizarre they’re actually brilliant.

The sleeping nook takes up the cottage’s other room. Both sofas unfold into beds. The nightstand is part of the original furnishings.

Before the cottage could be used, it had to be cleared out. It was sold by 85-year-old Anneli, whom Annakaisa and Oskari helped with the process. They visited the cottage together many times, and the new owners heard Anneli’s fascinating stories about the items and the years spent there. Some dishes, furniture, tools, and fishing gear stayed right where they’d always been.

Anneli also revealed her best mushroom patches and berry woods—an invaluable gift. After that, the villa was named in her honor.

When renovating, Annakaisa and Oskari wanted to preserve the look of the era in which the cottage was built. Their city home and previous summer hideout were quite different in style—but now, the cottage became their launchpad for all things retro. Even Annakaisa’s wardrobe changes at the cottage, leaning toward a more romantic, hippie vibe.

“Before this, I had no idea I was a retro person!”

The guest shed, originally a fishing hut, has been spruced up to feel cozy and more romantic than the main cottage. Most of the time, though, the household sleeps there, while guests stay in the main cottage.

Anneli and her late husband Pena built the cottage in the late 1970s. Other cottages peek through the pines, but Annakaisa feels they’re arranged so everyone has privacy. There’s just the right amount of friendly contact.

“Our laid-back, good-humored neighbor Tapsa is one of the best things we gained with the cottage,” Annakaisa says.

They often spend evenings with Tapsa, who is also the couple’s boxer Keijo’s best buddy.

“Keijo is head over heels for Tapsa, Annakaisa laughs. It’s no wonder—Tapsa tirelessly plays with him using a broom handle and spoils him with treats.”

At the cottage, three long walks with Keijo are part of each day’s routine.

“Keijo is the light of our lives,” says Annakaisa smiling.

The terrace’s roof panels were replaced, but the cottage’s roof renovation is still pending. The dream is to glaze the terrace for extra living space.

In the summer kitchen, they tore out the crumbling cabinets, which had been built with heavy stone slabs. “It took pure rage-energy to remove them,” Annakaisa says. They repurposed the slabs in other parts of the yard.

A collection of baskets hangs on the lattice wall of the summer kitchen. They’re used for gathering forest treasures or carrying food from the cottage to the terrace.

The summer kitchen has a washing station. Annakaisa finds dishwashing by hand almost therapeutic. The weatherproof metal cabinet is from IKEA.

The farmhouse table set was left behind by the original owners.

Oskari picked yellow flowers for the window boxes that came with the cottage.

The wild landscape suits the cottage lifestyle perfectly. “I love flowers, but comfort comes first here—no deadheading,” Annakaisa says.

Although the cottage is on dry land, the sea isn’t far: just a five-minute walk to the nearest shore. There’s also a golf course nearby where Oskari loves to play. Annakaisa often heads to the mini-golf course with her grandson Taavi or with friends. Their adult sons also enjoy cottage life.

In good weather, the couple busies themselves outside, or if it’s really hot, Annakaisa barricades herself on the terrace with a book and only emerges to cool off in the cold-water tub.

Their first years at the cottage were spent renovating and making the place their own.

“This summer, we’ve finally learned to slow down a bit,” Annakaisa says.

Oskari and Annakaisa almost always have some project going on, but when they don’t, they allow plenty of time for relaxing and cooking. Sometimes they paint canvases together, and guests are welcome to unleash their creativity too. There’s usually a game or two happening, since the cottage is well-stocked with board games.

Sometimes Villa Anneli even becomes a dance floor, complete with disco ball, where they groove until the small hours.

“Probably everyone says their sauna has the best steam in the world. Well, ours does too,” Annakaisa says. Even Keijo joins in—though only from the middle bench.

Lovely wool socks are available for both the household and guests. Annakaisa saw sunflower-sock instructions in a craft magazine, but since she can’t knit, she found talented makers on social media.

Stacks of vintage suitcases are a delight to look at and serve as storage. The old trunk even houses the vacuum cleaner.

Small glass vases decorate the sauna’s exterior wall, filled with heather, evergreens, flowers, or twigs.

A weatherproof sofa set lets them lounge outdoors too. A 1970s tablecloth on the coffee table keeps the look from feeling too modern.

Steal the best cottage ideas!

You can also hang mosquito coils from a hook above the table. Because it has its own holder, ashes from the burning disk won’t fall onto the table. The metal stand also makes burning coils safer.

The disco ball, a flea-market find, hangs from the porch ceiling. It comes into play whenever “Club Anneli” starts up—then it’s hip-hop and dancing.

Popcorn is growing in the pot. They spread a thin layer of soil in a large outdoor planter, scattered kernels from a store-bought popping-corn bag, and added another layer of soil on top.

Annakaisa has fallen for winter swimming. Oskari converted a chest freezer into a cold-water tub, where the water stays liquid—but appealingly slushy.

A hollow on top of the rock used to have grass that stayed wet. They power-washed the rock, so now you can walk from the cold-water tub with clean feet.

Kitchen knives stay lined up in a stand made from books tied together with jute string. Choose books that match your kitchen’s color scheme.