Inside the idyllic archipelago cottage of Dancing with the Stars’ instructors: “We want to preserve the atmosphere of the old house”

Jutta Helenius bustles about in the spacious, bright kitchen, baking her specialty: lemon cake. “I also enjoy baking savory pies and cooking meals. We love entertaining guests,” Jutta says.

In the summer, the Heleniuses serve smoked fish and new potatoes at their cottage; on cooler days, they prepare pasta dishes.

Jutta and Sami discovered the house almost by chance. When it was on sale for the second time, a friend tipped them off—the Heleniuses had been searching for a cottage for a year. It was love at first sight.

“At first, we were looking for something more cottage-like, but when we stepped into this house, we looked at each other and knew it was the one. And then everything just fell into place.”

Their second home is an approximately 80-square-meter house in Kemiönsaari, built in 1910 and later expanded.

Under the shade of apple trees, there is a cozy spot for having coffee and relaxing. The apple trees, lilacs, and old perennials that bloom throughout the summer also surround the entrance to the vacation home. Competitive dancers, dance instructors, and Dancing with the Stars coaches Sami and Jutta Helenius spend a lot of time outdoors when the weather is good.

The challenging COVID era awakened in the dancer-dance instructor couple a longing for a vacation home that was easily accessible from their Helsinki residence and where they could also do some remote work running their own company.

“Of course, the physical work inherent in this profession can’t really be done remotely,” Jutta says with a laugh.

The house was probably built around 1910, although no documents regarding it have been found. The building was expanded in the 1940s, and now it has two floors and is connected to municipal utility services.

The house is heated partly by electricity and partly by wood. In the kitchen, in addition to the electric stove, there’s an old wood-burning stove, which mainly serves as a heat source in winter. After all, the house is used year-round.

In the autumn chill, the Heleniuses first light the fireplace to warm the house. It’s nice to sit by the fire as evening falls. Wool socks received as gifts come in handy on the cool floors.

A large group of friends can fit around the spacious table. The tabletop is an old door protected by thick glass. The table got its current form thanks to a handy friend of Sami and Jutta.

In the kitchen, the couple enjoy leisurely breakfasts together. The kitchen is largely Jutta’s domain, as she is an enthusiastic baker and cook. Sami helps out and serves as a wine taster, among other things.

The wood stove in the kitchen provides warmth to the house in winter.

Sami isn’t particularly a kitchen person but has discovered his inner handyman in the house.

“I’ve become enthusiastic about renovating; it’s really fun. Now I have my first-ever screwdriver-drill and circular saw,” he says, smiling.

The tools have already been put to use. Among other things, Sami and his friend renovated a summer room upstairs.

“Except for the floor, we removed almost the entire interior, which smelled a bit musty. We insulated the ceiling and walls with a five-centimeter layer of eco-wool.”

With the help of his friend, Sami renovated the summer room, which now serves as a guest room. Most of the rag rugs are from the previous resident, and there are many of them throughout the house.

Jutta enjoys being surrounded by art, beautiful objects, and textiles.

Sami’s workshop is an outbuilding that used to be a chicken coop. In the past, the property’s outbuildings housed not only chickens but also a horse and pigs.

The house has its history, parts of which the Heleniuses aren’t yet familiar with.

“The house was owned by the late and, to us, unknown Sylvi for a long time. She lived here with her family almost her entire life. We don’t yet know much about her or the house’s past, but Sylvi’s daughter has promised to come by sometime to tell us the whole history.”

In 2012, the house was transferred from Sylvi’s family to a new owner who renovated extensively, removing, for example, the vinyl floors. The revealed plank floors have been painted a beautiful gray. Some wall surfaces were also renewed and wallpapered in calming tones. The house was move-in ready for the Heleniuses.

“We want to preserve the atmosphere of the old house. The previous owner left many items we liked, such as lamps, rag rugs, and curtains. One of the treasures is Sylvi’s old sideboard, which has apparently always been in the house,” Jutta says.

The Heleniuses have old heirloom furniture in their Helsinki home as well, and they had already acquired all sorts of beautiful things with the cottage in mind. All items have now found their places.

“In the bedroom, there are pieces of furniture inherited by Sami’s mother from her aunt and uncle. The pride of the living room is Sami’s grandmother’s old rocking chair,” Jutta shares.

The living room rocking chair is inherited from Sami’s grandmother. The plank floors revealed under the vinyl flooring have been given a beautiful gray hue.

An old china cabinet serves as the kitchen island, providing ample workspace and counter space.

Dark clouds move aside in the sky, and the beautiful red log house glows under the apple-laden trees.

The house is surrounded by an almost 4,000-square-meter garden with apple trees, currant and gooseberry bushes, abundantly blooming lilacs, and perennials. Jutta says there’s always something blooming in the garden. So far, she has been trying to identify and preserve the old perennials, with help from a friend who is a biology teacher.

“Perhaps next summer we’ll establish a vegetable garden. Working in the garden is a pleasant counterbalance to work,” Jutta says.

She has collected apples by the basketful, and the currants have also been preserved.

“I’ve made bottles of currant juice using my Karelian grandmother’s recipe.”

The Heleniuses love old items that have a story.

The masonry stove in the bedroom is a vibrant red. The ancient chair serving as a nightstand is from the previous occupant.

Sami has taken on carpentry duties and other maintenance tasks, as well as heating the sauna.

“I’ve only done some light carpentry so far, like building a dartboard stand and some storage shelves,” Sami says.

When the weather is nice, the couple spends a lot of time outdoors. Under the apple trees is a spot for coffee, furnished with chairs, a table, and a wooden sofa. For comfort, there are colorful cushions and throw blankets, which are also a delight to the eye.

On the ground floor, there are the living room, kitchen, and a large bedroom, as well as a bathroom, toilet, and sauna. Upstairs is the summer room that serves as a guest room and a lounge area that is yet to be built. However, even now, you can comfortably spend time there during the summer, listening to the calming patter of rain.

“I’ve set up a little reading nook there with chairs and bookshelves. There’s also a hammock where I sometimes half-force Sami to relax. He always wants to be doing something, but I’ve almost insisted that there needs to be at least one restful hammock day at the cottage,” Jutta says, laughing.

The unfinished half of the attic is a great place to rest during summer heatwaves. Jutta loves to read and urges Sami to enjoy a hammock day, too.

The lounge area stays cool even during summer heat waves. On cloudy days and especially in autumn, the attic is cool enough that the many wool socks the couple have received as presents are in frequent use.

“Unfortunately, I’m not a craftsperson myself, even though I do appreciate art, beautiful objects, and textiles,” Jutta shares.

The Heleniuses have a habit of taking long evening walks, which in the summer are frequently interrupted as Jutta dives into the roadside ditches. She loves to gather bouquets of wildflowers to decorate the house with.

Jutta has collected apples by the basket and preserved them for the winter.

The competitive dancers, dance instructors, and Dancing with the Stars coaches also work partly from their second home in addition to doing cottage work.

In addition to their walks, the Heleniuses love to go swimming. The sea and especially a sandy beach they’ve found are a bit of a distance away, so they usually drive there.

Amidst all the possibilities, however, their greatest joy is the peace and quiet the house offers.

“It’s nice to work on different things around here, but we don’t have to do anything,” Jutta describes.