Inside Kirsi’s ever-shifting home—“The furniture shuffle is set in motion by each new flea market find”

Furniture and decorations get to flirt for a moment, but you won’t see any eternal romances here. This phrase on Kirsi Tuomela’s Instagram feed perfectly sums up her approach to interior styling. She’s driven by variety and a desire to beautify her surroundings.

Kirsi calls rearranging furniture her favorite pastime. Sometimes she’s hit by a “time to clear out” mood, which blows through her home like a decluttering storm. Then she’s ready to scout for new finds again. Here she is holding Kukka the cat.

Butterflies are among the few decorative elements Kirsi has loved for a long time. She found those butterfly frames at flea markets years ago. The vanity table was a twenty-euro discovery at a recycling center.

Kirsi loves shifting the knickknacks on her bookshelf from one spot to another. The black-and-white cross-stitch piece was a one-euro flea market bargain. A friend sold her the leather armchair for ten euros, the ottoman came from a recycling center, and she found the map for eight euros at a Red Cross thrift store.

“Even when I was a little girl, I rearranged the items in our family bookcase, since my mother wasn’t that interested in decorating. As a teenager, redecorating was practically a way of life—and it still is.

When we moved into our current apartment, it was still in its original state. With help from relatives, we did a complete renovation by updating all the surfaces and opening up the kitchen. Since then, I’ve painted and wallpapered each room myself to refresh their look. I always make changes on a small budget and only use secondhand finds. There are many reasons for that.

A bright yellow retro wallpaper from a friend first brought the color to the entryway, and from there it gradually spread to the living room rug, sofa, and curtains. She found the 1960s sofa on a Facebook flea market. The post promised it free to the first caller.

A pillow made from a T-shirt has been out on display nearly three years, which is a record in this home. It’s one of Kirsi’s favorite items, since the girl pictured reminds her of Sonja when she was small.

Kirsi found the Brigitte Bardot print at a nearby thrift shop. She was drawn to the ballet dancer piece for its unusual proportions and intriguing imperfection. The yellow floor vase had been calling her name at the flea market for quite a while before she finally gave in.

My main motivation is eco-friendliness. I don’t want to use up natural resources just so something brand new can be made specifically for me when there are already so many items out there.

Second, older furniture is often sturdier than newer pieces, built to last decades.

Third, I love one-of-a-kind finds. If there are twenty or a hundred identical items, it doesn’t spark my interest. My energy revs up when I see something with real personality at the right price. I’m thrifty—a flea market find truly has to be a deal before I’ll bring it home. The best discoveries take some effort. You have to check thrift shops multiple times a week if you want to catch that perfect moment.

A 1960s designer serving cart turned into a display for vases once those hefty East German pieces joined the ride. Kirsi loves their endearingly clunky style, which is far from prim.

Kirsi built her own “String” shelf in the kitchen using salvaged shoe rack side rails and 70-year-old floor planks from her brother-in-law’s family home.

Kirsi visited a home improvement thrift store for plywood, but instead came home with a Yki Nummi–designed light fixture.

Decorating isn’t just for indulging my aesthetic taste—it’s also how I deal with difficult experiences. In recent years, I’ve faced deep sorrow and survived a serious illness, and moving forward hasn’t always been easy.

When I have decisions weighing on me, I work through them best by shifting things around and redecorating at the same time.

I decorate just for my family, not to please anyone else. My favorite pieces come from the 1960s and ’70s. Decorating is fun, maybe even a bit naive, but it’s not too serious. I want our home to radiate a relaxed, cheerful vibe. No stiff formality here.

Kirsi refashioned her headboard from an old travel cot and a bamboo curtain. She decided on the cactus wallpaper in about ten seconds when she spotted it at the home improvement thrift shop. The nightstand is a vintage Merivaara hospital bedside table she found on the Tori marketplace.

Kirsi fell for the fabric mandala when Sonja wanted to order one for herself. Naturally, they ordered two.

A friend spotted a gold-colored Dior stand at an eyeware store going out of business and, of course, brought it to Kirsi.

We also give “grandma-style” items a chance. You just have to think outside the box. It’s surprising how fantastic those 1970s string art pieces look when they’re grouped and the colors match.

The furniture shuffle usually starts when I stumble upon a new flea market find or get a sudden idea—bam. My total number of possessions stays the same. I like to keep our home airy so that pretty things can really stand out.”

Kirsi fell for a pretty bag at the thrift store. She accidentally kicked it and was thrilled to discover a sewing machine inside. This adorable Singer now helps her overcome her aversion to sewing.

The glazed balcony gets plenty of use in the summer. Kirsi naps on the old spring bed, and Sonja often sleeps there at night. Kukka the cat practically lives in this glass room. The pillows were sewn from vintage fabric, and the old lamp shade was updated with chalk paint.

See more photos on Kirsi’s Instagram account: @taaoistankoti