Grandma-style weekends at a log retreat: young couple’s cozy home in a former general store
In their early twenties, Finns Emilia and Iisakki found a home in an old log house on a small village’s main road. The building once housed a general store. “It’s pretty here, and we have our own peace,” Emilia says.
When you light a fire in the large baking oven, the loveliest moment is when you start to hear a gentle tinkling from the flames. In an old log house, fireplaces are key for creating ambiance but are also crucial for heating. It’s quite pleasant in their warmth. Emilia Ala-Mononen, Iisakki Toimela and their dog Appa are living their dream in the countryside of Sastamala in the Pirkanmaa region of Finland.
Home: A log house completed in 1938 and expanded in the 1950s in Sastamala, with 4 rooms + kitchen + cellar, 125 m² (about 1,345 ft²), plus an outbuilding.
Living here: Emilia Ala-Mononen, 28, Iisakki Toimela, 25, and their Alaskan Malamute, Appa.
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Emilia and Iisakki also use the wood-fired stove and baking oven for cooking. They slip a casserole into the oven in the evening, so it’s ready the next day. Iisakki has also learned to bake rye bread and a local specialty from his home region of Satakunta called ohrakakko. It requires skill to time the dough rising with the right oven temperature.
“I’ve got the heating down, but the dough is harder to handle. I’m better with rough tasks,” Iisakki says.
“Maybe we should make the dough together,” Emilia suggests.
Renovation started with the kitchen. The couple couldn’t bring themselves to open up the floor, because it still had the old, beautiful planks intact.
All of the young couple’s friends still live in apartments, so they come to Sastamala for “country weekends.” They’re served homemade juice, and porridge for breakfast.
“A childhood friend said it feels like being at grandma’s here,” Iisakki says.
Iisakki would have liked to add a rocking chair and a grandfather clock to enhance the ambiance. Since Emilia is a light sleeper, she can’t handle the chiming of a clock, and there’s no place for a rocking chair yet. Fortunately, there’s still plenty of laid-back atmosphere.
The couple discovered the house in 2022. Both were still studying in Rovaniemi—Emilia interior and textile design, and Iisakki audiovisual media culture—and they weren’t planning on moving, but then they came across the house on Facebook. Emilia sent her father to check it out. He said the house had a winding layout and lots of doors, but the couple should definitely make the over 700 km trip to see it— that’s about 435 miles.
“We already thought while living in Rovaniemi and driving past Sastamala on the way to my parents that this would be a nice place to live. It’s pretty here, and we have our own peace,” Emilia says.
A couple of days later, they traveled to see the house and bought it without an inspection. It was exactly the kind of home they wanted.
Life in an old house in the countryside hasn’t caught them by surprise.
“We didn’t have an overly romanticized view,” Emilia says.
They’ve both started finding work. Iisakki runs his own advertising agency, and alongside her master’s studies, Emilia teaches after-school clubs for kids.
“Maybe there would be more work in big cities, but here it’s easier to network once you get your foot in the door,” Iisakki explains.
The couple has decided that renovations happen in the summer and early fall, and winters are for resting. At some point in the near future, they may even take a break from renovating altogether.
Emilia’s father has been very involved in the renovation. Among other things, he’s responsible for all the trim work. Emilia’s mother, meanwhile, is itching to sand and paint the interior doors, but Emilia feels they have just the right amount of roughness. A few old windows remain in the house, and her mother has helped restore them.
“Once you’ve learned the tasks, it’s nice to do them yourself. You get the feeling you know what you’re doing.”Emilia
When they bought the house, Emilia had more experience in surface finishing than Iisakki, but he’s wanted to learn things like building floors and ceiling structures with his father-in-law.
“After you learn the ropes, it’s fun to do it yourself. You feel like you can handle it,” Emilia says.
Renovating the house is a big joint effort. On top of that, they each always have their own projects going. Iisakki takes photos and makes music, while Emilia knits and tends a greenhouse in the summer. Then they get back to hosting friend weekends in that grandma’s place spirit.
