As if fate had brought Mushka to her dream home: “I couldn’t believe my eyes”
As if guided by fate, Mushka found her family’s dream post-war house. Today the home is full of secondhand finds, and bringing each treasure home came with its own joyful story.
Sometimes things simply fall into place, as though they were always meant to. That’s exactly what happened to Mushka Koivuniemi and her family in the summer of 2014.
“We had sold our previous 1980s home just a week before a post-war house came on the market in the popular Toivio neighborhood in Pirkkala. I had always dreamed of an old house with a story behind it,” Mushka says.
The coincidences started right at the open house: for years, Mushka had been keeping a scrapbook of ideas for her future home. Among her favorite wallpapers was one called Ken kiuruista kaunein by the Finnish company Pihlgren & Ritola. Mushka had also purchased a china cabinet at a flea market, even though there was no new home in sight at the time. But what happened when Mushka stepped into the dining room at the open house?
“I couldn’t believe my eyes—there it was, my favorite wallpaper, right beside a china cabinet almost identical to the one I’d bought. That's when I knew this was our home.”
And that wasn’t all. When Mushka’s father, who lived on the same street, learned which house his daughter and her family had viewed, he said, “It’s a good house because carpenter Rantanen built it for himself back in the day.”
“That’s when I also learned that the house had belonged to the grandparents of a dear childhood friend, who also serves as my eldest child’s godmother,” Mushka recalls.
For years, Mushka had longed for the Ken kiuruista kaunein wallpaper by Pihlgren & Ritola. The dining table is made of pear wood, and the chairs are Venetsia as well as from designer Jussi Peippo’s line for Asko. The painting was brought back from Thailand rolled up. The wall cabinet on the left is a flea market find.
The mirror was found at H&M Home.
“Our place has that old-timey spirit. Everyone knows that friends are welcome here without calling ahead.”
Mushka updated an IKEA Ivar cabinet by painting it a deep blue. On top of the cabinet stands a Pentik horse.
The old painting was passed down from Mushka’s maternal grandmother.
The living room and the dining room share one spacious area. Mushka herself has been surprised by how drawn she’s become to different shades of green.
The house had been well maintained, so there was no need for urgent renovations. Apart from repainting surfaces, the biggest changes were a kitchen remodel and a complete overhaul of the basement level seven years after moving in. Smaller tweaks, however, happen regularly.
“I get excited on a whim and want to execute my ideas right away. I’m a chronic Tori online marketplace-hunter and a staunch supporter of recycling. It would be absurd to buy brand-new furniture when you can find used pieces in great condition. I’m a bold experimenter, unafraid of mistakes—even though they rarely happen. I have what would be considered a flashy personality in Finland, and it shows in our home. My Instagram handle is Sisustuksen Sirkusaakkoset ("the Circus ABCs of interior design"), which perfectly sums up my style. Parts of our home are quite traditional, but then something unexpected pops up—just like in a circus!”
Finds from Tori.fi can easily trigger a snowball effect. When I came across a gorgeous mirror cabinet for the entryway, the walls suddenly needed a fresh coat of paint. And once that was done, the old floor no longer looked good enough.
“And in the small bathroom on the main floor, we replaced the faucet and toilet once we found a 30-euro antique cabinet that demanded to be in charge,” Mushka says.
“In the small bathroom on the main floor, we replaced the faucet and toilet once we found a 30-euro antique cabinet that demanded to be in charge.”
When you go hunting for used furniture to furnish your home, you encounter all sorts of interesting situations. Mushka was disappointed to miss out on the perfect display cabinet on Tori.fi for the entryway. But then she discovered that the seller did furniture makeovers for a living and promised to find her something she would love. Eventually, she landed a beauty that had traveled from England to Finland back in 1920. At her request, it was painted orange.
Another time, they set out to pick up a bed for Hilda, only to discover it was actually a pair of beds that had belonged to the twins of the director of the Tampere Paper Mill. The seller insisted the beds stay together, so home they went with two beds instead of one.
Mushka says the home is known among friends as “the Moomin house you don’t lock at night,” just like in the beloved Finnish classics.
““Our place has that old-timey spirit. Everyone knows that friends are welcome here without calling ahead.”
Mushka’s children Hilda, 8, Olavi, 6, and Helka, 5, relax on a comfortable Bellus sofa that, along with the ottoman, was found at Maskun Kalustetalo. The wallpaper, chosen by the previous owner, is Lumme by Pihlgren & Ritola. The retro-style shelf is from Ellos, and the lamp is from IKEA. The glass bottle and the ceiling light are from Vintiikki.
The color of the ottoman is reminiscent of a tuft of bog moss. The original tiled stoves still work and are a valuable source of heat in this otherwise electrically heated home. Glass tea-light holders echo the living room’s color scheme. Mushka spotted the wicker chair on Tori.fi, and she bought the rug from Rugvista.
The light-colored cabinet is from IKEA’s Stockholm series. Above it hangs a wind-up wall clock, a cherished memory from Mushka’s maternal grandmother.
The home is known among friends as “the Moomin house you don’t lock at night.”
The kitchen cabinets are from IKEA. Mushka wanted as few upper cabinets as possible.
They made suitable shelves by cutting IKEA oak countertops lengthwise. The shelf brackets also came from IKEA.
Mushka let her friend, Marika Kivipelto, paint an IKEA Ivar cabinet any way she liked, resulting in a suitably colorful piece. The art installation is called “Good Vibes Only.”
The wood-burning stove is mainly used for heating, although they’ve boiled a few pots of coffee and porridge on it for fun. At other times, the cast-iron surface is a handy spot for displaying pretty dishes.
“The door and side wall leading to the upstairs staircase were removed, making the entire hallway brighter.”
Traditional Finnish post-war homes are often considered maze-like and tricky, with living spaces spread across up to three levels, but Mushka finds theirs bright and spacious. She thinks it’s great that each floor has its own world. The children can play freely upstairs, keeping the main floor tidy when guests are over. You can follow Mushka on Instagram at @sisustuksen_sirkusaakkoset.
After a persistent search, she found a wardrobe from 1910 in just the right size. The floor tile is Paris Mix by Kymppilattia. Mushka got the stool at H&M Home. The wall color is Mentoli by Tikkurila.
The pretty rattan shelf in the entryway was found at the Silinteri flea market in Tampere. An old apothecary bottle makes a suitable vase for decorative grasses. The Ken and Barbie sign is from the Diagnoosi: sisustusmania blog’s sign shop. The shelf also holds a collapsible Aykasa crate. The mirror is from Amanda B.
The door and side wall leading to the upstairs staircase were removed, making the entire hallway brighter. A row of pillars was added for safety on the stairs.
The basement lounge area has a spa-like feel. The parasol is a souvenir from a trip to Bali, and the rattan chairs and small table are from a flea market. The coffee table is from IKEA’s Stockholm line. A daybed made by Finland’s Kiteen Huonekalutehdas serves as the sofa. Mushka purchased the painting ages ago at the Turku Arts Academy, thinking it would be perfect for the basement level. The mirror, decorative leaves, and elongated lampshade were bought from Amanda B. The ceiling light is from Bazar Bizar.
“I’m a chronic Tori-hunter and a firm believer in recycling. It would be absurd to buy brand-new furniture.”
The children’s baby photos hang on the entryway wall. The artwork was created by Marika Kivipelto. The lamp is a Bourgie by Kartell. The flower pot was purchased from Jotex, and the rattan plant stand is from IKEA.
The custom display cabinet was originally a brown English antique. Its semicircular shape gives it a distinctive look.
The headboard in Mushka’s bedroom is painted Flamingo by Tikkurila.
The glass straw lamps were found on Tori.fi. The side tables are from Indiska. Behind the wall is a walk-in closet.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes—there it was, my favorite wallpaper! That’s when I knew this was our home.”
The mural in Helka’s room was painted by Marika, a friend of the family. The Ora vintage stroller and old rocking chair were flea market finds. The climbing holds were bought at Bauhaus, and the wall bars were custom-made. The ceiling light is from IKEA. The colorful pennant banner was found at Tallipiha in Tampere.
The wallpaper in Hilda’s bedroom is from Bauhaus, and the alcove’s side walls were painted a golden color. Hilda’s bed was given to her by Mushka’s friend Pauliina from Turku.
The dinosaurs on the wallpaper are from K-Rauta. The wall shelf is from IKEA. The old bedspread is by Marimekko. The storage unit is a Componibili by Kartell. The rug was crocheted by the children’s grandmother.
The bathroom was updated around a 30-euro cabinet found on Tori. Mushka got the lamps and mirror at IKEA. The sink is by Otsoson. The artworks are by Marika Kivipelto.
This peaceful suburban neighborhood is just a few minutes’ drive from downtown Tampere. Built in 1952, the post-war house got a new look when the roof was repainted, the vertical paneling was replaced with horizontal boards, and the house itself was painted greige. The house has seven rooms, a kitchen, and a sauna, for a total of 186 square meters (2,000 sq ft).
