A fire destroyed Leena’s family home: she built a new safe haven with almost zero budget

One winter day a few years ago, Leena Renko and her five children had just moved into their new home when it caught fire. Leena had unpacked the moving truck and set her beloved furniture in place. The next day, the entire home was destroyed. She only managed to save an old bench bed, and even it was charred.

Leena’s paternal great-grandmother’s loom now has its own little room. Her great-grandmother used to weave scarves and cloths from silk yarn. Leena weaves for her own enjoyment, and the children also know how to use the loom.

What did the fire teach you, Leena?

I have always loved beautiful objects. The fire taught me in a harsh way that you can’t take them with you in the end. People rave about how wonderful it is to start with a completely clean slate. We did just that, but there was nothing wonderful about it.

I no longer become attached to possessions, even though I love decorating my home beautifully. The most important thing is that every family member is alive and well.

The kitchen came together by combining cabinets from the house’s four different kitchens. The table is from her grandmother. Leena found the chairs were found online when she was searching for something similar to the ones she lost. The old rubber toys on the small shelf are a reminder of the previous collection that was destroyed in the fire. The pot lids and metal trays were either salvaged or bought for a small sum at flea markets.

There’s great joy in having a small wood-burning stove on cold winter days. The metal trays were salvaged from a dumpster. The pretty pot holders and oven mitts came from flea markets for just a few cents.

You’re decorating your new home with almost no budget. How do you manage that?

I make affordable finds at flea markets. I’m especially proud of the big table in the main room: I built it myself from old floor planks and the legs of another table. I picked up chairs from here and there; one was even nailed to the wall of a woodshed. The faux leather chairs almost ended up at a landfill—they just needed a good cleaning. I built the cupboards myself, following an old design I found in the house.

We usually come back from trips with our van full of finds we pick up along the way. Retro items are my favorites. I love their colors and design language. The older the textiles and furniture, the better their quality.

The handmade table is a source of pride for Leena. She assembled it from old floor planks and extended the legs of an old table to make them longer. The chairs were gathered from various sources. The faux leather chairs were found in the trash.

This stunning rose-patterned tapestry is a flea market find. There are also matryoshka dolls in the home, because Leena is fascinated by Slavic illustration styles. There have been many remarkable illustrators and designers in the former Soviet Union whose work she admires.

You also got your house at a bargain. Tell us the story!

I nearly became known as the village eccentric while searching for a home for my brood. I wanted an old-fashioned house in the countryside, so I went around knocking on doors and asking about vacant houses in yards. Eventually, I found a house that had been empty for about 20 years and once had four apartments.

The yard was overgrown with stinging nettles up to my armpits, and the house was in terrible shape. There was half a meter of water in the basement, and I found the sauna roof floating around there. The entire building was somewhat askew. Because the price was basically just for the land, I decided to take the risk and buy it. The location was good: it’s a short distance from the school and the children’s grandparents.

The bed was picked up for free on a trip to Helsinki. Leena sanded and painted it. The textiles were found at a flea market, and the mirror came from the attic of her childhood home’s granary. In the evenings, Leena loves seeing how it reflects the old paneling on the ceiling and catches the colors of the setting sun.

What kind of renovations did you do in the house?

All the old material under the house was dug out, and a new foundation was built. During the work, the house was supported in the air one wall at a time. The electrical and water systems were replaced. The roof and log frame were intact. I knew the end result would turn out good.

I tore out the old floor and the kitchens in the house. The fireplaces had to be replaced. Little by little, I’ve been putting up wallpaper and painting. There are 256 window panes in the house. I scrape and paint them, and replace the broken ones with new old glass. I’m already past the halfway mark: only about twenty large panes and ten small ones are left.

Aatos’s lovely old bed was an affordable second hand find. The family’s youngest children, Aatos and Meimi, are sitting on it. The paintings were created by Leena’s mother.

Nikolai’s sleep is watched over by his important cuddly friends in the cubby shelf. The elephant, which is his most treasured possession, was saved from the fire because it had been left in the car after a sleepover. The rainbow fabric is a flea market find.

Leena sewed the frequently used teepee from gifted textiles and pieces found at flea markets. The oblong pillow features her own “Ystävä” (“Friend”) pattern. The doll was rescued from a dumpster. Leena washed it and sewed an outfit for it from her “Universumi” (“Universe”) design.

You found marks left by the previous residents. What were they like?

Mainly empty wine bottles, but in the attic space I found the entire life story of a lonely woman in a nutshell: a dress, strappy shoes, four coffee cups, flour, salt, and heart medication. From under the floor, I discovered a woman’s school notebooks from 1948. I did a bit of detective work, tracked her down, and sent the keepsakes to her.

Leena’s family includes the children Nikolai, 11, Ilja, 9, Miska, 7, Meimi, 5, and Aatos, 3, as well as the cats Pikku-Killi and Tonttu, plus seven bunnies.

The house is gradually regaining its former glory. It has been through a lot since Kirmanen, an evacuee, bought it at an auction in the 1950s.