“Oh, you live in an amusement park!”—Meet the budget-friendly reclaimed garden that amazes year-round

I wonder what’s new there this year? That’s what Tarja and Kimmo Huhtanen sometimes hear passersby musing. Many slow down and peek through the gaps of a fence crafted from old hay poles. And the yard really is quite a sight—as if an idyllic Christmas village had landed out of the blue in a detached-home neighborhood.

Even though there’s a Santa sitting on a swing hung from a branch of the old spruce, another climbing a rope ladder up the house wall, and lanterns numbering in the dozens, most of the garden’s decorations stay in place year-round. This garden is all about abundant detail—poetic rusticity with a playful flourish.

It all started when Tarja became the caregiver for the youngest child in their blended family of seven kids. Because Tarja and Kasper—who has a developmental disability— were almost always at home, they wanted to make the most of the yard. The 1,200 m² (about 13,000 sq ft) space needed to offer activity, joy, and inspiration for both Kasper and Tarja—and of course for the rest of the family. A second spark came from a barn dismantled from Tarja’s sister’s field; its beautifully silvered logs and boards were headed for firewood. Luckily, Tarja and Kimmo found another use for them.

“Since then, we’ve dismantled four other barns. All the structures in our yard have been built from those reclaimed materials, which has kept the style cohesive,” Tarja says.

The family’s red-brick home, however, was built in 1972 and looks typical of its time.

“I always say the people living here don’t realize they live in a 1970s house,” Tarja laughs, referring to the contrast between the house and the outbuildings.

First, Kimmo built a roofed deck attached to the house. Then came the sauna. And with the sauna came the need for a wood shed. Kasper, who loves restaurant and retail tasks, got his own little café.

“Kasper got a place where he loves to spend time, and I was able to tend to the garden more easily,” Tarja says.

When inspiration strikes, you have to act right away.

“When we started building the sauna, the excavator operator couldn’t come for a week. We couldn’t wait that long, so we dug the sauna’s foundation with shovels.”

Tarja comes up with the projects, and she and Kimmo bring them to life together. Kimmo handles the heavier parts. Working in HVAC, he’s a skilled builder. Unlike Tarja, Kimmo is starting to feel there’s no room left for new pergolas and other constructions.

“Oh, you live in an amusement park!” Kimmo says someone once commented about their yard.

All the structures are decorated imaginatively—but affordably. Tarja has made the most of flea-market finds: metal trays, old baking tins, lace curtains, chandeliers, and old tools. She also finds beauty in everyday objects like cast-iron skillets. One example of her ingenuity is the hefty concrete pillars under the outdoor fires: they’re old sewer pipes Tarja asked to salvage from a street renovation. They pair perfectly with the concrete ornaments in her arrangements, many of which she has made herself.

“Sometimes I see something at a flea market and think I’m sure I’ll need this—and I always do! People who’ve visited the garden sometimes give me things, too. I’ll use them if I find a good spot. It makes me feel good that people have had me in mind.”

The backyard sauna is heated every evening. One of Tarja’s favorite moments is padding from the house to the sauna. In the dark season, strings of lights and candles tucked into lanterns light the path. Even though the walk is only about twenty meters (66 ft), it felt especially important during her caregiving years—almost like leaving work and coming home. Building, decorating, and tending the garden have often given her the breath of fresh air needed in everyday life. In the yard she has felt like herself, Tarja, not just a caregiver. The hobby is something of her own, available simply by opening the back door.

“The yard has been my salvation,” Tarja says.

Last year, at 17, Kasper moved into a supported housing unit. He’s very happy there, but loves coming home to run café-restaurant Kasper. His newest passion is eyeglasses, and he has bought an impressive number of frames from flea markets. When Kasper is at home, anyone who wants can also get an eye test and a reading-glasses fitting at his restaurant.

Tarja loves it when Kasper comes home.

“Kasper is funny and good-natured. He brings so much joy—not just to us! If I go to a flea market without him, people ask me where I’ve left Kasper.”

When you ask Kasper what matters most to him in the yard, he says: everything. One favorite is the hot tub, which sees heavy use even in winter.

“This garden never sleeps,” Tarja laughs.

until the end of November, Tarja holds herself back. Then she starts building Christmas mood with lights and lanterns. By Independence Day, she has dressed the garden for Christmas. For passersby, Tarja creates a Christmas window—or really, an entire cottage.

“I’m such a Christmas person!”

Sometimes passersby ask if they can stop by to have a look inside the fence. Tarja is happy to show them the garden when she has the time. Many visitors have said the place stirs feelings and memories.

“People often say they don’t want to leave. And that’s what we wanted—to create our own world.”

A place you love so much you don’t even long to go elsewhere.