Eetu and Betina are thrilled with their successful renovation. The striking paneling in the dining area was made with thin hardboard and moldings. The blue floral wallpaper is Duro’s ‘Hudiksvalls Teater’. The original pattern hails from the Hudiksvall Theater, Sweden.
Boråstapeter’s ‘Hip Rose’ wallpaper sets the mood in the living room. The sofa and armchair were found secondhand, while the wooden coffee table was built by Betina’s second cousin. The couple got the velvet-upholstered ottoman from Eetu’s mother.
This bookshelf holds a collection of memories and beautiful items. The hippo is from the time the couple spent in South Africa. For home audio, they have a Marshall Bluetooth speaker.
Home: A house built in 1908 in Turku, Finland. 5 rooms + kitchen + upstairs hallway + entrance + porch + 2 bathrooms + sauna, basement floor, 174 m².
Living here: Betina Andersson and Eetu Kielo with their children Louisa and Julian.
Eetu Kielo sits at the kitchen island with a cup of coffee in front of him. His partner Betina Andersson loads the lunch dishes into the dishwasher and pours coffee into her own mug. The short break in the middle of their remote workday will soon be over. Everything is just right in this Turku idyll.
The Kielo-Andersson family of four lives in a log house built in 1908, only 1.5 kilometers from the Turku central market square. The lovely house stands on a slope surrounded by lilac bushes. The neighborhood is densely built. The plot is small and full of character, just as is typical in this part of the city, which is known for its wooden houses. The outbuildings seem to intersect along the plot edges, side by side and back walls touching.
“We were looking for a house in a good location, and we fell in love with this area. We saw the potential in this house, even though it needed a major renovation,” Eetu says, and continues:
“Originally, this house had seven small apartments across three floors. Now, the four of us live here on two floors. The basement is still under renovation.”
The 1980s pine-door kitchen cabinets that came with the house now have new life on the back wall of the dining room. The table is from Asko. Eetu and Betina found the ‘Kilta’ chairs on an online marketplace. The coffee pot is a souvenir from London. The walls are decorated with old maps that suit the home’s atmosphere.
Walking iris and Chinese money plant are easy and carefree houseplants. Betina describes herself as an enthusiastic gardener. She also loves different varieties of monstera.
The kitchen has remained in its original location. The space in front of the kitchen window is perfect for geraniums. The tall cabinets were placed in one row next to the entrance door. Unpacking groceries into the fridge is easy, thanks to the spacious island.
The old dresser is part of the house’s original decor. The couple found it in the basement, but it has now been brought into the spotlight in the kitchen. The wooden cutting board leaning against the wall was handmade in Åland.
Underfoot, there are robust floorboards. The walls feature paneling and patterned wallpaper that perfectly suits the ambiance of this early 1900s house.
“The house looked very different when we came to see it in May 2021,” Eetu recalls.
If the couple had to describe the house’s former style briefly, it would be 1980s.
“We were pretty confident, even in the face of such an extensive renovation. In hindsight, it has required more sweat and money than we imagined back then,” Eetu notes.
This wood-burning stove by Turun Kaakelitehdas was installed in the 1950s, and the pattern on its tiles resembles the one on the wood stove in the kitchen. The wicker chair is on loan. Betina decorated the living room walls with wainscoting, which she made from moldings and lining paper.
The bathroom was completely redone. The sink cabinet and sink are from Ikea, and the faucet is from Oras. The floor features pink tiles from Pukkila’s Natura collection.
The bedroom exudes a calm atmosphere.
The upstairs landing is a place to relax in. The armchair is from Ikea, and the reading lamp is from Asko. The walls sport Sandberg’s ‘Liljekonvalj’ wallpaper. The framed piece with a dark background is a section of Boråstapeter’s ‘Ingrid Marie’ wallpaper. Betina reupholstered an old ottoman from her mother with a floral fabric.
Boråstapeter’s ‘Dahlia Garden’ wallpaper brightens up the children’s room. Betina has painted the old pine dressers gray.
The crocheted blanket was made by Eetu’s grandmother, and the frog cushion was made by Betina’s grandmother.
The elderly gentleman selling the house was particular about the plans of potential buyers, given it was his family home.
“In the end, he felt I could handle the repair work. He trusted us with the house,” Eetu says.
The nine-month renovation of the main and attic floors got Eetu and Betina to use everything from crowbars and paintbrushes to putty knives.
“I’ve calculated that repairing the old windows alone has taken a total of 250 hours,” Eetu says.
The three-year undertaking is now nearly complete. The couple has finally been able to sit on the sofa and think about smaller décor decisions beyond wallpaper and lining paper.
The upper floor is accessible from the hallway. The staircase was originally on the outside of the house. There is additional space for outerwear on the porch. The floral wallpaper is Boråstapeter’s ‘Hip Rose’.
“This neighborhood has a really nice communal feel. There’s children in almost every house here now. The area has gone through a generational shift in just a few years,” Betina says.
