A storybook Christmas in Lönneberga

In Fiskars, a historic steward’s house brings Charlotta’s children and grandchildren together for Christmas: “The tree’s twinkle is visible all through the home”

Interior designer Charlotta Savander has renovated the family’s old house, blending Scandi style and antiques. The Christmas decorations are thoughtfully black, beige, and white.

Author Jonna Kivilahti

Images Krista Keltanen

December 15, 2025Lue suomeksi

“I dream of building a lakeside sauna by the shore and an orangery elsewhere on the property. I’ve already picked the spots for both,” Charlotta says.

In the 1990s, Charlotta’s parents added a glass veranda on the lake side, which now serves as the living room. That’s also where the tree goes. The sofa is Rex by Interface. The coffee table is Solid by Normann Copenhagen, and the rug is from Mattocenter.

The tree’s place is on the glass veranda, where it’s visible throughout the house. Charlotta always chooses a real tree. The ornaments are deliberately black, beige, and white.

The fireplace is the centerpiece of the parlor. Charlotta chose armchairs with sheepskin upholstery from Conform’s collection. The rug is from Mattocenter.

Upstairs there’s a large landing and two bedrooms.

Home: A former steward’s house built in the 1920s in the Fiskars area in Finland. 7 rooms + kitchen + sauna wing + bathroom + toilets, 217 m² (about 2,340 square feet). The villa is the family’s second home.

Who lives here: Interior designer Charlotta Savander, partner Jari Kestinen, their adult children with their families, and Rhonda, a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever.

Follow on social: @farmhouselonneberga

Charlotta, what makes this house special?

This second home has been in our family since the 1990s, and now it’s my turn to host here at Lönneberga. My parents originally bought the place as a summer home. It’s an old steward’s house that once held two apartments. They were combined in a major renovation my parents did, and the house was refurbished throughout. That’s also when a glass veranda was added on the lake side as an extension of the living area. My children have spent all their summers at their grandparents’ here, and I’ve holidayed here too. As my parents grew older, the idea arose that I would take the place under my wing. A few years ago we started a major renovation, and the place began to look and feel like me.

The dining area took on a more Scandinavian look when the ceiling beams were painted black. The oak table is by Bodahl Møbler with a cast-iron base. The Hans K 45 chairs were designed by Sami Kallio. The charcoal drawing of Charlotta on the wall was done by Seppo Shemeikka in the 1980s.

Charlotta designed the dining room fireplace where a large wood-burning kitchen stove had been removed, because there’s another similar one right next to it. The fireplace is used whenever the house is occupied.

On the ledges and surfaces of the old wood-burning kitchen stove sits a sizable collection of brass and copper objects that Charlotta’s father gathered from auctions over the decades.

What’s the best thing about Lönneberga?

Our second home adapts beautifully so we can gather here with all our children and grandchildren for Christmas. There are bedrooms for everyone, and we all fit around the large dining table. It’s lovely to sit by the tree in the living room, with some of the children perched on the stairs when the sofas are full. We come together here for family celebrations year-round, but Christmas is always the most festive. There’s a perfect spot for the tree in the living room, and its twinkle is visible all through the home. Our tree is always real, and its scent is an essential part of Christmas.

Upstairs there’s a large landing and two bedrooms. Charlotta is delighted that the house has enough space for all the children and grandchildren to spend Christmas comfortably and stay the night.

What are you especially pleased with here?

I’m happy with the summer room I designed. Once it was finished, our life moved outdoors. We’d always needed a space like this, but perhaps I hadn’t realized it before. For Christmas I dressed it with evergreens and candles.

Charlotta always serves rice porridge in beautiful bowls from Pieni Astiakauppa.

How have you managed to create such a calm atmosphere?

When the house came into my care, I planned a renovation that softened its earlier feel toward a more Scandinavian direction. The floral wallpapers were removed, and yellow and blue paneling was painted light gray and white. I brought in a touch of black, as if borrowed from summer homes in Gotland. The palette is built around white, black, gray, and sand tones. Antique pieces in soft hues add extra flavor to the interior.

”The kitchen fireplace is our favorite. There’s always a fire burning when we’re at Lönneberga.”

To Charlotta, the most beautiful object in the house is an antique 18th-century cabinet her parents bought at auction. Its surface still has the original paint. For a touch of Christmas, the cabinet gets a red tassel that Charlotta ties to a drawer knob as the holidays approach. The painting is a commissioned work made in the archipelago by artist Elisabeth Nyman. In the background is a view into the bedroom.

Do the items here come with stories?

When the house passed to me, my parents had only one wish: that the old grandfather clock would stay here. They had bought it years ago at an auction in Stockholm. It holds a place of honor in the living room, as do many of the antique furnishings my parents acquired. My father collected brass and copper objects for decades, and they always have their place here. Most of them sit on the ledges of the old wood-burning kitchen stove.

From the kitchen there’s a view into the parlor and onto the glass veranda. When the house moved into their daughter’s care, Charlotta’s parents had just one request: that the old antique grandfather clock would remain. It holds a place of honor in the parlor.

”For us, Christmas arrives by subtle, traditional means.”

The primary bedroom is off the parlor on the ground floor. Charlotta inherited iron bed frames from her grandmother and paired the headboards with a modern adjustable bed. Old rustic chairs serve as nightstands. The wall light is Copenhagen by &Tradition.

The owls on the bedroom windowsill were collected by Charlotta’s mother and represent the family members.

Charlotta designed the bathroom renovation herself. The cabinetry is from Topi-Keittiö, and the showers and faucets are by Tapwell. The tiles were chosen from Pukkila’s range.

The sauna is thermally treated aspen. The back wall and ceiling were made from black finger-jointed paneling. The heater is a Tulikivi soapstone unit.

What is Christmas in Fiskars like?

The towns and villages of Fiskars, Billnäs, Tammisaari, and Hanko are all a short drive away, and each hosts high-quality Christmas markets. The Fiskars ironworks village is like a fairy tale with its lights, and you can pop in for mulled wine. Concerts are held during the season too.