“We’ve become caretakers of the old”: Finnish couple’s colorful vintage home filled with rag rugs and inherited furniture
The 1940s house won Suvi and Lari over the moment they stepped inside. The previous residents had put it in great shape while preserving the old style, so all the couple had to do was carry their things in.
Suvi Vähäsaari and Lari Melentjeff have inherited so many old pieces of furniture from their parents and grandparents that they haven’t needed to buy much of anything new. If something’s missing, they’d rather hunt for it at a flea market than at a store. Their years together have made them like the same things.
Built in 1947, the house sits on a 1,700-square-meter lot (about 18,300 square feet). The backyard backs onto forest. Suvi, Lari and Liisa are the fifth or sixth to live in this house. One day a neighbor dropped by and shared stories about the home’s earlier residents.
The teak sideboard in the living room is from Suvi’s grandma. The suitcase belonged to Lari’s Grandma Liisa, after whom their two-year-old daughter Liisa is named. Suvi wants to create a hint of a jungle vibe with plants.
“I like to keep the amount of stuff reasonable. Color brings all the richness and atmosphere we need.”
Suvi Vähäsaari
The living room wallpaper is Edgar by Sandberg, chosen by the previous residents. To Suvi it feels a bit cold, and she’d love to swap it for the pale, red-toned Tunturikukka wallpaper from Pihlgren & Ritola’s collection. Lari isn’t on board yet. “Luckily Edgar is lovely enough that I can happily keep looking at it.” Lari’s Grandma Liisa sewed the red teddy bear back in the day for her daughter—that is, Lari’s mother.
In the kitchen there’s a stripped-back-to-bare-wood cupboard the couple bought on the Tori marketplace. It may still get a fresh coat of paint from Suvi and Lari. Inside they store Suvi’s collection of brown and yellow dishes. “We rarely buy furniture that needs heavy restoration. If we manage to find a piece in its original condition, it’s usually wonderful.”
“We’ve lived in Sipoo for a little over two years. Liisa was three months old when we moved. The old house awakened a need in me to make things with my hands. During maternity leave I started to mull over not returning to social services but studying to become a florist. I’m now in my second year. I graduated as a gardener in August, and now I’m continuing toward becoming a florist.”
When we studied perennials, I noticed how many of them grow in our own yard. That made remembering them so much easier.
The yard is fairly natural and needs a touch of sprucing up. I still want to leave it with a secret-garden feel, with little lanes and paths. I’m also dreaming of summer hens. Four hens would be enough for us, so we wouldn’t need a rooster. A couple of sheep could graze in the back yard. I’m dreaming of a cat, too, and a second dog would be lovely.
“Maybe I’ve made Lari grow fond of old things, and Lari got me listening to vinyl records. The difference from any background music is that a vinyl record needs to be listened to calmly, from start to finish. We’ve both become caretakers of the old,” Suvi says.
One end of the living area is the kitchen, where the Edgar wallpaper from the living room continues. The dining table is from a recycling center, and the chairs are from Asko.
“I feel we’re incredibly fortunate to have inherited so many lovely treasures from family and relatives.”
Suvi Vähäsaari
The kitchen, renovated by the previous residents, is an IKEA kitchen. Suvi thinks there’s abundant storage—some of the cabinets are still empty. Dry ingredients they use daily are kept in glass jars on open shelves.
The sauna is heated on Saturdays, and for Lari it’s the highlight of the week. Liisa loves bubble baths in the nostalgic tub.
The previous residents had renovated the house so well that there wasn’t much left for us to do. As one of their last jobs, they even replaced the windows. Over time, we can refresh the wallpaper.
The kitchen had been remodeled to our taste, too. Cooking does have you walking back and forth, since the sink and the work area are on opposite sides of the room. At least we get our steps in! And there’s more than enough storage.
Our style is colorful vintage. Our favorite decades are the 1950s and 60s.
Liisa’s delicate lace curtain is from Suvi’s childhood room. The flower stickers were ordered from the Made of Sundays online shop. Most of the toys are Suvi’s and Lari’s old ones. The well-preserved matryoshkas on the dresser in Liisa’s room are souvenirs Suvi’s uncle brought from Russia over ten years ago. The pictures are from Suvi’s mother’s and aunt’s childhood.
Suvi marvels at the home’s generous storage. She tends to go through everything every couple of years, and the move made it easy. Suvi has bought quilts from flea markets, and she keeps dark winter quilts and light summer quilts separately.
Liisa sleeps beside her parents. The bed is just a mattress, so it’s no problem if she rolls onto the floor in her sleep. The lace bedspread is from Tori.fi, and the throw is a find by Suvi’s mother. In her daughter’s eyes, Mom is a true flea-market shark. There’s storage space behind the light curtain.
“You don’t necessarily need curtains for privacy. Because Suvi loves retro fabrics, she’s put them up on the windows.”
Liisa cooks soup and washes dishes in her little play kitchen. The dresser was bought on Tori.fi, and the rug was woven by Suvi’s grandma.
The walls in Liisa’s room were already painted pink when the family moved in. The vanity and stool belonged to Suvi’s grandma. Suvi’s necklaces hang from the wall rack.
Lari has built furniture himself as well. He’s honing his skills in a wood-and-metal course at the Sipoo Adult Education Center. He’s made our nightstands, a fireplace set, and a bench for Liisa. If a piece of furniture needs some TLC, Lari can work on it in the school’s workshop.
I used to dream of having a summer cottage, but not anymore. In a way the dream has already come true, just in a slightly altered form. Living in an old house in the countryside inevitably has a cottage feel—there’s the stove to heat and the sauna water to carry. Lari has plenty he enjoys doing here, too, because there’s always something to tweak.
I can do yard work, decorate our home, bake, crochet, play with Liisa, and of course study. Now I’m wondering what I used to do with all my time.
“We’re an enthusiastic yard-working family. Liisa loves bustling around as a helper, too.”
Suvi Vähäsaari
Suvi loves to bake. The apple pie is made from their own garden’s harvest, using a recipe from her mother. The secret is a generous amount of cinnamon.
The yellow outbuilding dates from the early 2000s. It houses the sauna and the sauna chamber, which serves as a guest room and storage.
The root cellar hides almost invisibly beneath the foliage. A generous apple harvest and a sound root cellar inspired the couple to learn to make cider. At the same time, the root cellar was promoted to a wine cellar.
See more photos on Suvi’s Instagram: @pienipuutalo.
