Teenagers rescue traditional Ostrobothnian house: “It feels amazing that we’ve been able to save it”

The summer of 2016 at Målarsgården became a cherished memory. Sixteen-year-old Sandra Nordling and eighteen-year-old Rasmus Häggblom spent that summer living together in Rasmus’s sister’s spacious Ostrobothnian house. The environment was familiar to Rasmus, as he had stayed in the house for a while as a child when his parents were renovating their own home. For Sandra, old houses had always been close to her heart, and participating in various renovation projects was nothing new.

“A year later, we were ready to become real homeowners and bought Målarsgården from Rasmus’s sister. The house was built in the late 1800s, but unfortunately, all the old and original features, like windows, plank floors, moldings, and fireplaces, had been removed during renovations in the 1970s. These changes were disappointing, but the possibilities excited us. We didn’t rush into renovating but took our time settling in, hunted for furniture, and just enjoyed our own home,” Sandra says.

The young homeowners are gradually transforming the yard to how it once was. A gatehouse and recently planted trees and shrubs help shelter the yard. Over the years, they will grow into a leafy haven where you can enjoy warm summer days.

The porch was the first room that Sandra and Rasmus wallpapered. Sandra’s parents served as advisors and helpers. A good money-saving tip was to make their own wallpaper paste. Practical instructions for this can be found online. After a long search, they found the perfect old bench at an antiques shop in Kokkola. The throw pillow and blanket were made by Sandra’s mother, and they beautifully reflect the colors of the porch. The wallpaper is Duro’s ‘Dahlströmska gården.’

The porch floor was first painted with light gray linseed oil paint, after which a checkered pattern was drawn on the floor starting from the center. Sandra then painted the yellow squares freehand with Ottosson’s linseed oil paint in sand yellow. The chair is from the couple’s second home.

Buyers were fighting over the wall cupboard found at a garage sale—it was such a coveted piece. Sandra has learned that if you want to acquire beautiful antiques, you can’t hesitate when you find the right item.

Even a radiator control lever can be beautiful and bring joy. Sandra’s great-grandfather made the moldings for the porch in his time. The couple had the new door and window moldings made at a local sawmill based on an old one found in the attic.

Målarsgården was once a prosperous farm. On the site of the current main building, there once stood a house where, interestingly enough, Rasmus’s direct ancestors lived and farmed the land. So, although the current main building isn’t an ancestral home, the place has a strong connection to Rasmus’s family history. Rasmus’s childhood home, as well as the farm machinery and workshop, are within walking distance.

The farm’s name refers to decorative painters who operated in the area, and whose craftsmanship can still be admired in old furniture and small items.

The little butter churn is a souvenir from Sandra and her mother’s road trip to Sweden. The plate rack was filled with a few Rörstrand’s 'Gröna Anna' plates from their second home’s dish collection. The chest of drawers was found on a Facebook flea market. The photograph on the chest is of Sandra’s great-great-grandfather.

Sandra made the display cabinet herself while studying to become a cabinetmaker artisan. The cabinet houses treasured dishes; the drawers store valuable textiles like hand-woven tablecloths and crocheted curtains. Old loom parts hang on the wall. The 'Mölletorp röd' wallpaper is by Lim & Handtryck.

The house’s electrical wiring was redone in old style with surface-mounted wires. The work was challenging, but Sandra’s older brother Daniel, who is an electrician, took care of it. Fabric-covered wires and porcelain electrical fittings that match the house’s style were obtained from Lundagård in Pietarsaari.

With the support of Sandra’s parents, the young couple began planning how to restore the house as close as possible to its original state. The first step was repairing the retro-era porch. Measurements and inspiration were taken from an abandoned family farm.

Windows and double doors were custom-made by a local carpenter, and the doors were painted blue-gray with linseed oil paint.

“We found some paneled doors in the outbuildings, and they got to move back inside. We couldn’t find any good old plank flooring, so we moved to plan B. From our own forest, we got wood to make the floors from scratch. Now we get to enjoy the soft feel of soap-finished floors,” Sandra says.

Sandra wanted a panel wall similar to one she had once seen in an abandoned house. Tongue-and-groove boards are laid horizontally with a decorative molding at their edge. Sandra received the old classroom poster and the rag rug from her parents during the move.

A pattern from the Stene wallpaper was created using a Gysinge stencil. The paint is Gysinge’s linseed oil paint, a custom mix of white titanium zinc and English red.

On top of the old type case are photos of relatives, but also two unknown old photographs that came with a briefcase they purchased. The sofa is a family heirloom that was in the attic of Rasmus’s family farm. Later it turned out that it was made by someone from Sandra’s family. The strawberry pillow is by Emma Sjödin; Sandra received the lamp as a Christmas gift from Rasmus.

The young couple values old items and furniture, and therefore you won’t find much new in their home, apart from the furniture Sandra has built herself. Visiting auctions and flea markets has become a dear shared hobby for them.

Gorgeous old pieces of furniture are waiting in the workshop for restoration. The dearest are family heirlooms, furniture made by ancestors, and old photographs that tell their own stories about the families’ histories. Rustic furniture is a favorite, but Sandra has also found herself enamored with retro-era pieces. It’s fun to mix different eras.

Despite their young age, Sandra and Rasmus have dived deep into the world of old houses and enjoy learning new things along the way. Sadly, little Ragge the cat passed away after the photo shoot.

Sandra and Rasmus are pleased with the built-in wardrobes they’ve made. The paneled surface was painted antique green with linseed oil paint. In this room, the old ceiling has been exposed, the plastic mat removed off the plank floor, and the door replaced with a more period-appropriate one. The moldings were made according to old models.

The headboard was made from part of an old wooden sofa found in the attic of Sandra’s childhood home. The bedside tables were made by Sandra’s grandmother’s father. The posters were ordered from Posteryard. The wallpaper is Duro’s Edsbyn Grön.

The birch TV cabinet with its equipment will be left as is. The vanity mirror was made by Sandra’s grandmother’s father. In the photograph is her great-grandfather as a young soldier.

The couple love decorating their home, especially Sandra, and she often finds herself dreaming and combining different colors and wallpapers in her mind. Colors are important in their home. Yellow has recently become a new favorite and a common thread. You’ll also find old rose tones in the beautiful wallpapers.

In six years, the house has blossomed into a beauty whose original character has been gently coaxed out.

“There aren’t many impressive Ostrobothnian houses like this left in our village. It feels amazing that we’ve been able to save one of them,” Sandra says.

The porch of the impressive Ostrobothnian house was rebuilt in place of the old one. While Rasmus was busy with spring sowing, Sandra warded off loneliness by building a fence with a gate.

Moving the gatehouse was quite a thriller, requiring not only Rasmus but both their fathers, tractors, an excavator, and logs to act as sleds under the building. In the old days, the upstairs rooms of the outbuilding were used as summer bedrooms, while the downstairs provided storage for grain, food supplies, and tools.