14 Christmas-ready wood stoves—peek inside cozy Finnish homes
An old wood stove is the pride of the kitchen—and it simmers the very best Christmas porridge. It’s beautiful on its own too, as a serving surface or a base for holiday vignettes. We gathered 14 beautiful wood stoves from real homes.
1. Today is bun day
In this big family’s old wooden house in Kauhava, days begin with the hosts lighting a fire in the Högfors wood stove and cooking porridge. The oven takes care of the family’s meals—turning out the best pizzas, pulla, rolls, rieska flatbreads, and stews and casseroles. Potholders add color to the dark-painted stove nook.
2. Mulled wine, anyone?
In the kitchen of this 1920s wooden house, an old Högfors wood stove doubles as an extra work surface when needed. Evergreens and glögi, the Finnish version of mulled wine, set the holiday mood.
3. Holiday treat corner
In this classic Ostrobothnian house in Jurva there’s plenty of everything—even two wood stoves in the kitchen. That means you can lay a table runner over one at Christmas and dress it up for the season.
4. Almost porridge time
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The kitchen of the old vicarage built in 1913 was updated, but the wood stove got to stay. The crackle of its fire sets the mood. At Christmas, porridge is slow-cooked on the stove and traditional ässät, S-cookies, bake in the oven.
5. Pots and pans galore
The wood stove in the kitchen of this handsome Art Nouveau villa is still in working order. The black-painted pipe no longer carries hot water to the radiators, though. The copper pans came with the house.
6. The cake just came out of the oven
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In this 1920s wooden house with direct electric heating, the wood stove is an invaluable helper in winter weather. The kitchen wallpaper is William Morris’s Pimpernel.
7. The heart of the cabin
The masonry oven built by Grandpa radiates gentle warmth. When the huge oven is hot on a winter’s day, the best—and warmest—spot in the whole cabin is on its oven bench.
8. Coffee is served
A festive coffee spread comes together atop the wood stove in the kitchen of this 1920s wooden row house. The hood’s ledge makes a perfect gallery shelf for Christmas cards.
9. An age-old beauty
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The stove in this 200-year-old log house is beautiful, but it doesn’t work. It holds displays and doubles as an auxiliary surface in the kitchen. The wire art piece was bought at Antik Helen.
10. The new black
The Högfors cast-iron stove in this post-war home got a refresh with stove black, which removes rust and leaves a protective finish.
11. Small is beautiful
Upstairs in this hundred-year-old log house, the little stove is the reigning star, alongside a mustard-colored neo-rococo armchair. Presumably, the hearth once served as the kitchen, wash space, and source of heat for a single family.
12. The warmth of stone
In the kitchen of an Åland archipelago house built in 1900, the heart is a fairly new Tulikivi wood stove, which also cooks meals on winter days. Playful calendar tea towels are thrift finds.
13. The scent of orange
The large wood stove and bread oven in this log house are in working order. A homemade orange garland decorates the stove during the holidays.
14. A place for candles
When the wood stove isn’t in use, its top is a great place for candle arrangements. At Råbacka, which is over a hundred years old, the lady of the house has cast all the candles herself.
