Just 60 square meters, over 200 years old: see Eva-Jo’s log house now bathed in light

A golden flute gleams, competing with the sunlight streaming through the windows. In the corner of the workspace, there’s a music stand, and on the table sits a watercolor palette. Everything shows that creativity thrives here—music and art both find a home. Even now, Bill Evans’ jazz flows from laptop speakers.

The creative force in this house, known as Fridhem, is Eva-Jo Hancock, an interior concept designer. If an interior needs a painting, she picks up a brush and creates the art herself.

“I’m at my happiest when I’m painting!” she says.

She also performs as a flutist in Åland’s newly established symphony orchestra, which is currently rehearsing Mozart’s flute concerto.

Fridhem once belonged to her former parents-in-law, both artists who used it as their home and studio. In the workspace, one relic of their time still remains: the kiln. It now serves as a liquor cabinet.

About twenty years ago, Eva-Jo—originally from Stockholm—moved with her then-husband to Åland, into a house inherited from his parents. Because of work, they later lived in New York and Paris but came back to Fridhem every summer. For Eva-Jo, only Eckerö really felt like home.

She believes the village of Storby has an atmosphere all its own. She’s perfectly happy living in a tiny place in the middle of nowhere.

“If you live in Åland, then you’re living in the countryside,” she says with a smile.

Another perk: the ferry to Sweden leaves just a couple of hundred meters (220 yd) away. Her house and the village she lives in have firmly rooted Eva-Jo into the municipality of Eckerö. She has grown to know and love this place.

After the couple divorced, Fridhem stood empty for a few years before Eva-Jo rented it from her ex-husband. She returned in 2022 and has been renovating whenever funds allow.

Fridhem was likely built in the early 1800s, and it truly needed a makeover. Many changes shaped its new look: for instance, half the kitchen ceiling was removed, making the upstairs bedroom nearly half its former size, but letting in a lot more light and space.

“I could live in a closet, as long as it had a window,” she jokes.

The floors were also renovated. Linoleum made way for planks, which later proved not to be fully dry. Once the underfloor heating was turned on, the wood began to warp. It’s beautiful, though a bit curved.

Eva-Jo took more bold steps. One kitchen wall became a patchwork of old window frames. It was a compromise—she had really wanted a punch veranda, a style once popular in Swedish homes for enjoying a glass of punch.

“I call this lovely window my ‘poor man’s veranda,’” she laughs.

“The main thing is that the glass is old. Light filters so differently through mouth-blown glass.”

One of the major updates was building a large, luxurious bathroom over the old cellar. Now the bathroom at Fridhem feels almost church-like.

An arched window overlooks the lush garden. Only the shower area is tiled; the rest of the walls are polished concrete. The tub is recessed into the floor.

“The tub is the best place to lounge between sauna rounds,” Eva-Jo says.

The sauna also offers rest: its bench is so wide it can serve as a guest bed.

Once she moved back to Fridhem after the divorce, Eva-Jo shifted the house’s color scheme to something more muted. Previously, the house may have showcased a hundred different colors.

“I’m the conservative one!” she laughs.

Still, there’s plenty of color. The kitchen’s wood-burning stove is green, and the entryway wall has lemon-patterned wallpaper that promises an eternal summer.

Most of Eva-Jo’s design projects are in Sweden, Åland, and elsewhere in Finland. Her clients range from hotels to museums and restaurants.

“My work is largely about storytelling. For example, if I’m creating a concept for a restaurant, I might be inspired by Barcelona in 1918. That concept can include everything from the menu paper to the music.”

She also designs lighting and frequently uses spotlights, being very particular about them.

“Built-in spots are awful—they’re like traffic lights! With track lighting, you can practically sculpt with the beams, plus you can adjust the warmth.”

Her next Fridhem project is also about lighting. Even though she’s renovated a lot, she plans to replace the study window with a larger one to let in still more daylight.

“I work from home a lot, and I usually end up at the kitchen table, where there’s plenty of room to spread out.”

Indeed, the kitchen is a lively spot for cooking, eating, chatting, and working.

From the designer’s perspective, a room can shape whatever you create. When she lived in New York, her studio apartment had a ceiling of about eight meters (26 ft).

Perhaps that giant space kept her from painting. Instead, she started making mobiles that float in midair.

She still travels extensively for work, and it’s always a joy to return to Fridhem.

“Every time I come back, the house seems smaller than I remember. But it’s surprisingly practical, and I don’t have to worry about so many things.”