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The house that brings generations together—Villa Lotta is a family’s second home and grandma’s place

This house’s story is anything but ordinary: it was bought so the grandparents could visit their daughter's family more often after they moved to the nautical town of Hanko, Finland. Villa Lotta, which serves as both a second home and grandma’s place, was renovated from the basement to the attic.

Author Jonna Kivilahti

Images Frida Steiner

June 4, 2025Lue suomeksi

Home: Built in 1937, this 140-square-meter house is located in Hanko. The upstairs has a bedroom, a kitchen, a living room, a toilet, and a shower. The downstairs has a laundry room, a sauna, a bathroom, a toilet, and another bedroom. A third sleeping space was created in the attic for overnight guests.

Who lives here: Sisko Lundelin and her spouse Harri. The visiting residents include the one-year-old grandchild Elvin Rosenberg and his parents.

The interviewee stands behind the kitchen island — A large island was added between the kitchen and the living room, where you can enjoy breakfast, cook meals, or bake with ease. Cabinets, that open in two directions, form the island’s base. The counters are white quartz, which extends to the floor at the island’s end. There are also built-in outlets, and the cooktop has an integrated range hood.

Surrounded by apple trees and a lush garden, the house is tucked away in a quiet part of Hangonkylä neighborhood in Hanko, the southernmost tip of Finland. The property is at the end of a cul-de-sac, so there’s hardly any traffic. The large garden behind the house has a spacious patio that doubles the living area during summer.

It’s a short walk to the beach and the town center, but the neighborhood still remains peaceful. Hangonkylä is the best part of Hanko, says Sisko Lundelin.

“There are rows of beautiful old houses here on large lots. As a grandma, I especially value having a private yard for my grandson,” Sisko says.

The house isn’t Sisko’s but belongs to her daughter Salla, who lives with her family on the other side of town. For Salla’s family, the house is a getaway, and when Sisko and Harri come to town, they can use it as their cottage.

On the patio, there are white wooden outdoor furniture pieces surrounded by shrubs and trees. — The large patio in the backyard is a wonderful place to relax in summer. The private lot at the end of a dead-end road is one of the highlights of Sisko and Harri’s second home.

The living room has light brown walls and a striped armchair. — The living room walls were painted the same sandy shade, from Milieu Paint, as the kitchen. Sisko chose a large sisal rug from Ikea. The striped Howard armchair belongs to her daughter. She framed a Hanko-themed poster for the wall. The green side table and the gray table are both from Ikea.

The idea of buying the house came about when Salla and her family moved to Hanko. Sisko and her husband Harri live in Helsinki.

“We started thinking it would be nice if we also had a place here,” Sisko says.

Salla had long dreamed of renovating an old house. She also wanted to give the grandparents a comfortable place to stay when visiting Hanko. So, she decided to buy and renovate the house.

They found a suitable place in Hangonkylä in 2021. Built in the 1930s, the house had been expanded twice over the decades. Inside, it was in decent shape for day-to-day living, but it hadn’t been thoroughly renovated in years.

In earlier renovations, new layers had mostly been added on top of the old ones.

“There were plastic floors and multiple layers of panels on the walls. The sweet old house was covered inside and out with all kinds of odd solutions. We realized everything inside had to be gutted,” Sisko explains.

The kitchen and an old stove are in front of the doorway. Behind the doorway is the bedroom. — The main bedroom is located behind the kitchen upstairs. Sisko chose the wall color from the Milieu Paint range. The nightstands are from Granit, and the textiles from Pentik. The decorative pillows on the bed are from Tokmanni.

In the foreground is a desk and chair, and at the end of the hallway the balcony provides a garden view — From the upstairs hallway, you can step onto a balcony overlooking the yard—a lovely spot for your morning coffee. Sisko got the impressive ceiling lights from Bauhaus, and the rug is from Tokmanni. The side table, painted green, is a thrift store find.

The house was intended to serve as a practical getaway for the grandparents, with a few bedrooms for children, grandchildren, and friends. They wanted three bedrooms, comfortable living areas, and efficient washing facilities.

During the renovation, they excavated the entire basement. Multiple loads of concrete and soil were removed by wheelbarrow. Because there was a risk of collapse, the work was done in sections. During renovation, they discovered the house’s foundation was built right on clay. When that happens, the slab shouldn't be covered as it has to breathe so moisture can escape through the structure. Even so, the basement had plastic flooring and other insulation, which caused water damage.

“Luckily, the moisture issue was only in one corner, and that was fixed. We poured and re-insulated the basement floor during the renovation, and installed underfloor heating. Now the basement is proper living space,” Salla says.

She took the water damage in stride. It didn’t bring extra stress or costs because they intended to renovate the basement anyway. Now that the house is well insulated, the basement offers dry, safe living areas. Before, it was mainly fit to use for storage, utilities, and a sauna, Sisko notes.

In the living room, there is a gray sleeper sofa and ladder-style steps leading to the attic — They bought an Ikea sleeper sofa for the living room, providing space for two more overnight guests if needed. In the corner, stairs lead up to the attic, where there’s another sleeping area. The Loimu stairs by Lappiporras Oy can be cut to the right length.

The room contains a desk and a partition wall, with stairs behind it leading downstairs. — A wide doorway from the kitchen leads to the upstairs hallway. Sisko got the striking ceiling light at Bauhaus. She chose the sandy Milieu Paint from A.S.Helsingö for the walls. The floors are new pine planks, stained and varnished.

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Next to the new gray kitchen cabinets stands the old white stove — They wanted to keep the old stove, so it was moved to the side of the new kitchen. The tiles are from Madame Colore, the kitchen is from Ikea, and the countertops are white quartz.

During the renovation, they gained several extra centimeters of height in the basement. A bedroom was added downstairs, where a family with children could rest even if people stayed up late upstairs. The lower floor also has a new sauna area and a laundry room.

Upstairs, the wall between the kitchen and the living room was removed, creating an open space that now accommodates an extendable dining table.

“When it’s just Harri and me, we keep the table round. When the kids come over for dinner, we add the extension,” Sisko says.

They also reinforced the living room ceiling with support beams so they could add another sleeping area in the attic.

Salla designed nearly the entire renovation herself. She had renovated several apartments before, but never a whole house. Pinta Interiors helped plan the new layout and functions for the basement, while Case LVI designed the heating system and plumbing.

Salla also financed the house and renovation. Sisko and Harri helped with the labor and have continued to maintain the house and yard whenever they visit Hanko.

The interviewee stands behind the white dining table. — They took down the wall between the living room and the kitchen to create a more open living area. Now there’s space for a dining table, too. The table and chairs are from Ikea, as is the kitchen. The walls are painted with Milieu Paint from A.S.Helsingö.

“We named the house Villa Lotta after its former occupant, Lillemor, whose nickname is Lotta. Lillemor lived here the longest, and we bought the house from her.”
Sisko Lundelin

The biggest single expense was the energy overhaul. They got rid of the oil heating and installed an air-to-water heat pump for heating and hot water, which can be controlled remotely by phone. All the heating pipes, drains, and water supply pipes were also replaced.

“The new system is really cost-effective. We’ve been very grateful for that as electricity and oil prices have risen,” Sisko says.

The bathroom has dark wood paneling and small wooden benches — The old sauna was torn out, and a new one was built on the lower floor. The walls and ceiling are KH wood paneling by Lunawood. Almost all of the lower floor has the same ceiling material. The bathroom fixtures are from Ikea, and the benches are from Ratia.

Sauna benches and a sauna bucket — They chose horizontal paneling for the sauna, tinted to match the benches. They used heat-treated aspen found on sale at Bauhaus. From K-rauta, they got ready-made board elements that were cut to size.

During the renovation, the costs rose, and the budget went over. That led to compromises with the interior. Instead of birch floors, they chose pine planks, and an Ikea kitchen. The ceiling planks are pre-whitewashed boards with holes, since it was much cheaper than smooth boards without holes. Visually, the result is pretty close to what they had in mind.

Sisko and Salla designed the interior together. They rarely had to negotiate about paint colors, tiles, or other materials because they share similar tastes. The main color scheme is neutral, making it easy to update the look with textiles. Most of the furniture is vintage or secondhand, and they have painted some pieces to better suit the house.

“We planned all the changes with the idea that it would be perfect for a family with children, and we could sell it if our situation changed,” Sisko says.

When the renovation started, Sisko and Harri weren’t sure how much time they’d end up spending in Hanko or how long they’d keep the house as their second home.

“It’s been wonderful to see how much we enjoy it here. We come year-round, staying a few weeks at a time every couple of months,” Sisko says.

A closet in the bedroom and a wooden desk — There was even enough room in the bedroom for a small workspace. The wall was painted to match the closet. The closet and desk are from Ikea, the chair is from a flea market, and the work desk lamp is from Pentik.

Gray kitchen cabinets with white pearl-toned square tiles in the backsplash — They went with outlets from Schneider’s old-fashoined Renova line. The Madame Colore kitchen tiles came from Värisilmä.

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The house that brings generations together—Villa Lotta is a family’s second home and grandma’s place

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