Wallpaper obsessed: Sanna’s living room has seen seven different looks

Finnish Sanna and Juha Jarva are both originally from Tampere, southwestern part of the country. Over twenty years ago, when they were ready to buy their first home, they chose the lush Vehmainen area in their hometown. Before Sanna and Juha, only the couple who built the house in 1938 had lived in the large, Pippi Longstocking–style home. The walls have seen more than twenty different wallpaper patterns, and it seems the current ones might not be the last.

The yard of this old house already had plenty of flowers and trees, but Sanna added more perennials. She and Juha planted the weeping rowan together. The hot tub is heated year-round and has delighted three generations so far. Maintenance and restoration on the large house happen one step at a time.

The terrace was enlarged and partially glazed. The pergola roof was replaced with a watertight translucent cover. The sofa set and table are from Jysk, while the curtains and canopy are from Ikea.

Sanna, what kind of wallpapers do you especially like?

I love the traditional paper wallpapers from Pihlgren and Ritola. They perfectly suit an older house and appeal to my taste. I’m particularly drawn to floral patterns. Even though I replace them often, I feel like each wallpaper becomes part of my memories. I still remember when my daughters were little, and I put up Pihlgren and Ritola’s now-discontinued Ruusunnuppu wallpaper in the room they shared. It was a wonderful time for our young family in our new home. Things move on: now the girls live on their own, the room is our bedroom, and the walls have a new wallpaper. It also has flowers, of course.

The spacious foyer leads to every room in the home. The foyer wallpaper is Lukko by Pihlgren and Ritola. Family son Johannes appears in the background.

The living room table used to be a conference table. Juha refurbished it and attached metal legs from Amazon underneath. The floral wallpaper was an online bargain, just in time for their daughter’s confirmation party. The wooden sofa is a Tori marketplace find, picked up in nearby town of Nokia.

Elsi visited today with her mother Emmi after a trip to the park. Only the original owners and Sanna and Juha’s family have lived in this house.

Has your wallpaper style changed over the years?

I’ve papered the living room walls seven times, but the Juhannusruusu pattern in the back room has stayed up for years. It goes perfectly with the green tiled stove and creates a peaceful feel. I never think of wallpaper as permanent, even after I’ve put it on the wall.

Sanna finds ideas and inspiration on Instagram and Pinterest. That’s probably how this coffee station came about, all in one day. It features a dresser from a friend, Ikea shelves for the cutest cups and small ceramics—like these ceramic onions by Eija Riitta Ahola—and a little cabinet that waited in the garage for years. Sanna sewed a tablecloth and curtain around the lower part of the counter with Marimekko’s Appelsiini fabric. The old scale is a Tori find. Like the other rooms, the kitchen’s wood floors were revealed under vinyl and then painted. The furniture came from Sanna’s childhood home.

Juha enjoys cooking and often makes a big seafood paella in the summer. Old cast-iron pans are beautiful and get used frequently.

A few years ago, as Juha was leaving for a work trip, he joked, “Don’t start any big renovation projects while I’m gone.” The first demolition photos reached him at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Sanna removed the cabinets above the counter, tidied and painted the wall, and added a brick-patterned wallpaper. She got the wooden crates from a florist’s surplus.

In Juha’s view, the best renovation they’ve done is building a large enough terrace. The boys say the best part of home is hanging out together and enjoying good food as a family.

Many people are afraid to try wallpapering. What would you say to them?

If it goes wrong, we’ll just fix it! It’s not a big deal. I don’t need new furniture or décor when I want to refresh a room. With a few rolls of wallpaper—a bargain find most of the time—I can make a change. It also makes the furniture stand out in a new way. I often test wallpaper inside dresser drawers or on a less visible wall. That way, I can practice and see how it looks on a larger area. It’s helpful to start with a simple wall without windows, doors, or outlets. Just be brave and go for it!

The other tiled stove in the house was originally removed from worker housing owned by Finlayson. The Juhannusruusu wallpaper by Pihlgren and Ritola has been up for a long time and is staying put.

This striking tiled stove was removed from Hatanpää Manor in Tampere in the 1940s, and the builder and first resident of this house brought it here. Only one other exists in Finland, and Sanna found that owner through Instagram.

The bedroom wallpaper is from hardware store K-rauta’s Van Gogh collection. When Sanna picked up a cradle she had found on Tori for her first grandchild, the seller asked if she also needed a bed for bigger children. Now, that bed is in the bedroom, waiting for Elsi’s sleepovers.

This spacious bedroom used to be a playroom for little ones. “Our home has served us so well at every stage of life; we’ve always found room for everyone,” Sanna says. The cloud-like ceiling light came from K-rauta. The pink pillowcases are the Hortensia pattern from Pentik, with matching comforters under the bedspread.

The foyer wallpaper is from Kesko’s Vanaja collection. A basket from Riviera Maison holds leftover paper and samples. Sanna sanded off the old paint on the vintage paneled door.

What else do you like to do at home?

I also love painting. Chalk paint is my favorite because it doesn’t require much prep, just inspiration. I enjoy sewing decorative pillows, too. Lately, I’ve been adding bolder colors with them, and I’ve noticed a slight interest in retro style. I buy pretty fabrics on sale, sit down at my sewing machine, and whip up a bunch of pillows for our wooden couch in the living room, the sofa in the back room, the terrace, and the summer house.

Sanna turned the backyard storage shed into a she shed, perfect for naps or sudoku. The plant poster is from a friend, and the Simpukka chair by Parolan Rottinki is a Tori find. She sewed the pillows herself.

How did your latest project, the she shed, come about?

I found the she shed idea on Pinterest. I only dreamed about it for a while, then realized we already had a small shed in the yard! All I had to do was move the lawnmower, a couple of bikes, and a few tools into the garage. Then I spread out a big rug, brought in an old iron bed for naps, and hung up some sheer curtains to sway in the summer breeze and keep mosquitoes out. I also sewed some summery pillows from leftover fabric. I found everything I needed at home. On summer days, it’s lovely to do sudoku or nap out there, with a refreshing rain drumming on the roof.