This century-old house is located in the small Finnish village of Ylasjärvi (population 3,150), near the Bothnian Bay (part of the Baltic Sea).
Built in 1922, the house covers about 200 square meters (approx. 2,153 sq ft). It has seven rooms, a separate dining room, a bathroom, and a traditional Finnish sauna.
It’s home to 43-year-old writer Miia Anttila and her 36-year-old husband, Ossi Lehtovaara. Life in an old house, village routines, creating coziness from everyday items, and finding happiness in the daily grind are what inspire Miia and show up in her books.
Living here with the couple are their three children—their eldest daughter, 17, and two sons, 16 and 8—and their dog, Reiska.
Miia Anttila and Ossi Lehtovaara.
Here’s what the family’s home looks like.
Miia and Reiska come in after a walk. Instead of an entryway, there’s a full room with a sofa and a large stove that heats part of the house.
In the photo: 17-year-old Lotta, the eldest daughter.
Back in the day, this village house housed a café and a shop. Later, it stood empty for a couple of years until it went up for auction—and that’s when Miia and Ossi moved in.
In 2014, the couple began renovating the house, turning it into a living space. They replaced the floors and roof and added a proper bathroom.
The renovation stretched on for years, with the couple doing everything by hand, bit by bit, room by room.
“When I was little, I didn’t like living here,” Lotta, 17, admitted in an interview with Meillakotona. “The rooms were small, dark, and unwelcoming… But after the renovation, I feel much more comfortable. This place has truly become our home—warm and inviting.”
The kitchen turned out large and spacious, with cabinets lining the walls and a hefty island in the middle.
The beautiful, stylish kitchen set was once a flea-market find. The couple bought it in poor condition and then had parts of it restored at a local carpentry workshop. Miia polished the cabinets herself and changed the hardware.
The large island takes center stage in this kitchen, where meals are prepared and heartfelt conversations happen.
The old wooden cabinet on the wall dates back to when the café was here. The couple repurposed it to store mugs.
“Renovating in stages taught us patience,” Miia and Ossi say. “For a long time, we had to make do with unfinished work and building materials everywhere.”
The family prefers to dine in the dining room at an old round table.
The chairs came from a local flea market, and the grandfather clock is a special treasure—they inherited it from Miia’s mother, who got it from her father.
This photo shows the layout of the ground floor well. The living-dining area flows seamlessly into the kitchen, thanks to two large doorways. The whole family usually gathers here—watching TV, playing board games, chatting, and cooking together.
The coffee table in the living room is another flea-market find. The sofa was custom-made, and the TV console is from Miia Paapa’s company.
In this part of the house, rough brick walls blend beautifully with wooden floors and wallpaper.
The blue wallpaper in the bedroom is by Hudiksvalls Teater.
From the master bedroom, you can see almost all the public spaces: the hallway, the living room, and the kitchen.
And here’s what the bedroom itself looks like. The headboard was found by 16-year-old Tori (the older son), who brought it home from somewhere. Miia and Ossi restored it together.
Both the headboard and the bedside table are painted with Tikkurila paint (shade Q710 Aapa).
They purposely left this old wardrobe unrestored because Miia loves its timeworn look.
The dressing table with a vintage chair was also a flea-market find.
The bathroom once served as the shop’s vestibule and entryway. The space has been completely remodeled and insulated.
The plot around the house is quite large. The red buildings next to the house are the garage and a a rustic storage shed.
And here’s the small sauna that they only use in summer.
“This home has allowed me to turn my hobbies—cooking and interior design—into a business. Since we moved in, every corner has been tailored to our needs. Now I can work on my book and interior design projects in a calming, inspiring environment,” says Miia Anttila.
Photos: Julia Pärssinen
