Design & Decoration Fall in love with old log houses, urban apartments, tiny homes (and their ingenious solutions for small spaces!), saunas, summer cottages, and other authentic Nordic dwellings. Find ideas, inspiration, and guidance for decorating your own home, and discover Finland’s unique design heritage. Thu, 18 Jun 2026 08:47:02 +0000 Thu, 18 Jun 2026 21:39:28 +0000 Laminas_Feed_Writer 2 (https://getlaminas.org) https://www.kotona.com/categories/design-decoration This mansard-roofed home turned Minna’s minimalism into romantic abundance—“I realized I’m a romantic” Thu, 18 Jun 2026 08:47:02 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/mansard-roofed-house-turku https://www.kotona.com/articles/mansard-roofed-house-turku 0 A Finnish cottage full of playful DIY ideas: “When I come up with ideas, I’m like a little girl” Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:34:46 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/tiina-arponen-playful-diy-cottage https://www.kotona.com/articles/tiina-arponen-playful-diy-cottage 0 Riikka saved a real estate ad for years—then her dream farmhouse surfaced at the hardware store Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:51:28 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/dream-farmhouse-hyvinkaa https://www.kotona.com/articles/dream-farmhouse-hyvinkaa 0 Elina’s home is a real-life Moominhouse, drawing friends to its garden sauna: “When not everything is perfectly straight, the atmosphere feels more human” Mon, 15 Jun 2026 06:00:18 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/125-year-old-wooden-villa https://www.kotona.com/articles/125-year-old-wooden-villa 0 This century-old house stole Elsi’s heart: “Home is an embrace where it’s easy to forget the pressures of work” Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:46:29 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/century-old-house-jamsa https://www.kotona.com/articles/century-old-house-jamsa 0 Saunas with a view: 8 Finnish steam rooms made for gazing out Fri, 12 Jun 2026 06:37:39 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/8-saunas-with-a-view https://www.kotona.com/articles/8-saunas-with-a-view 0 At this log cottage, hauled-in water, wood heat, and an outhouse are part of the charm: “In winter, we’ve stayed here wearing four pairs of wool pants” Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:50:07 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/old-log-cottage-and-barn-in-poytya https://www.kotona.com/articles/old-log-cottage-and-barn-in-poytya 0 6 Finnish allotment gardens that show the magic of city cottage life Mon, 08 Jun 2026 11:20:32 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/6-finnish-allotment-gardens https://www.kotona.com/articles/6-finnish-allotment-gardens 0 Family home in a former school for the deaf dormitory—“I asked my spouse what on earth we would do with all this space” Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:37:00 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/former-school-for-the-deaf-dormitory-home https://www.kotona.com/articles/former-school-for-the-deaf-dormitory-home 0 “I never thought I’d get to live in a house like this”—Iivari and Irene bought his uncle’s mysterious 1940s home Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:26:28 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/iivari-and-irenes-1940s-house https://www.kotona.com/articles/iivari-and-irenes-1940s-house 0 “Every time we come home, it feels like a vacation”—inside an Åland seaside home with no garden or neighbors Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:31:07 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/tiina-tahvanainens-aland-seaside-home https://www.kotona.com/articles/tiina-tahvanainens-aland-seaside-home 0 Goodbye, yellowed pine and overgrown yard: Finnish couple’s 1970s lakeside cabin makeover Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:23:13 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/1970s-cabin-on-lake-vesijarvi https://www.kotona.com/articles/1970s-cabin-on-lake-vesijarvi 0 From 10–10 to 90/90: 8 decluttering rules worth trying Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:39:00 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/number-rules-for-decluttering https://www.kotona.com/articles/number-rules-for-decluttering 0 “I like ‘wasted’ square footage”—inside Iina and Oskar’s colorful home Fri, 29 May 2026 10:35:09 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/iina-and-oskars-home https://www.kotona.com/articles/iina-and-oskars-home 0 “Brilliant inventions that should be used everywhere”: three families share what surprised them about Finnish homes Thu, 28 May 2026 12:20:14 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/three-families-share-what-surprised-them-about-finnish-homes https://www.kotona.com/articles/three-families-share-what-surprised-them-about-finnish-homes 0 Get to know Karuselli: This Finnish design classic was once called the world’s most comfortable chair Tue, 26 May 2026 11:12:54 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/karuselli-worlds-most-comfortable-chair https://www.kotona.com/articles/karuselli-worlds-most-comfortable-chair 0 After dozens of moves, Katariina made a 1960s atrium duplex her own with her daughters’ help Tue, 26 May 2026 09:01:28 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/katariina-salonens-home https://www.kotona.com/articles/katariina-salonens-home 0 Sofia’s home in Fiskars is full of recycled treasures—“I hauled the workbench on the roof of my Beetle” Mon, 25 May 2026 10:24:04 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/sofia-alanko-home-in-fiskars https://www.kotona.com/articles/sofia-alanko-home-in-fiskars 0 Inside Raija’s green oasis: “Plants are just as important as colors” Fri, 22 May 2026 12:42:09 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/colorful-houseplant-home-kellokoski https://www.kotona.com/articles/colorful-houseplant-home-kellokoski 0 Tiny seaside hideaway: “Every centimeter had to be thought through carefully” Wed, 20 May 2026 11:26:14 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/joonas-nordmans-cabin https://www.kotona.com/articles/joonas-nordmans-cabin 0 “Shopping anywhere else is boring”—Katariina’s flea market finds include designer clothes and Arabia ceramics for pocket change Tue, 19 May 2026 12:25:55 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/katariina-salmisalo-flea-market-finds https://www.kotona.com/articles/katariina-salmisalo-flea-market-finds 0 The Finnish way to decorate? Start with the mug you use every morning Tue, 19 May 2026 11:08:06 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/anu-karttunens-column-on-decorating-wisdom https://www.kotona.com/articles/anu-karttunens-column-on-decorating-wisdom 0 Jannica and Jonathan turned an old beverage factory into a family home—“I knew this house was our destiny” Mon, 18 May 2026 13:57:11 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/home-in-an-old-beverage-factory https://www.kotona.com/articles/home-in-an-old-beverage-factory 0 Old vs. new Ultima Thule glasses: Iittala explains the differences Thu, 14 May 2026 07:00:19 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/old-vs-new-ultima-thule-glasses https://www.kotona.com/articles/old-vs-new-ultima-thule-glasses 0 “Something about this gave us butterflies”—the run-down 1930s home Auli and Ossi restored to look almost original Wed, 13 May 2026 13:59:18 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/auli-and-ossis-house-in-helsinki https://www.kotona.com/articles/auli-and-ossis-house-in-helsinki 0 Leena’s Finnish-style cottage sits on a Dutch canal: “On Sunday mornings, I hear the bells of three churches and cows mooing” Tue, 12 May 2026 13:05:19 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/finnish-cottage-dutch-canal https://www.kotona.com/articles/finnish-cottage-dutch-canal 0 A second chance turned this old elementary school into a dream family home—“Reason didn’t get a say” Mon, 11 May 2026 13:31:44 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/ammala-old-elementary-school https://www.kotona.com/articles/ammala-old-elementary-school 0 Villa Mairea home tour: rare new photos of the Aalto-designed dream house that became world-famous Thu, 07 May 2026 11:32:08 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/villa-mairea https://www.kotona.com/articles/villa-mairea 0 Heikki collects vintage toys and Hilkka loves snap-closure handbags: “Things just find their way to us” Tue, 05 May 2026 09:52:40 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/heikki-and-hilkka-collectors-home https://www.kotona.com/articles/heikki-and-hilkka-collectors-home 0 12 stylish wall-plate display ideas—from vintage Arabia to flea market finds Tue, 05 May 2026 09:32:18 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/wall-plate-ideas https://www.kotona.com/articles/wall-plate-ideas 0 A Finnish family of six fell for a 1930s wooden house under the apple trees—then came an unwelcome surprise Mon, 04 May 2026 13:17:52 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/wooden-house-in-lahti https://www.kotona.com/articles/wooden-house-in-lahti 0 Cottage makeover inspiration from the Finnish archipelago: Tina knocked down a cottage wall for a sea view Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:31:17 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/villa-allunda-in-the-vaasa-archipelago https://www.kotona.com/articles/villa-allunda-in-the-vaasa-archipelago 0 Tiny cabin, clever living: 8 space-saving decor ideas from Finnish cottages Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:03:17 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/small-space-decor-ideas-from-finnish-cabins https://www.kotona.com/articles/small-space-decor-ideas-from-finnish-cabins 0 This Helsinki home used to be a coffee roastery—now it’s pure Nordic style Wed, 29 Apr 2026 09:57:13 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/janne-naakka-home https://www.kotona.com/articles/janne-naakka-home 0 How a Finnish family restored an abandoned house into a charming home—straight out of a Nordic storybook Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:23:04 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/19th-century-abandoned-house https://www.kotona.com/articles/19th-century-abandoned-house 0 Heini builds a Finnish glass collection on a shoestring—often when sellers don’t recognize the designer Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:29:06 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/finnish-glass-collector-heini-lehtosalo https://www.kotona.com/articles/finnish-glass-collector-heini-lehtosalo 0 “So beautiful I could hardly believe it at first”: British ambassador Laura Davies on her pink Helsinki residence Mon, 27 Apr 2026 09:45:34 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/british-ambassadors-residence https://www.kotona.com/articles/british-ambassadors-residence 0 Juuli and Niko swapped an urban loft for their dream house in the Finnish countryside Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:47:59 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/juuli-and-niko-country-home https://www.kotona.com/articles/juuli-and-niko-country-home 0 In this 1850s house, even the wallpaper gets painted—Finnish artist Vilhelmiina Mustajärvi hears color like music Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:19:52 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/home-of-artist-vilhelmiina-mustajarvi https://www.kotona.com/articles/home-of-artist-vilhelmiina-mustajarvi 0 Unsure about Ultima Thule? Set a fresh table with this textured-glass classic Mon, 20 Apr 2026 14:00:41 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/ultima-thule-tablescape https://www.kotona.com/articles/ultima-thule-tablescape 0