Beauty of the unexpected Lovely cake decorations, extraordinary houseplants, gorgeous knit sweaters, endless renovations... We've gathered inspiring stories and ideas from passionate home enthusiasts on this page. Discover the beauty of the unexpected! Fri, 10 Jul 2026 07:00:13 +0000 Tue, 21 Jul 2026 22:09:25 +0000 Laminas_Feed_Writer 2 (https://getlaminas.org) https://www.kotona.com/themes/beauty-of-the-unexpected 5 homes where animals run the show—even one where pets have a floor all to themselves Fri, 10 Jul 2026 07:00:13 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/5-pet-homes https://www.kotona.com/articles/5-pet-homes 0 Milla wears Marimekko every day—and her coworkers couldn’t help noticing Thu, 11 Jun 2026 07:19:56 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/milla-wears-marimekko-every-day https://www.kotona.com/articles/milla-wears-marimekko-every-day 0 Swept away by cottage life: Kathrin Deter’s Finnish happy place Mon, 08 Jun 2026 11:32:30 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/kathrin-deter-swept-away-by-finnish-cottage-life https://www.kotona.com/articles/kathrin-deter-swept-away-by-finnish-cottage-life 0 Beyond the basic granny square—six creative crocheters show what’s possible Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:20:26 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/creative-crochet-ideas https://www.kotona.com/articles/creative-crochet-ideas 0 How to substitute yarn in a knitting pattern—yarn swaps made simple! Wed, 03 Jun 2026 08:48:22 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/how-to-substitute-yarn https://www.kotona.com/articles/how-to-substitute-yarn 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 “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 “A mended garment doesn’t signal poverty”—Rimma Gimpel’s visible mending is art with a message Wed, 27 May 2026 07:47:22 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/rimma-gimpel-visible-mending https://www.kotona.com/articles/rimma-gimpel-visible-mending 0 Flowerpot covers, a summer top and more: readers share charming granny-square crochet ideas Fri, 22 May 2026 12:16:45 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/readers-granny-square-crochet-projects https://www.kotona.com/articles/readers-granny-square-crochet-projects 0 Step inside Johanna and Börje’s crochet-filled camper van: “The only place I won’t crochet anything is the engine bay” Wed, 20 May 2026 10:58:39 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/johannas-crochet-filled-camper-van https://www.kotona.com/articles/johannas-crochet-filled-camper-van 0 Sauna etiquette: The unspoken rules of Finnish sauna Tue, 19 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/finnish-sauna-etiquette https://www.kotona.com/articles/finnish-sauna-etiquette 0 Sauna quiz: Do you know the unspoken rules of Finnish sauna? Tue, 19 May 2026 05:42:22 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/finnish-sauna-quiz https://www.kotona.com/articles/finnish-sauna-quiz 0 “I work a little magic to make knits fit plus-size bodies”—Emmi Pääkkönen shares how she adjusts knitting patterns Wed, 13 May 2026 09:25:18 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/emmis-plus-size-knits https://www.kotona.com/articles/emmis-plus-size-knits 0 What stays with you after moving back home? Three Finns reflect on life abroad Tue, 12 May 2026 13:32:10 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/three-finns-reflect-on-life-abroad https://www.kotona.com/articles/three-finns-reflect-on-life-abroad 0 Lea knitted showstopping flame socks for Eurovision night: “The trophy is coming back to Finland” Fri, 08 May 2026 12:21:32 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/eurovision-flame-socks https://www.kotona.com/articles/eurovision-flame-socks 0 Make easy Eurovision flame lollipops to cheer on Finland Fri, 08 May 2026 12:20:03 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/eurovision-flame-lollipops https://www.kotona.com/articles/eurovision-flame-lollipops 0 Even knitting isn’t what it used to be Wed, 06 May 2026 11:21:14 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/katri-jaalamaas-column-on-how-knitting-has-changed https://www.kotona.com/articles/katri-jaalamaas-column-on-how-knitting-has-changed 0 Viral banana socks answer the call—knitters whip up pairs for volunteer fire brigade: “The fit surprised everyone” Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:15:26 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/banana-socks-for-on-call-volunteer-firefighters https://www.kotona.com/articles/banana-socks-for-on-call-volunteer-firefighters 0 Ever tried visible mending? Meet 4 Finnish makers whose outfits will inspire you to mend and upcycle Wed, 29 Apr 2026 10:19:06 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/visible-mending https://www.kotona.com/articles/visible-mending 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 13 reasons to hit the sauna—the health benefits of Finnish sauna bathing Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:56:57 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/finnish-sauna-health-benefits https://www.kotona.com/articles/finnish-sauna-health-benefits 0 Anna found her calling as a traditional sauna practitioner: “It felt like returning to my spiritual home” Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:04:03 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/traditional-sauna-practitioner-anna-velten https://www.kotona.com/articles/traditional-sauna-practitioner-anna-velten 0 From concrete cube to color: Jenni and Milla’s loft makeover—“From ceiling to floor, it was nothing but gray and bleak” Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:34:09 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/colorful-loft-home-in-helsinki https://www.kotona.com/articles/colorful-loft-home-in-helsinki 0 Pastor Jaana crochets granny-square stoles for her vestments: “I crochet the joys and sorrows I encounter” Thu, 02 Apr 2026 07:36:23 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/pastor-jaana-crocheted-stoles https://www.kotona.com/articles/pastor-jaana-crocheted-stoles 0 Finnish Stina paints stones for passersby to find: “I almost always have a stone in my pocket when I go to the store” Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:39:54 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/stinas-painted-stones https://www.kotona.com/articles/stinas-painted-stones 0 “In England you need to be a millionaire to live near the woods”—Sara and Conor moved to Finland for a slower life Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:28:18 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/sara-and-conor-moved-with-their-family-from-england-to-finland https://www.kotona.com/articles/sara-and-conor-moved-with-their-family-from-england-to-finland 0 How Finnish are you? Take our quiz and see if you share the Nordic mindset Thu, 19 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/how-finnish-are-you-quiz https://www.kotona.com/articles/how-finnish-are-you-quiz 0 Elisa finds coveted Arabia and Kupittaan Savi pots for a few euros: “Part of the thrill of collecting is scoring a bargain” Thu, 05 Mar 2026 12:57:37 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/elisas-vintage-pots https://www.kotona.com/articles/elisas-vintage-pots 0 Help us bring you more happiness! Take our survey and get a free magazine Wed, 25 Feb 2026 11:06:15 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/kotona-survey-2026 https://www.kotona.com/articles/kotona-survey-2026 0 Very Finnish Problems’ Joel jokes about Finnish clichés online, but in real life he’s just like one of us—“The cheese slicer is a brilliant invention!” Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:12:47 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/very-finnish-problems-joel-willans-feels-at-home-in-finland https://www.kotona.com/articles/very-finnish-problems-joel-willans-feels-at-home-in-finland 0 68 sweaters! At 90, Eila knit Icelandic sweaters for the whole family—each one reflects its wearer Wed, 11 Feb 2026 09:30:21 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/eila-knit-icelandic-sweaters-for-the-family https://www.kotona.com/articles/eila-knit-icelandic-sweaters-for-the-family 0 “The roof looks straight and I don’t smell mold,” Satu reasoned—then bought an abandoned house to make it her home Fri, 06 Feb 2026 08:49:37 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/satu-tolvanen-renovates-an-abandoned-house-into-a-home https://www.kotona.com/articles/satu-tolvanen-renovates-an-abandoned-house-into-a-home 0 Spot Finland-themed motifs on Marjaana’s knit cape for the ski stands: “It sure was a scramble” Fri, 06 Feb 2026 08:14:51 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/marjaanas-knitted-cape https://www.kotona.com/articles/marjaanas-knitted-cape 0 Hooked on sunflower squares, Sari whipped up a coworker’s baby blanket: “It clicked right away” Tue, 03 Feb 2026 11:11:12 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/baby-blanket-sunflower-granny-squares https://www.kotona.com/articles/baby-blanket-sunflower-granny-squares 0 Hildur star Lauri Tilkanen is hooked on yarn—see the beautiful pieces he’s knit and crocheted Wed, 28 Jan 2026 11:37:09 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/lauri-tilkanen-knits https://www.kotona.com/articles/lauri-tilkanen-knits 0 Are you wintering like us Finns? 12 feel-good reasons to hunker down at home Fri, 23 Jan 2026 09:29:38 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/wintering-like-a-finn https://www.kotona.com/articles/wintering-like-a-finn 0 The blueprint of a Finn: 28 things we all agree on (quietly, of course) Wed, 14 Jan 2026 16:12:37 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/things-that-unite-finns https://www.kotona.com/articles/things-that-unite-finns 0 Kotona’s first year: from careful beginnings to banana socks loved worldwide Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:28:09 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/kotona-first-year https://www.kotona.com/articles/kotona-first-year 0 Singer Hanna Pakarinen knits and crochets without patterns—ADHD helped her see why making matters Mon, 05 Jan 2026 13:55:23 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/hanna-pakarinen-crafts https://www.kotona.com/articles/hanna-pakarinen-crafts 0 Houseplants for almost free: grow them from peanuts, pink peppercorns, and ginger Mon, 29 Dec 2025 14:37:44 +0000 https://www.kotona.com/articles/houseplant-almost-free https://www.kotona.com/articles/houseplant-almost-free 0