'We have lots of VINTAGE GEMS'

With an eye for a flea market bargain, Fransisca has filled her traditional wooden house with rustic-industrial style

JONNA KIVILAHTI, KAREN WILSON

COME ON IN!

ABOUT ME I’m Fransisca Lindholm, 35, an interior designer (franco.fi). I live here with my partner Björn Englund, 41, a salesman and truck driver.

OUR HOME A four-bedroom 1890s wooden house in Raasepori, southern Finland. We moved here in May 2015.

WHEN I MOVED IN It was structurally sound and had been fully renovated by the previous owners, but the interior felt a little too modern for our taste.

AND NOW We’ve given it a muted earthy colour palette and added rustic vintage furniture to honour the age of the house.

STYLE TIP I really believe that less is more and choosing good quality materials will go a long way.

After living in a tiny apartment, having the space to decorate our home for Christmas has been wonderful,’ says Fransisca.‘Our previous home in nearby Tammisaari was lovely, but tiny at just 42sq m, so we were desperate for more space.

Initially we thought about a self-build and I’d already got excited sketching out ideas for our dream house. Then by chance, I came across our new home online, took a drive and fell in love with the garden, the spirit of the place and all the potential we saw. It was five times bigger than our previous place and also had a big industrial barn that would be perfect for parties. The house was built in 1893 and the former owner had done some major renovations to it, including replacing the roof and redoing the plumbing and electrics. All the big, costly things had already been done, which made things much easier for us.

Enhancing its charm

Although it was in good condition, the style was too modern for us. We wanted to bring the old traditional look back to the house and make it our own. I believe you should always respect the architecture and style of your home as the end result will look amazing. To begin with, we focused on painting the downstairs rooms, including the main bedroom, which is between the dining room and living room. We’re in no rush to finish the house, so the upstairs guest bedrooms, office and bathroom will come to life little by little when we can afford it. I like to take my time planning each room and when it comes to interior materials I don’t like to compromise. I’d rather wait until we have the money to do it right. In the long run it works out cheaper as otherwise you’d be constantly changing things. I’d rather save up and buy one expensive table that I’ll love forever, rather than five cheap ones over the course of a few years.

Creating the look