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Kristiina and Marko designed this house themselves, adapting a template blueprint from a self-build catalogue by adding extra bedrooms and bathrooms. They had spent months studying the catalogues without finding the perfect design for themselves and their five children.

‘I found a basic house structure I liked, then redesigned it to meet our needs,’ says Kristiina. ‘We mirrored the structure to give us twice the space, completely reworked and extended the kitchen, and changed the window layout to give ourselves plenty of light.’

Not content with simply designing the house, the couple also built most of it themselves, leaving only the foundation and frame to the professionals. They moved into a small cabin nearby during the construction period. By tucking the bedrooms and bathrooms away in the ‘wings’ at either end of the property, they were able to make the central open-plan kitchen-diner and living space the real focus of the home. ‘I wanted to be in the kitchen cooking while spending time with the children or entertaining guests at the same time,’ says Kristiina. ‘The open-plan space is amazing because it allows for this perfectly. It took hours of work and planning to get this part of the home just the way we wanted it, but we managed it! I’m still so happy with it eight years after moving in.’

Kristiina chose a white-on-white scheme to keep the busy family home feeling and looking stylish and uncluttered. But alongside the minimal decor, there’s still a place for comfort and personal touches: natural wood furniture, soft linen in grey tones, sheepskin throws and fresh flowers all add warmth and texture, giving this large living space a welcoming, cosy feel.