We’ve been living in our current home for more than 20 years. During that time, however, we have spent some years abroad. This home provided a good environment for a family with children and – after our children moved out – now for the two of us and one small dog.

Home is a sanctuary for us, the most important place in the world. It’s always good to come home after a trip, for example. It doesn’t matter whether an apartment is your own or a rental home, everyone always makes their home unique, just right for themselves.

While abroad, we always lived in rental homes, but we slept in our own bed and sat at our own dining table. Our own furniture and other personal and beloved belongings make an apartment a home.

Last summer, I closed my monday TO sunday HOME shop and I’m currently working from my home office. For me, a home office means working at the dining table or in a corner of the sofa – or beside the warmth of the fireplace in the winter. I feel calm when I look out the window to the forest that starts in our backyard. Changes in the seasons can be seen and experienced very strongly here in the middle of nature.

All five of our children have already moved out, and our home here in Espoo now consists of my husband, myself and our little dog Fina.

It’s often said how wonderful it is to be at home. No wonder, as a lot of small and big things happen in the home. It’s a place where you love, sometimes quarrel, raise children and go through both sorrows and joys. You also work there, enjoy hobbies, spend time with friends and celebrate. Home is a refuge when life gets hard. At least, that’s how I feel.

My style has not changed much over the years. I’m a slave to my ways and almost always look for light and harmonious colours for my home, and I don’t really follow trends. I don’t have any particular style when it comes to decorating our home. I’d say our home is quite classic, but I also dream of a modern home. That may be what our next home will be like. However, the light colours of home always remain. Certain decorative objects and sofa cushions may change, but the style and colour scheme will always be lightly harmonious.

I also love lamps. Table lamps in particular are my weakness. And so are dishes. For almost a decade, I had my own ceramics brand, monday TO sunday, and I own a large collection of handmade dishes that I designed. We have moved many times and the first thing I have always done when moving is look for a flower shop or get sticks from a nearby forest or from the side of the road to put in a vase. Living plants in vases are my thing.

I have a few favourite places in my home. First, I could mention the kitchen, because I like cooking. When our adult children come to visit, we spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It’s nice to chat together while we eat at the dining table connected with the living room. In addition, one of my favourite spots is one of our large sofas. When I need to rest, I curl up in a corner of the sofa and watch my favourite shows or take a nap.

I also like the feeling of space and light in our home, which is made possible by the large windows. I doubt there is ever too much light here in the north. While working, I can watch the life of the nearby forest from our windows. Rabbits, squirrels, foxes and deer pass through our yard into the forest.

While living in major cities abroad, such as Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Warsaw, I began to appreciate pure nature and silence, as well as being able to go for a walk in the woods or by the sea straight from my front door. Nature and being close to the sea seem increasingly important in my living environment. I enjoy being able to pick cow parsley and daisies from the roadside or sit in my own yard during a summer evening.

As a residential area, Espoo offers both closeness to nature and good services. In the winter, you can find places to ski, and in the summer, spots where you can pick berries. We often walk with our dog in our local forest, on the rocks of Sammalvuori. The forest is always different depending on the season. In the summer, we love the light and birdsong filtering through the trees. In the winter, the forest is peaceful under a blanket of snow. Whenever I want to enjoy the life of a big city or miss the services offered by the capital, it’s only a short trip to Helsinki from our home.

This is a good place to live and work.