Northern Woman Restores Century-Old House with DIY Touch

The old grandmother«s house in the village of Belaya Sluda stood empty for ten years. Coming here in the summer, Severodvinsk resident Irina Kopylova always dreamed of renovating it. And at one point, she finally decided to do it. One could have thrown out the old junk, done a European-style renovation, but Irina chose a different path — she wanted to keep the house as six generations of the family remembered it.

Correspondents from 29.RU spoke with Irina about how to bring life back to an abandoned izba (traditional Russian house), why it«s important to preserve spinning wheels and stoves, and how to understand when an old house has accepted you as its own.

Bolshaya Sludka (Belaya Sluda) is a village in the Krasnoborsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast. This small settlement is very dear to Irina Kopylova«s heart. Her parents grew up here, and she did too: she went haymaking with relatives, listened to old tales, and ate her grandmother»s pies.

Then her grandmother died and the house stood empty — almost abandoned for 10 years. And in 2018, Irina decided to restore it.

According to the northern woman, this izba is over a hundred years old. The foundation of the dwelling was laid by her great-great-grandfather: huge larch logs have survived to this day. The house was last reconstructed in the 1970s.

«The House Welcomed You»

For several years in a row, Irina came to Belaya Sluda and improved the yard area. Why sit in the city on vacation when her grandmother«s house is empty, she reasoned.

«Old houses, I think, only accept their own kin,» says Irina. «As soon as I painted and whitewashed the windows from the outside, the house seemed to cheer up, to smile. My mother told me: »The house welcomed you.« That is, you really feel as if the house has its own soul, especially old houses.»

Irina is 51 years old, a working retiree. She was a teacher and worked in publishing. She has loved decorating spaces since childhood, and even long ago took interior design courses. The northern woman admits that this knowledge partly helped her in transforming the house. And her husband supported her — he took on the heavy work during the renovation.

The work inside the izba began with the stoves. For example, the Russian stove — «the house»s landmark« — Irina covered with acrylic fireproof varnish and decorated.

The appearance of the living room was determined by wallpaper that had been lying unused for a long time, Irina says. As soon as it was pasted up, it became clear: the room would be delicate, with retro details in the Provence style.

It used to be common to zone space with curtains. But Irina decided to abandon this solution in favor of openness and light.

«In the morning you wake up — it»s hard to put into words how wonderful it is,« the woman smiles. »That morning light, the whole room is bright, you wake up — such relaxation, incomparable to anything.«

The kitchen turned out bright: a turquoise cabinet restored by her own hands, curtains with patterns on the window and stove, rugs, painted dishes, and dried flowers.

«I nurture ideas for a whole year, buy something, come up with something. I remember when I first got into decor: I learned to weave from paper vine, wove a box, various little vases, caskets. I packed it all into the car — I remember, stuffed it to the brim — and took it there,» says the owner of the old house.

Save a Relic from the Dump

Irina is sure: the soul of the house is in the antique things that hold history and the atmosphere of the past.

«It»s various utensils… A samovar, for example, an old one stands there. My grandmother«s homespun sundress — she wove it herself, dyed it, wore it. And the colors haven»t faded to this day,« Irina says.

The furniture also survived: her great-grandfather«s carved white chairs, an old little table, cabinets. Many items her grandmother didn»t even use anymore, they just lay there, forgotten by everyone. Irina found them and brought them back to life.

Irina began using an old chest instead of a wardrobe for storing blankets and pillows.

On the veranda stands an iron bed, also rescued from the dump.

«Dad remembered how he jumped on it as a little boy. They already wanted to throw it out, but I didn»t allow it. Dad even welded a hook for the canopy himself — he participated in the decoration,« Irina smiles.

The woman remembers the antique mirror from childhood — it always stood in her grandmother«s house. Over the decades, only the color of the frame changed: first black, then brown, now white. Who and when bought it, the family no longer remembers.

«For me, this mirror is special: perhaps more than one generation of our family looked into it. There»s something sacred about it — as if the mirror holds the memory of my ancestors. Yes, it has small chips, but it continues to serve. People pass away, but the mirror remains — as a witness to the lives of several generations,« the owner muses.

During the renovation of the veranda, when they raised the house and replaced rotten logs, they pulled buried posts and old iron parts from the ground. Irina«s father suggested that long, long ago there was a stable or forge nearby. Irina carefully saved all the finds just in case.

The owner preserves old chests, boxes, tools. In the northern woman«s collection there are two spinning wheels: one grandmother»s with a real old spindle, and the second — more modern. All of them preserve family history and decorate the house.

At the same time, it was the antique things that helped Irina save significantly on the renovation: she didn«t have to buy furniture.

«I used everything old that was available. It seemed like things were already unnecessary, almost for throwing out. For example, a wardrobe: they were already about to take it out, but I said: no, I see that something interesting can be made from it. And so a little sofa came out, seemingly from nothing,» says our interviewee.

An old worn kitchen cabinet also found a second life. Irina painted it the same color as the sideboard, applied a similar pattern — and the item immediately became part of the thoughtful interior.

The main expenses, she admits, went on paint, tools, chandeliers, and textiles. Everything else she tried to do herself, even sewing curtains and weaving decor from rattan.

The Worst Thing Is to Try to «Modernize»

When Irina Kopylova shared the story of the house«s transformation online, she noticed responses from other users: some showed their own houses and spinning wheels, others asked for advice on furniture restoration.

«And somehow it warms the heart that our people don»t abandon houses after all, but try to preserve them.«

However, many still don«t feel the value of antique items and spaces, believes the Severodvinsk resident.

Irina Kopylova is sure: almost any old izba can be turned into a dream house if you don«t rush and first honestly answer the question »Why?« For weekend rest, for summer living, for receiving guests, or for all of the above — everything else depends on this decision.

«First of all, you need to assess the house as it is,» says Irina. «What condition it»s in, what has been preserved, and what has already been lost. And only then decide what exactly you want to do with it.«

According to her, old wooden walls are not a problem, but a big advantage. If the timber isn«t painted or covered, it»s better to keep it exposed if possible.

«I really like it when the wood is visible. In the worst case, you can carefully whitewash or lightly paint it, but so that the texture remains. The worst thing is to try to »modernize« an izba with drywall. It ruins everything: kills the atmosphere and makes the house faceless,» the northern woman believes.

It«s important not to overdo it with decor. »Clutter« is another common mistake, Irina says. You shouldn»t hang everything in the house at once, even if the things themselves are beautiful.

«It»s better to choose two main colors, maximum three, and stick to them. For example, in my kitchen, I ended up with burgundy and green. Yes, the wallpaper there is colorful, but that was a conscious decision — there simply weren«t other materials at the time. I used what I had, but tried to incorporate it neatly and appropriately.»

Irina advises not to be frightened by the lack of budget and not to think immediately about purchases. Sometimes the needed things are already there — just not in sight.

«Look in the storeroom, attic, shed, hayloft, or basement. Very often, old household items are found there that can be adapted: tighten something here, paint something there, attach or remake something.»

According to Irina Kopylova, the main resource in such a house is imagination. And if it seems there aren«t enough ideas, the internet comes to the rescue.

«There are so many examples now: how people decorate, paint, sew, draw themselves. These aren»t professional designers — ordinary people, and they do it excellently. You can peek color combinations, techniques, ideas and adapt them for yourself.«

«If you»ve chosen a direction, you need to stick to it. Don«t tear the house into pieces with different solutions. Less is more, simpler, but cohesive. Then even an old izba starts to look like a real home, not a collection of random things.»

Preserve the Family Nest

Thoughts of turning the house into a museum or tourist space have occurred to Irina Kopylova more than once. But for that, you need to live in the village permanently and fully dedicate yourself to it. For now, work in Severodvinsk doesn«t allow that opportunity.

«The goal now is to live in this house in the summer, to rest. And I, of course, dream of preserving this family nest for my future descendants, next generations, so that my children come there. And to make a small family museum, because, in principle, there are enough exhibits that could be preserved and shown,» says Irina Kopylova.

In the summer, Irina plans to repair the stove pipe and roof. In the unfinished room, an already polished wardrobe and a large cabinet await restoration.

There is a warm, almost symbolic dream — to fire up the Russian stove and cook childhood pies in it: shangi and presnetsy (traditional Russian pastries).

There«s plenty of work outside too. In the back of the house, there was once a ramp to the hayloft, and livestock was kept below. The structures are partially preserved, but the logs at the base have rotted over the years. Irina plans to carefully disassemble and update this area, keeping it safe and usable.

«I want to re-roof, put up a fence, and finally replace the windows with plastic ones for warmth, so I can come in winter too. In general, there are many plans. If only I have enough time, health, strength. And money, of course,» says Irina.