Båoden

Båoden showcases cabinets with traditional flower motifs and richly ornamented tools for yarn spinning. The Björkö cabinets are unique, with their design and flower paintings, characteristic of the archipelago. Carpenters and painters designed the cabinets, the style evolving during the 1850s to the mid-1900s. 

The cabinet closest to the door is younger than the other, despite its faded color. The year on the cabinet refers to when it was painted, not when it was built. Some cabinets were painted based on how many “swirls” (round flowers on the large cabinet) that was requested. The rest of the cabinet was decorated around the swirls. The styles are characteristic of each carpenter and painter. 

The cabinets were often built on site. All the carpenters left their own touch on the furniture they made. The inspiration was drawn from the experience they gained during the reconstruction of Vaasa after the fire in 1852, in which many carpenters from Björkö participated. They were mainly involved as interior carpenters, and they also learned woodturning. The cabinets with turned details are younger than the cabinets inside the Mortes' house. The carpenters were farmers, fishermen, and craftsmen, and during the winter, they made a living from their craft. 

On the wall, you see tools for the spinning wheel. With their rich decorations, they were valued more for their beauty than for their practical use. They were made as gifts during idle days of fishing trips.