Et Norsk hjem - I

Finally!!!! gasp; here comes my first Norsk Hjem (Norwegian home) of Rakel and Per. You won’t believe it’s more than a month I started on this project and I am only half way through :-).  This is not just a bunch of photos and some words put together, but this is a home with a heart. I have to warn you that this is  picture and text intensive post – but it will be worth the read if you can hold on :-).

Rakel says “This is a very personal home and I had to take care of all the priceless possessions and memories from our parents, Grandparents and Great grand parents and I chose to have a house that can take in the new classic furniture along with the old antiquities”.

Per says “This house was built in 1962 and there were lots of restrictions after the war and people were allowed to build a house of mere 80 Sq.m2, so as to secure resources to many people that needed homes after the war bombings.  We could not buy cars and had to have permission to buy a car”.

Per's childhood home - a farmer's home on a farm that he brought home many many treasures from

Per and Rakel represent the typical middleclass ( I would say rich though :-)) living in Norway.  Per is 75 years and retired as an electrical engineer and I call him Handy man – He is kind of a person who can do anything and everything and going strong at that age. Rakel will be 70 this month and retired as an advisor in middle school in our town. They travel around the world, keep themselves very busy, She goes for swimming regularly , once every month she meets a group of girl friends since her 1^st class in school ( that means friends for the past 65 years), member of the wine club , Art club where they read or listen to different art periods and then travel to that country to experience it . Per is member of International folk dance – the only male member, can play violin and piano, member of wine and song club, painting club and travels to Spain frequently and is interested in alternative medicine.   There house is a treasure cove of art pieces and family heirlooms.

Are you ready for the show. Hold your breath I am opening the door :-), this is  from per’s childhood home and dates back to 1800’s.

 Do we get something like this anywhere ?. Please let me know :-).

 With the intrusion of television into their cozy evenings, Rakel with a gleeful smile says – “Per had built this Fairytale room in 1970, to save the marriage:-),  where he could stay away from the idiot box and listen to his music”. Let us peep into this room which for the grand children is a story room and a room they could play theatre as well as hide and seek, the teenagers could dance their night out here and for friends and family it is THE music and song room – where guests are entertained,  and last but not the least it’s a room filled with precious family heirlooms.  

The imposing wooden Sekretaer  (secretary) is from around 1760 which was used for mails and documents.

 

Turn around and take a deep look at the painting done by Per’s aunt – tante Talle around 1940 – The famous story where a hen hatched the ducklings and is watching them swimming, from the shore, as it cannot swim. How sweet isn’t it. 

 The paraffin lamp is from the 17^th century and from Rakel’s grand grand parents which used to be hung in their farm house. 

My heart skipped a beat when I saw this beautiful wall defined by blue where they displayed little pieces of their life in 5 generations.

They built this on in 1980, a cute place with aged wood and filled with light,  very important – remember the long cold and dark winters.

 

Can you guess what this pic below is ….. Guess? or look for the answer in my next post. 

 

This plate holder is from Rakels Grandmother and is more than 200 years old. The screws are made with the wood and not metal. Does it ring any bell ? J

 

Rakel’s Plass ( Rakel’s place) – no no false assumptions please – She is not any great kitchen person :-). This is a board she got from her students when she retired from the middle school where she was an advisor. I would say that it is more Per’s place :-).

Look at these knives. So easy to pick the right one for the right chopping.

 

 Ofcourse the dining place is more beautiful and amongst the many guests that were entertained here, there was one special guest Rakel is very proud of - ambassador Gandhi – grandson of Mahatma Gandhi whom Rakel and I had the pleasure of inviting to our place.

The dining area is a mix of things – a bench bought from a café and the chairs are old too bought from a gallery and put together. The spice holders on the wall are from 1800’s.

 

Per and Rakel have candle lit dinners every evening with good tablescapes and nice conversations. When I asked her – do you fight – She said not AT THAT TIME :-).  

BTW - Per says that this is a poor man's house in Norway and Rakel says - may be a  middle class home :-). It is time to say bye now  :-) and if you enjoyed the tour leave a note to Rakel and Per - they will appreciate!