Modern Norwegian house. Scandinavian Style Houses - Norwegian Houses. interesting facts about Norwegians

Norway is a uniquely beautiful country, unlike any other. It owes its stunning landscapes to tectonic processes and glaciers that died out here in the past.

Harsh environment and climate determined the Nordic character of the people living in Norway. In some places in this country it rains 300 days a year. Their attitude towards nature can be expressed in one word - do no harm.

Norwegian dachas are like mushrooms that grew on their own and became natural components of the surrounding landscape. There are no traces of fences or elaborate architectural delights in the dacha plots. The main criterion when choosing a location for a country house is the beauty of the surrounding world.

Despite having the highest per capita income in Europe, Norwegians don't like to stand out. Their houses are simple and functional. But when it comes to the ecology of the home, they have no equal.

Take, for example, the materials they use to cover the roof. Where else can you find so many houses with slate and grass turf roofs? In Norway country houses with such a coating is a good tradition. This reflects not only the desire of people to integrate even more closely with nature, but also certain practical advantages.

For hundreds of years, Norwegians covered the roofs of their buildings with turf. This guaranteed them good protection from the cold. Modern Norwegian builders also use a similar technique, which has now come to be called the “living roof.” Green roofs are roofs that are partially or completely covered with soil and vegetation, as well as a special plant medium grown in moisture-retaining membranes.

Creation green roofs, in addition to excellent aesthetic advantages, is beneficial for several reasons:

It reduces the load on climate systems inside the building due to plant mass, which provides natural cooling through evaporation or serves as a passive storage for solar heat. Green roofs reduce heat loss and energy costs - due to vegetation cover, there is a 26% reduction in the need for summer cooling (the same percentage reduction in energy costs occurs in winter).
Green cover increases the service life of roofs by 2-3 times, according to research by the University of Pennsylvania Research Center, USA.
The presence of green roofs increases the number of wildlife in the built-up area.

The main type of recreation for Norwegians in the countryside is contemplation. Even when they are at the dacha, it seems that there is no one there - no screams, no noise, no smoke. They can sit and admire nature for hours. Only peace and silence around.

Norwegians are very respectful of their children, so at almost every summer cottage there is a small one children's playhouse, where children can feel like full-fledged owners. This instills in them self-reliance and independence.

There are minimal visible signs of human intervention on the site. Everything has been cleaned, nothing is lying around, there is no garbage at all, so it seems that country house I just grew up in nature.

Today the house is in Norwegian style- this is a number one hit for connoisseurs of the combination High Quality execution and functionality of a residential property. This fact is confirmed by the rapidly growing number of similar houses throughout the post-Soviet space. However, there is nothing surprising here, since our Scandinavian neighbors managed to find the perfect balance between comfort, environmental friendliness and harmonious appearance - the most important characteristics modern housing.

Often for those who make a choice in favor of a house project in the Norwegian style, it becomes a revelation that this is a modern, brought to mind Russian hut - this is exactly what the first log buildings in Norway originally looked like. Once upon a time, Varangian hired workers were brought to their homeland and gradually improved the technology of building residential buildings in Rus'. Thus, a cutting method with a self-jamming lock appeared, which prevents the appearance of cracks as the wood dries out. Over time, the technology has improved and since the 13th century it has been considered traditional Norwegian.

Several centuries later, thanks to the development of industry and improvements in processing building materials, the Norwegian style rapidly evolved and took place of honor in the most popular areas of housing construction. The architects discarded unnecessary decor, worked on the functionality of every detail of the interior, took into account the peculiarities of daylight hours and obtained the formula for the ideal home - a house in the Norwegian style.

Main features and style elements

Traditional Scandinavian housing is a declaration of love for everything natural, starting with the landscape around the house, which designers strive to leave in its original form, and ending with the selection of interior details, usually made only from natural materials.

The hallmark of the Norwegian architectural style, are considered:

One-story building. At first glance, a traditional Norwegian house seems small and even squat, but its layout is so well thought out that any skeptic who walks inside will be surprised at how spacious it is.
One-and-a-half-light living room. It does not have a straight ceiling, due to which the height of the vault reaches 3.5 meters, so the living room, which is usually combined with the kitchen, is always filled with air and light.
Small living rooms. In contrast to the living room, bedrooms have a small area - this way they retain heat much better.
Massive logs. The thicker they are, the better, and ideally they are processed by hand so that all the lines are natural.
Small windows with traditional decorative elements.
Wooden spillways. Even here the Norwegians remained faithful natural wood. But the peculiarity of the drainage system is the iron chains through which water flows from the roof - this important detail, which emphasizes the architectural style.
Grass roof. This is unusual for us, but if you implement the design of a traditional Norwegian house, then you can’t do it without it. Vegetation is not needed for a fairy-tale setting - grass cover plays the role of a layer that regulates temperature fluctuations and improves sound insulation. It is also an excellent air purifier.
Simplicity and clarity of lines. There is no place for flashiness and pretentiousness in a house made in the Norwegian style.

Materials

A feature of the construction and decoration of houses in the Norwegian style is the use of environmentally friendly natural materials: wood, stone, metal, ceramics. Naturally, this is not a cheap pleasure, and quite often, without calculating their financial capabilities, future owners of such housing replace natural materials artificial (plastic panels, melamine boards, fake diamond or imitation wood). Unfortunately, this appearance the building is losing its flavor.

The modern approach to building a house or cottage in the Norwegian style may differ slightly from the traditional one:

walls can be decorated with aged wood or even plastered; elements decorated with carvings are allowed - this is how the house acquires individuality. During construction, they are increasingly used for decoration. wooden beams and place them both horizontally and vertically;
finishing with siding (wooden) or natural stone is allowed;
the area of bedrooms increases;
window openings, thanks to new technologies, are designed as large as possible.

But the basic principles of facade design remain unchanged:

wood is processed minimally so that it has natural look. As a rule, tinting is enough to give it the desired shade. In rare cases, they use varnish or paint the facade red, brown, gray or beige.
Window trims and doors are coated with contrasting color paint. Today we meet and bright houses: orange, bright red, complemented by green or blue details;
window frames must be massive and made of natural wood;
the facade should be restrained, laconic in shape;
It is necessary to maintain the cleanliness of the lines of all elements.

Norwegian style houses - photos

Easter holidays

Norwegian cottages: not quite what you expected.

Perhaps the most fun time of the year has passed in Norway - the Easter holidays. Most Norwegians prefer to spend these holidays at their dacha. What is a dacha in understanding Russian citizens? A house in the field where you work tirelessly in nearby beds, or a large one Vacation home, where it’s so fun to get together with friends over a barbecue.

It's no wonder that Norwegian cottages are so captivating. So, let's describe the typical features of a Norwegian dacha.

A Norwegian dacha is usually located in the middle of nowhere.

The further, the better. However, there are very lazy Norwegians who choose a dacha not far from the city. However, most Norwegians like to be completely away from civilization, so sometimes, looking at the houses located at the very top of the mountain, you can’t help but be amazed at how they get there.

Hytte-dacha

The Norwegian dacha is located next to a pond.

Ideally, the cottage should be located on the seashore, but a local lake is also quite suitable. The nearby river allows you to completely dispense with the conditions of technological progress, because there is access to water. Norwegians love to be in nature and abandon civilization for a while.

Innsjø - lake

Nav - sea

The Norwegian cottage is built of wood.

We are used to dachas from white stone on the seashore, but for Norwegians a dacha is a building made of wood. The volumes and scale of this building vary depending on tastes, preferences and financial conditions owner. There are traditional small houses with one floor and one front door, within the framework of ancient traditions, there are houses from log beams with grass growing on the roof, and there are luxurious buildings made of wood and glass, with windows covering the entire wall, towering over the mountains.

The Norwegian cottage has a simple interior.

Again, the interior is a matter of taste. Some people have full antiques in their dacha from the time of their great-grandmother, others have modern furniture, but the common thing is that country house interior is always secondary, and the main investment is made in the main residence.

Interior - interior, furnishings

On Norwegian dacha play Board games.

Dacha is a pastime in a narrow circle. These could be colleagues, friends and, of course, family. A common pastime for Norwegians is playing board games, solving puzzles and crosswords, and cooking. Often there is no TV or laptops at the dacha.

Having sent my husband off to work again without five minutes, I happily accepted the idea of his parents to go together to their country house or “hitta” as they call them here. I already knew that this was a very unusual thing. The fact is that there are campsites scattered throughout Norway. Anyone who has their own mobile home can rent a plot there for a day, two, or even a year! But there is another group of people. Those who, due to age or other reasons, are no longer eager to travel around the country. Then they buy a campsite, put a trailer house there (in our case, it’s a 6-meter long building) and add a couple of rooms and a veranda to it. That's it, the dacha is ready! True, they often use it before the onset of cold weather, although some may come in winter. I hope you understand that the issue of electricity and water supply is not even touched upon. This is the kind of building I had to go to. Our path lay in the ski resort of Oppdal, located at an altitude of 500 meters above sea level. The road was extremely picturesque. Tunnels cut into the rocks, sharp turns concealing stunning views, mountain rapids and waterfalls. From time to time I had to slow down and lightly push the bumper under the curly butt of the gaping sheep. Pastures stretched along the road, and animals sometimes crossed from one side to the other.

Speaking of little animals, or more precisely about their mortal fate. The Forikol festival is expected this weekend. It is named after a Norwegian dish that is traditionally prepared and sold at the festival. This food is simple. Actually, in Norwegianfå ri- this is a lamb,kå l- White cabbage. Pieces of lamb are laid out with cabbage leaves, peppercorns to taste, the whole thing is filled with water and flour diluted in it and simmered over low heat for 2-3 hours. Served with boiled potatoes. Gourmets eat the dish the next day, preheated. I tried it both immediately cooked and a day later. The difference is really noticeable. So now is the time full swing lambs are slaughtered and joyfully eaten

One landscape particularly impressed me. We drove along the edge of a mountain gorge and on the opposite side, on a slope right in the mountain, there was a house perched. A funicular and electrical communications led to it. There is not a single building in the entire field of view. You can often meet such weirdos in Norway. They build houses on the outskirts and live in unity with nature. However, with all this, they have both television and mobile connection, and the Internet. I stared at this house as if spellbound and thought about how miraculously it clings to the rocks, while trying to imagine what I could do there. I came to the conclusion that I would have died of boredom in a week, okay, in two, if I had been there with Geir. In short, with all my thoughts, I forgot to take a photo. I'll try to do this on the way back.

So, we arrived at the campsite. Indeed, trailers with wooden outbuildings! Some have more, some have less. In some places there are just houses on wheels, the owners of which obviously came for a short time. There are several wooden houses, which you can simply rent. I was immediately given a tour of the campsite. There is also a common place for a picnic and grill, a children's playground with a trampoline and swings, and a small swimming pool (closed in this wonderful weather). There is a small house with a shower (hitts often do not have a shower) and toilets (many residents prefer to use public ones for “big things”). By the way, there is a payment machine in the shower hot water: 10 CZK - 4 minutes (and I must note that when you are chilled to the bones, you don’t mind the money, and the water is really scalding). Eat small kitchen and a couple washing machines, which are mainly used by visitors. Small Gym, bicycle rental, TV room, where hitt owners sometimes host small get-togethers. In short, everything for life.

The next day we went to Trondheim, a large city by Norwegian standards (200 thousand people), 100 km from Hittite. By the way, at first there was a misunderstanding when they told me 10 miles. Half an hour later I asked if we hadn’t driven 20 km? It turned out that they meant Norwegian miles: 1 mile - 10 km! They predicted a boring landscape and a tedious road for me. Ha! They call this beauty boring?! Totally screwed! All along there are mountain rivers. I really liked the smaller ones, then large boulders stuck out of the water and the water, seething and foaming, doomed them. We met a deer at the edge of the forest. I don’t know why, but he was very long-eared. Either this is the view, or individual feature. My fellow travelers expressed dissatisfaction with the busyness of the traffic. And I realized that if there are 4-5 cars in sight, then this is a lot of traffic.

But here comes Trondheim. I was happy multi-storey buildings, I missed you, as it turned out. And almost the first thing I saw was a stunning Gothic castle with many turrets and wings. It turned out that this main church Norway, built in who knows what year. An impressive building. So, the question of which city to visit after the wedding disappeared immediately. I want to see the castle church!

Plus, there is a royal residence nearby and a restaurant in a rotating tower, from the window of which you can see a panoramic view of the city. But our goal was not to get acquainted with the sights of the city, but to shop! I wanted to see the local Ikea. Sweden is nearby, maybe this will affect the assortment. Yes... Moscow Ikea is resting. I did not convert crowns into rubles, but drew a parallel with the average salary. In short, imagine that coffee tables cost from 15 to 400 rubles. I thought, what can I buy there for 1000 crowns (this is the same as with our salaries being 500 rubles)? It turned out to be everything I wanted and even more. I liked Ikea. After visiting several more stores, we will be forced to return a day later in order to pick up some bulky items that simply did not fit into the car. I was only glad of this, and on the way back I tried to spot beautiful places for photography so that I could take pictures on Saturday.

On Friday it was planned to go to the peak of the mountain by cable car, and walk the way back. But, as is usual for Norway, the weather ruined all plans. It started raining in the morning, plus a cold north wind. After staying at home until noon and waiting for a relative calm in the weather, Siri (future mother-in-law) and I decided to go on a test walk outside the campsite. And of course, at the most distant point it started to rain again. Having been soaked to the skin, we diligently warmed up with red wine, snacking on chocolate and boiled egg- everything that was found in the refrigerator. I'm afraid we had a little too much alcohol, because for the rest of the day Birger (future father-in-law) wandered around us in circles and said, "crazy women" He also had to drive to the grocery store and cook lunch. So it was a sort of alcoholic day.

However, the libations did not stop me from setting an alarm for 8 am so that I could go to Trondheim to get my things together with Birger. Having gotten up at the bell, sleepy and without lenses (almost blind), to gain courage, I decided to use the toilet on the street. After all, -4 degrees should be quite invigorating, right? In general, I went outside and almost fell down - my sneakers went on the snow! But I woke up right away! I rushed for the camera, knowing that I wouldn’t believe myself later - snow in early October! An hour later, having secured the trailer to the Land Rover, we set off. Indescribable beauty! It felt like we were alone on the entire planet - silence and calm. Fog flowed over the water, the forest, lightly powdered with snow, enchanted. I stared into the depths, and would not have been surprised if a gnome and an elf suddenly came out from behind the trees. No! Or rather, I was surprised why they didn’t come out! They were probably busy... Somehow I no longer wanted to make fun of the Norgs who believe in trolls.

After some time, the sun warmed up, the snow melted and the charm dissipated. Having taken many photographs, found a clearing with a colossal amount of mushrooms, picked up large items and munched on a hot dog with gusto, we returned to hitta. They returned, however, not for long. I wanted to see the festival. Unfortunately, the sun began to sink towards the horizon and it became noticeably colder. And it was no longer a pleasure to look at the children's orchestra, whose lips blue from the cold were blowing out melodies from trumpets, trombones and simply pipes. There was a fair nearby. Very beautiful things were presented there: tanned sheep skins, various trunks, cradles, armchairs and tables self made made with wood carvings. But for some reason, all the items were more suitable for a house, and not for an apartment, they were very bulky. So I limited myself cutting board, woolen socks and a refrigerator magnet. The second half of the room housed a food fair. Finally I tried lufse! It looks like our Armenian lavash, only 1.5 cm thick and sweet. Delicious stuff, perfect with jam or brown cheese! Of course, smoked salmon, and not raised in captivity, but wild, prohibited from import and limited in catch. It has a richer, stronger flavor and is less fatty. Butter with various additives. I didn’t buy it, but I really liked it with garlic and basil. I'll try to do this myself at home. Sausages and smoked meat, in my opinion, were not very different from ours. But the cheesecake was a rare disgusting thing! After examining the products for sale, we went to try the main dish - forikol. Well, to the people! For the first time in Norway I saw more than 50 people at the same time! We would have stood in line for a meal, but the whole thing was spoiled by the orchestra, furiously playing folk tunes. And since all three of us could not stand the howling of the violins, it was decided to simply buy fresh lamb and grill it.

On Sunday we returned to Kristiansund. And again along the way I admired the stunning view.

Last week, a Norwegian couple had an extravagant wedding that was covered by every news agency in the world. The celebration took place in the lighthouse building: the 79-year-old groom appeared before his 65-year-old bride, having sailed about a kilometer through the stormy sea. In addition to his enviable health, the man has retained an excellent sense of humor in his years: “We agreed: if I’m ready to say “yes,” I’ll swim to the shore. If “no,” I’ll go to the open sea...”

This story fits perfectly with the post about the life of Norwegians. Indeed, these are healthy and energetic people who take care of themselves and their home, respect each other and honor traditions. Our guide Ekaterina, who has been married to a Norwegian for 17 years, kindly invited us to visit her. In their old house, once upon a time there was an inn where travelers stopped for the night. To this day they preserve the atmosphere of Scandinavian history in every detail. With their consent, I want to publish photographs of the house and tell a little about how Norwegians live...

Ekaterina is a very hospitable hostess. After leaving us at the Kon-Tiki Museum, she went home and prepared lunch for us. Living room:

A mirror framed with a collar reminds of the inn:

In some places Russian motifs pop up in the interior of the house:

Magnets:

Cozy veranda for receiving guests:

In the courtyard there is a small children's area with swings and a net:

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The stuffed animal somehow resembled a stubborn fox:

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By the way, guess what it is. In Russian folk tradition There is also such an item, but it looks a little different. Write your answers in the comments:

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Many interior items are made by hand. For example, an old basket turns into an authentic chandelier:

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Husband's office. He is an avid hunter, so there are a lot of weapons in the room (and throughout the house). Catherine says that on the first day after the wedding, she found a loaded pistol on her husband’s pillow. According to tradition, newlyweds should shoot immediately after the first night:

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A narrow staircase leads to the second floor. Instead of wallpaper there are copies of posters and newspapers. Looks original:

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Catherine's diplomas and certificates. In order to become a guide, you need to get a bunch of these pieces of paper:

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Exhibition of old pistols and pre-revolutionary bonds:

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In front of the bedroom is a small but very cozy living room:

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Some more details:

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The Oslo Guide badge, which is mandatory for official guides. By the way, I haven’t called for a hundred years home phone. I wonder if there are still people who use stationary devices?

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What else should I add? Norwegians are hunters and ski lovers. Both are extremely popular. There is complete equality between a man and a woman. In general, women are not considered the “weaker sex” and are not given any special concessions. The tradition of “everyone pays for himself” is the order of the day here.

If you have anything to add about Norwegians, write in the comments!