Scandinavian Spaces Part 2

Jo - How long will you be overseas?  Sounds like a fantastic experience for your kids!

Jo- I enjoy Scandivian architecture. I lived in Europe for 4 years. It was just a bit too close for comfort for me. I can not deal with the tiny refrigerators:) I love to travel and learn about many cultures. When I get back home I realize how much I take for granted. Katerina 

I have not visit, but from the pictures I can tell it looks very nice.

Looks like you're having a great time!  Thanks for sharing it. It's always nice to peek at how other people live.
Bruce

Europeans in general know how to do more with less space.  I think its an asset that we should take on in this country.  I see kids fresh out of college wanting a minimum of 1200 sf with walk-in California closets and the works.  Its expensive, in many ways wasteful, and with energy costs sky - high, perhaps a thing of the past. 

Let's hear it for good old Sven and Ole'. Swedes were never much of a wasteful people.

PS...My father's name was Sven, by golly. He came to the states in the 1930's. I am a first generation native born American.

I understand he would probably smack me if he heard me utter any of the Sven and Ole' jokes. He spoke perfect English, with no trace of an accent or inflection.

Ruthmarie- Europeans, most of them, want what we have in the states. They tell me about how they dreamed about coming here to get land for less than what they pay for it in Europe for. The less is because the more is too costly. The problem is that if you want a bigger home in most countries in Europe you have to drive quite a ways out of the city and then the price of gas is so high that for many families it is not an option. There are beautiful landscapes and farms on hills and out in the country side but you have to be pretty much self sufficient in order to live that far out. Here you can live in an area like Wellington, be 14 miles from the beach, have a starter home for less than half of what you get in Europe for more than twice the square footage with a view of horses in your neighborhood.  You can walk to the store from many neighborhoods yet still be rural and not urban. We sell Condos here to people from Norway who say they have been dreaming of having some space for all their married lives. Their dreams come true, they save and save to buy a home here in Florida to come to retire to or to come for their vacations to. We sell homes here to people from England and Ireland, from Sweden and Italy, from Spain and Portugal- all who seek to find a large home where they can enjoy more space and more modern conveniences. I am sure there are those who would never want to come to the states but in my travels and in real estate here in Florida I find those people to be a minority.  Katerina 

Hi Jo--that is an adorable apartment.  I am amazed how much Europeans can do with so little space--the Chinese as well.  Some lessons to be learned here in our culture, I think.  Happy New Year. 

Some great memories from times in Denmark.  Their apartments were all done so tastefully and well.

Looks just like an IKEA display!  

Looks cosy, Ireland is similar and Dublin where I grew up has many older buildings that people have turned into apartments.

Jo, it looks like they make the most out of the available space. Nicely done. Enjoy your visit and Happy New Year!!

Jo - I think we have way too much stuff in the US. We need to learn to scale down on stuff.

nice place thank you for sharing 

Hi Jo: When I was still a student in Germany and moved out of my parents house (who could fulfill their live-long dream of owning a home only after the wall came down), I was immensely proud of my 300 square feet! It even had an open concept (probably because there was no room for walls ;-)! We Europeans take great pride in our surroundings, our homes - and it doesn't matter how big or small just as long as it is beautiful and comfortable - and ourselves. While not everybody is the "homey"-type of course, Europeans in general tend to make the best of what they have. You only have 300 square feet? Not a problem, it can still be a 10!

Jo - We can certainly take a page from our Scandinavian friends.  Condos in my city are being built smaller and smaller, so multi-purpose furniture is becoming a big seller.  For example, a coffee table that can be raised and made into a dining table.  Ingenious!  Hope you're having a great trip!

Love the small scale of the features of those sofa and it's so difficult to find here in the US.  I've gone into furniture stores and asked for apartments sized furnishings and the sales people usually just look at me with puzzles expressions.  Enjoy and share a lot more photos with us Jo. 

Jo: When you told me you were going to Scandinavia for Christmas holidays, I was jealous. Now I'm really jealous! Smart to blog while on vacation. The trip becomes (partially) deductable. I hope you have a wonderful trip and can't wait to hear about it when you get back.

I'm not surprised to see so much white on the interior.  One of my design clients purchased a house from a Swedish couple - everything was WHITE!  I guess they were used to the longer, dark winters - is that it?  Enjoy!