Cottage Tour: Off-Grid Living in Havikskogen, Norway

After eighteen weeks of renovations, today’s the day that I can finally bring you inside of my new home. This place was fairly move-in ready when I bought it and I certainly didn’t plan on making all of the changes that I did, but one thing led to another and here we are! My interior design inspiration can best be summed up as modern-rustic farmhouse, and I just love how everything turned out. I changed the paint colours, flooring, and baseboards in each room, plus the ceiling trim in every room but the bedroom. I also ripped out all the interior door frames and installed new farmhouse-style trim around each opening. Apart from these major renovations, I figured I’d take you through room-by-room to share the minor fixes I made and my thought process behind them. Because I’ll be living here alone with my dog Cody, I designed the cottage with one human and one canine in mind, though I did choose furniture that can accommodate one overnight guest for when friends and family come to visit. And I’m already dreaming of all the outdoor spaces I wish to build come springtime, to host larger gatherings when the post-pandemic world allows it.

The Entryway.

Upon opening the front door of the cottage, the first room you set foot in is the entryway. I wanted this space to be practical yet cozy, and to function as both a mudroom and a bathroom. I therefore have hooks for clothes and towels, a bench for shoes and dog supplies, a cabinet for toiletries and cleaning products, a sink for washing hands and dishes, a stand for Cody’s food and water bowls, and a dresser to store various useful items. The dresser is a piece that was left by the previous owners, and I used leftover paint from the walls to liven it up. My toilet and shower solutions are currently outdoors, but I may bring a small portable toilet indoors for the winter… and I’ve decided to survive on sink showers during the colder months. I placed the sink near the door since any water I bring in also needs to be carried out, and I used leftover ceiling trim around the window to give it a more rustic look.

The Bedroom.

From the entryway, the bedroom lies straight ahead. This room is very long and narrow, so I added a dark accent wall to bring the far wall closer and laid the flooring horizontally to make the room appear wider. There’s a wardrobe to the left and Cody’s dog bed to the right, with my bed and a reading nook at the far end. Cody usually prefers the floor to a bed, but for some reason he’s really taken a liking to this one – it’s made from 112 plastic bottles! The daybed functions as a single bed, a double bed, and a couch, plus there are drawers for storage underneath. The reading nook not only gives great aesthetic pleasure, but is also a very practical design element. The sun sets just before 4pm these days and I’ve learned that lighting up an entire room requires quite a few candles and oil lamps, yet one battery-powered light in my reading nook illuminates the entire tent with ease.

The Kitchen.

If you walk left instead of straight from the entryway, you’ll find yourself in the kitchen. I’d like to build a barn door between these two rooms, but that will have to be a project for next year. I made a handful of small changes in the kitchen which changed the whole feel of the place. Namely, I replaced the upper cabinets with open shelving, put up new curtains and curtain rods, switched out the cabinet handles, and built a breakfast bar. The open shelving allows more light to flow into the space and serves as a place to showcase my glass jars with dry goods. As for the breakfast bar, what used to be a wall separating the kitchen from the living room is now a fully functional space that brings the two rooms together! It’s my proudest accomplishment from the home renovation process, since I’ve never built anything like that from scratch before. Lastly, I see that I didn’t exactly capture the fridge or stove in my photos, but both are full-sized appliances that run on propane.

The Living Room.

Straight ahead from the kitchen lies the living room, equipped with everything I need to cozy up during the daytime. The bookshelf is filled with books and activities, from novels and tarot cards to yarn and colouring books. The table acts as both a workspace and place to dine, while the chair provides comfortable seating for one. The wood-burning stove is my primary source of heat, which is conveniently outfitted with a hot plate to melt snow and heat water. I have at least one year’s worth of firewood stored in the outdoor shed, and I purchased a portable kerosene heater as a backup heat source. My grandmother passed away shortly after I bought this cottage, so many of the antiques on my shelves and artwork on the walls are things I inherited from her. The blanket on my chair is a family heirloom as well, hand crocheted by my great grandmother and given to me by my great aunt.

And that’s the tour! I still have some pots that are missing plants, some drawers that are missing linens, and some shelves that are missing books, but otherwise things are looking pretty good around here. I also plan to stain some of the new wood I put up, but have yet to decide which colours to use where. Now Cody and I are just patiently waiting for some snow to arrive, to lighten up our surroundings and bring on the winter fun.

With ♡, Julia Elizabeth