You may have asked yourself: What is it like inside a typical Norwegian house? They are certainly beautiful on the outside, but how does it work on daily basis?
The reason why I decided to write this post is the video I made for my Instagram, remembering my first shower in Norway. I am a well educated woman, a former lawyer, and still I stayed naked in the shower, for five minutes, dry and clueless about how that thingy worked. I simply couldn’t open the water. That shows how cultural differences play a big role in our adapting to a new country. You can read more about my embarrassing moments in Norway here.
Welcome to a typical Norwegian home. I’ll lead you through a virtual walk so that you know the system.
First of all, as you enter, take off your shoes. At the entrance hall, there’s a hanger for the coats.
The house feels warm even if it’s freezing cold outside. Norwegian windows and doors are thick. There’s a heat system under the floor in some rooms, like the hall.
As you walk in, you feel the tree floor under your socks. In the living room, you see a fireplace. There’s also a cozy sofa and a carpet. The older the hosts, the more carpets they have in the living room.
Younger hosts have a tendency for clean style. Fewer furniture and adornments. Black and white family pictures on the wall are also trendy. Grey walls too. Design lamps from Denmark, cool chairs from Denmark, awesome solid wooden dinner tables from Denmark.
Half of the Norwegian houses I’ve been to have the bedrooms on the first floor and the living room plus kitchen on the second floor. Newer houses have open kitchen and bigger windows.
In the bedroom. Bedrooms are the coldest rooms in the house. Norwegians usually sleep with the window open, even in the Winter. They have thicker and warmer duvet for Wintertime. By the way, it’s not so romantic to sleep together in Norway, as each person has her own duvet. The good side is that you and your partner can fart in disguise.
Wanna take a shower? The bathroom is the warmest room in a Norwegian house. The light switch may be outside the bathroom, on the wall next to the door. Watch out for the shower faucets style. The first time I took a shower in Norway, I stood naked in the box for five minutes, trying to figure out how to open the water. No big round faucets like in Brazil, U.S.A, France, Portugal and many other countries I have visited. Maybe in Denmark, but I haven’t been there yet. In many Norwegian houses, the new trend is the flat display. You have to slide the flat edges to open the water. One (in the right) is for opening the water and controlling the amount. The other is for temperature. BUT, you still have to press the button in the middle for the water to run from the bigger shower above. Otherwise, it will open only the water from the small shower. Ok, I think you may need to watch the video. The picture may help, though. Here it is.
Good morning. Let’s have breakfast. If you like coffee, you’ll be happy to know that so do the Norwegians. They love coffee, though many of them have never tasted the real coffee: Brazilian coffee. There’s a post about it, with the different ways. Click here to read. The bread is in a whole, you have to cut your slice, while holding it with a cloth. Norwegian bread is delicious and there are hundreds of varieties. The cheese. Brown cheese is super popular among my Brazilian family. Cheese is usually sliced with the slicer, not a knife. There’s also a post dedicated to it. Check it here. The stove is probably electric. Sometimes, the fridge is hidden in a cabinet.
Trash is sorted by paper, food, all, glass and metal. You can get a fine if you don’t do it.
The tap water is clean to drink. Enjoy as much as you can. Remember to brush your teeth and you’re good to go.
I hope you liked our tour. Check out my Instagram for cultural differences fun videos, inspiring pictures and more.
Have a wonderful day.
Muito interessantes os costumes na Noruega.