What did you do this summer?

 

What did you do this summer? We went to Norway. This was a trip we had planned for 2020, but the pandemic put a stop to it. The desire to travel to Norway was strong , so we resurrected our plans and spent two weeks visiting our motherland. We were able to mix business and pleasure during our travels which is inevitable for a pair of design and construction geeks like us. What we saw and experienced was truly incredible, so we want to share a bit of it with you.

Why Norway?

 

The straight answer is because Norway is the country of our family’s heritage. We were curious about where our ancestors came from in Norway. I remember my grandparents speaking Norwegian with their parents, my great grandparents, while they were playing cards in the kitchen. My grandfather attended Norwegian school until the fifth grade. Our table prayer at both by grandparents and great grandparents’ house was spoken in Norwegian. My family is deeply rooted in the place of choice for Norwegian immigrants in southern Minnesota. The idea of visiting Norway was a dream come true.

This curiosity for Norway expands to our interest in Scandinavian design of homes, building products, and furnishings. We worked with a Scandinavian designer as the base for the design and construction of our forever home. The clean lines, neutral palate, and minimal practicalism is something we absolutely love. We got to see where these ideas originated and are being used today.

The People

 

 

The people of Norway left an indelible impression upon us for several reasons. First, they are incredibly laid back as we witnessed as be got off the plane, through customs, and saw this signage pictured above. It is hilarious. We experienced this same casual sense of humor everywhere we traveled in the  country.

Second, the people walk or bike everywhere. There we so few cars in the city of Bergen we were shocked. The few cars that were around were electric. This was remarkable by itself, now add the fact that it rained every day. In fact, we were told  it rains in Norway 316 days a year and these people still walk using umbrellas. There is public transportation that is amazing.

Next, the people of Norway are strikingly beautiful. Tall, athletic, and well dressed. We rarely saw anyone looking otherwise including in the countryside. The Nordic counterparts in Minnesota seems to have really let themselves go over the past few decades, me included.

Finally, everyone we spoke to spoke perfect English. We used the Norwegian we remembered from growing up and seemed to receive credit for trying. It is fantastic that Norwegian children are taught multiple languages in school and that the use of these languages is embraced as adults. This creates a real sense of being welcome in Norway. Thank goodness our ancestors’ friends and neighbors are patient and kind-hearted.

Lifestyle and Design

 

 

In the background of these beautiful people is a lifestyle that appears and feels at one with the natural environment of Norway. We mentioned the walking and bike riding. Norwegians are also quite committed to simplicity. Whether in the cities of Bergen or Oslo or the rural areas we visited we were impressed by the relaxed pace of life and the attention to detail of their houses, roads, cars, food prep, stores, and pubs.

One example is the recognition and embracing the importance of natural resources in everyday life. Every restaurant and pub stated, “We are supporters of the UN Food Loss and Waste program, so please order only what you can finish.”

Another example is the electricity management within our rooms. Your room card is required to be placed in a holder that turns the electricity on in your room. This eliminates wasted electricity when you are gone and not being able to find your room key.

The windows and doors of Norway were strong, energy efficient, elegantly designed with simple, fine lines. We saw roofing materials that are glazed to assist with snow removal. They were handsome, too. The bathrooms were small but efficiently designed to give you a luxury experience. The rooms are decorated in soft beige and white tones with incredibly designed furniture.

All of these pieces of walking, bike riding, being physically fit, eating healthy (oh, the breakfasts have changed our lives), and the efficiency of the homes all make sense as they are definitely connected.

Stressless Furniture

 

 

Ekornes is a Norwegian furniture designer and manufacturer that is well-known for their remarkable reclining chairs and footstools. The attention to detail is in the design as they offer each design in small, medium, and large to fit the frame of the people most likely to use them. Each different design provides a unique appearance and comfort for the user. One design may consider the neck support, the next design lower back support, and third product leg support. All products provide for full body support. Ekornes rightfully name their products Stressless, a meaningful reflection of the combination of Norwegian lifestyle and design.

We promise that this summer was unique in our travel to the land of beautiful people, fjords and waterfalls, and our ancestry. It was also typical for us at Draper DNA to use our time during the summer to better understand the people we serve every day and the things that influence them. We are new fans of the simplicity of Scandinavian design and now we feel we have a better understanding of what is at the heart of it.