Posted on 05/13/2007 11:41:59 AM PDT by WesternCulture
Good God, how irredeemably ugly. I would rather rehab a shack in the country than live in that prison-like structure.
- I’m not saying these houses are to dream of (+5 room detached houses in the Gothenburg area, the part of Sweden where I live), but is there any one that you approve of?
If this doesn’t work, start off from
http://www.svenskfast.se/Default____332.aspx
Whatever one thinks of Sweden, there’s some VERY nice, affordable houses over here ($1 = 0.68 SEK by the way).
We have taken a different approach...intentionally not buying heirloom quality stuff and giving our good things to our kids early. My daughter, in her first home, has much more “quality wood furniture” than we do.
In a *few* years we will be in a position to quit working. Not sure if we will, or what we will actually do, but for now, if there there is a need for more furntiure of some sort we go to IKEA or equivalent. When we do sell the big house and go to the condo or even RV there will be nothing in the furniture dept except the dining room worth moving. Its the way we are downscaling early.
Minor point: IKEA furniture does not move well assembled. After our last transfer, ther mover they paid for 3 desks...
This could explain the European population collapse.
“In a *few* years we will be in a position to quit working. Not sure if we will, or what we will actually do”
- How about visiting Scandinavia? Contact me and I’ll take you on a tour in my Volvo!
US Americans are more than welcome here in Scandinavia!
“This could explain the European population collapse.”
Yes, there is a problem.
What is your solution to it?
Appreciate the offer, doing some serious touring is one of our options. We may ship out MCs to Europe or buy a new set over there.
I don't know much about the vernacular architecture of Sweden, but most countries over the centuries have evolved some sort of small traditional cottage that people of modest means could live in. Usually they are abandoned in favor of more modern housing, but they work well for a family because they are the products of centuries if not millennia of experimentation in family life. In the US we have little three-bedroom, one-story "ranch houses" that the fashionable people left behind many years ago in favor of more ostentatious, modern houses, but they are still good and can be made charming with hard work and good taste.
Here is a picture I found of a Swedish house that's like the American ranch house. http://farm1.static.flickr.com/67/201627453_d45c162b47.jpg Sorry, I could not make it post. What would be wrong with a house like this for regular working people? A quick search on Google showed many pretty, modest Swedish houses. So they are there for you.
Just like there are many great things about, for instance, Italy (art, food, the Mediterranean sea, history) or the US (the spirit of the people, the love of freedom, the beauty and the variety of the landscape, the high standard of living) the engagement in building/construction quality is a wonderful thing about Sweden.
When it comes to sheer beauty of architecture, Sweden probably can’t compete with Italy, but still we have some buildings that Swedes ought to be proud of:
The Turning Torso skyscraper in Malmö (by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava):
http://yunol.stes.tc.edu.tw/0703/Turning_Torso/
Skåne/Scania, the region Malmö is located in, is a part of Sweden that is particularly rich in old castles and palaces. Many of them are inhabitated today. If I were to choose between living like a Hollywood star or live like the Swedish upper class, I’d go for the latter alternative
anytime.
Castles and palaces in Skåne/Scania (just click on the names of the castles/palaces to view them):
http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lista_%C3%B6ver_slott_och_herres%C3%A4ten_i_Sk%C3%A5ne
One building I like a lot in Gothenburg, my home city, is Oscar Fredrik’s Church. It’s not very big, but I like the symmetrical harmony of the architecture:
http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:Oscar_Fredriks_kyrka_1.jpg
IMO Stockholm in general is very beautiful. Below, some pictures from the German photo site fotocommunity.com, a great site for anyone with the slightest interest for photography (just click above the pictures to continue the ‘slideshow’)
My wife loves it because all she has to do is close the doors and it looks like a very nice piece of furniture.
“I bought as very nice corner computer cabinet from them. Inside it holds my scanner, two printers, 17 inch monitor, the box and shelves of garbage that I have collected.”
- Such furniture is exactly what is worth buying at IKEA. Of course, one can buy all kinds of furniture there, but the thought of a complete home with nothing but IKEA furniture doesn’t appeal to me.
It’s a shame you can’t buy IKEA stock (founder Ingvar Kamprad is the sole owner). Today, the best Swedish company to own shares in is probably H&M (a very successful discount fashion retailer that is rapidly expanding all over the world)
Thank you for sending those pictures of your homeland. They are all quite lovely. This all substantiates what my Swedish friend has told me about the charm of Sweden. Of course everyone around the world is familiar with the famed beauty of Stockholm. Surely it is very high on the list of places people would like to visit. Do you ever wonder why we can’t build such humane, handsome cities again?
What do you think of my idea of building vernacular (= local-style) housing for people of modest means instead of concrete boxes? Do you think this would accord with the tastes and lifestyle of Swedish people, or would they rather have the boxes?
You may know that after Katrina, the American government furnished displaced people with tiny cottages that could later be used as a studio, storage house, or guest cottage, or could be added onto later, when the displaced people were again settled. These cottages were built in a traditional style rather than as a harsh box, and it seems that people really like them.
“Thank you for sending those pictures of your homeland. They are all quite lovely.”
- Glad you enjoyed them.
“Do you ever wonder why we can’t build such humane, handsome cities again?”
- I agree something has been lost. On the other hand, I find a lot of the houses we’re building in the Western World today as much more attractive than the architecture of the 1960’s and 1970’s.
One nice project in my home city, Gothenburg, is that of “Norra Älvstranden” (meaning “the Northern River Bank”). It used to be a shipbuilding yard and a location of some other industry, but lately it has been transformed into an area of nice condo’s and office buildings. Most people here in Gothenburg seem to agree the outcome of this project has been very successful. Some pictures:
http://www.pixgallery.com/cs?ess=MC9tLTF8Mi9pZC01NjZ8OC9hY3Rpb24tbGlzdHwxMS9hY3Rpb24tdmlld3wx
“What do you think of my idea of building vernacular (= local-style) housing for people of modest means instead of concrete boxes?”
- That is a great idea that I fully support.
Here in Sweden a lot of new ‘middle class’ houses are built very much in the traditional style. A nice example of this from the same website as the Gothenburg pictures:
Another nice ‘middle class’ home built of wood in more or less an traditional style in Sweden:
This house I also find very tasteful and not especially expensive for being Stockholm (- but where’s the jacuzzi? These things have become very affordable in Sweden just like in the US):
http://www.svenskfast.se/Pages/ObjectViewPictures.aspx?objectid=3D94K2R77MGNF49S
The examples above clearly illustrate that it is possible to build comfortable houses for ordinary people in a traditional style even today.
But what about poorer people in Sweden?
Most of them live in apartments in concrete ‘box’ houses built in the era of 1950-1970 and these houses are often thought of as very depressing and inattractive. A lot of immigrants live in such places.
In many cases, these houses have been renovated and been equipped with ‘glass’ balconies (and many of them have also been repainted). One such example:
http://www.sr.se/ekot/arkiv.asp?DagensDatum=2003-08-01&Artikel=268627
This is of course to be prefered to decay, but still few ordinary Swedes wish to live in such areas.
As far as I know, few houses are built for low income earners in Sweden like students, immigrants and single mothers. Perhaps IKEA houses could offer a nice solution as a single mother or an unemployed immigrant can’t afford houses like the ones of the links above (although ordinary middle class families in Sweden easily can).
“You may know that after Katrina, the American government furnished displaced people with tiny cottages that could later be used as a studio, storage house, or guest cottage, or could be added onto later, when the displaced people were again settled. These cottages were built in a traditional style rather than as a harsh box, and it seems that people really like them.”
- That’s nice to hear. I really hope these people feel like they have received ticket to a new start in life. How much of the pre-Katarina population of New Orleans have returned to thier city by now?
Correction:
The second link contained pictures of several different houses (and even one located in the US!). The one I had in mind is the yellow one with the flagpole next to it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
