Photography by Greta Rybus.
Photography by Greta Rybus.
Perhaps you’ve wondered at them on a drive around Iceland’s Ring Road, or just in photographs: dwellings seemingly built into the land, doors and windows cut into a hillock—Icelandic turf houses, their gabled roofs covered over with green.
Perhaps you’ve wondered at them on a drive around Iceland’s Ring Road, or just in photographs: dwellings seemingly built into the land, doors and windows cut into a hillock—Icelandic turf houses, their gabled roofs covered over with green.
A very abbreviated history: The concept of turf houses was first brought to Iceland (and other parts of Europe) by the Vikings; turf was renewable, readily available, in no short supply, and extra insulating—the ideal building material for living by the Arctic Circle.
A very abbreviated history: The concept of turf houses was first brought to Iceland (and other parts of Europe) by the Vikings; turf was renewable, readily available, in no short supply, and extra insulating—the ideal building material for living by the Arctic Circle.
First, a visit to Skógar.
1. Look to the earth.
The roofs at Skógar are made of flat rocks covered with turf; the frame is mostly driftwood.
2. Salvage building materials.
2. Salvage building materials.
Another house on the property is a historic wooden house moved to Skógar from the Síða district of Holt.
3. Paint colorful cabinets.
The kitchen cabinets are painted in an unexpected colorblock motif: pale blue on the frames, a dash of red on the front panels.
4. And a bright plate rack.
4. And a bright plate rack.
A wooden wall-mounted plate rack is painted in teal for a tone-on-tone effect in the blue kitchen.
Turns out the Shakers aren’t the only ones to use peg rails: A simple wood board studded with nails serves as storage for no-tech kitchen tools.
5. Hang from pegs.
A wall-mounted dowel keeps a hand-embroidered tea towel readily available.
6. Keep a pretty towel within reach.
6. Keep a pretty towel within reach.
7. Paint in shades of blue.
7. Paint in shades of blue.
Interiors are stripped-back and simple, with wood-board floors and a wash of pale blue on the walls—a common Icelandic palette.
Another room in teal blue—bright and cheerful in a snowy climate.
Another room in teal blue—bright and cheerful in a snowy climate.
8. Add earthy color.
8. Add earthy color.
Glimpses of color, in a painted vase and Icelandic needlepoint pillows.
Unlike fancier mainland European traditions, Icelandic embroidery was historically more minimal, made using the supplies at hand, mostly “woolen threads on a woolen or imported linen ground,” according to the Textile Research Center.
9. Bring back embroidery.
In a circa-1920 farmhouse from Skál, Síða, there’s a traditional baðstofa: a communal room for sleeping, eating, and working.
In a circa-1920 farmhouse from Skál, Síða, there’s a traditional baðstofa: a communal room for sleeping, eating, and working.
10. Sleep end to end.
10. Sleep end to end.
11. Ensure a green view.
11. Ensure a green view.
In the turf farmhouse, glimpses of greenery are never far.
In the turf farmhouse, glimpses of greenery are never far.
Iceland is famous for its sheep, and wool appears everywhere in Icelandic life—like a built-in bed laid with a sheepskin for warmth.
12. Layer with sheepskins.
12. Layer with sheepskins.
13. Find pattern possibilities in unlikely places.
13. Find pattern possibilities in unlikely places.
Blocks of turf can be stacked in a variety of patterns.
Blocks of turf can be stacked in a variety of patterns.
Looking out at the landscape.
14. Paint half a wall.
At Glaumbær in the north of Iceland, “A farmhouse is said to have stood on the hill since the Age of the Settlements (900 AD),” according to the museum’s site.
We’ve been admiring bed curtains of late (see Classic Curtained Beds, for a Long Winter’s Nap), and it’s no surprise they make an appearance in Iceland, too, for extra warmth and privacy in a communal sleep setting.
15. Bring back the bed curtain.
15. Bring back the bed curtain.
An Icelandic must: a wall-mounted lantern.
16. Don’t forget a lantern.
16. Don’t forget a lantern.
Tea in another blue room.
