House from the 1920s

The little reddish brown house is the first furnished home we arrive at in the road from the 1900s. The house was opened during the summer of 2015 and is the last house to be opened in residential area.It is a log house with cogging joints, with a timber framed entrance. This is an old method of building, but log houses with cogging joints were popular in Lillehammer shortly after the dissolution of the union with Sweden in 1905. The feeling of nationalism was strong, and in addition Maihaugen was an important source of inspiration.

An unmarried woman in her forties was the first inhabitant of the house. She only used the ground floor. The first floor was rented out. The house had water and electricity, WC in the basement, but no hot water tank. A wood fired oven in the kitchen was used for cooking. In addition she had an electric hotplate. She used to run a café in the Storgata, we therefore assume she did not do much cooking at home.

The house is characterised by strong colours. This is in line with the style of the time in certain circles. We see similar colours in Garborg’s home, Labråten, and Gerhard Munthe’s Leveld.

We imagine the sky blue garden living room must have been a wonderful place to enjoy a cup of coffee.

• Building was started in 1920 and the house was completed in 1923.
• The house was originally located at Søndre gate 21 in Lillehammer.
• The house represents the home of a single mother with rooms for rent. 
• It is a simple house with the main entrance through the kitchen and exit to the garden through a glazed veranda.