Entering the room was a big shock. We had some patterned wallpaper before. We loved it, but now there is a loss all around. There was a lot to take in, says homeowner Selge Marie Solberg, 35.
The wallpaper in question was designed more than 100 years ago, and it must be said that it is highly decorative.
– I remember thinking: «Oh, here we live. We have to live with this! ». But after five minutes of turning off the camera, I started to like what I saw around me, she says.
At the end of Tuesday’s episode, Selge Marie was asked which wallpaper she liked the most — what was there before, the new mum. She replies that perhaps the new not Beautiful like the old one. Now, after a few months of renovation, you’re laughing quite well.
– Now I am very happy that we have the new wallpaper and not the old one. This is to stay in a good mood – it’s refreshing, even when it’s dark and raining outside.
– Then she adds that the history of the wallpaper is fascinating, and that in some way it belongs to an era that also influenced the architect who designed our house.
The wallpaper was designed by William Morris in the late 19th century. He belonged to the “Arts and Crafts” movement – a mindset that also inspired Bergen architect Friedrich Kono Lund, who designed the family home.
Modern with respect to the old
Designer Nina Michelsen made sure to show respect for the architect, for the house, and for the qualities in the kitchen. The house is from 1916 and the facade is listed. But inside, there was room for a lot of changes.
Prior to the renovation, the room had linoleum tiles on the floor, sluggish drawers, narrow low kitchen tables, and outdated appliances. There was also a small storage room that Nina wanted to remove to make the room a little bigger.
Nina’s choice of room
The family wanted more seating space and more practical work surfaces. Therefore, Nina chose to remove the small booth, so that a dining area could be created there. By moving the dining area to the corner, there will be space for a freestanding kitchen island with a stove.
Furthermore, I painted tall cabinets along the living room wall to make room for the oven and what the cabinets needed for storage.
The high cabinets are also made against the wall next to the doors, but these have glass doors from seat height and above – and there’s wallpaper on the back wall.
The floor was given a new linoleum paint in gray and beige.
See what colors, materials and furniture have been used here.
Don’t throw away your old steel seat!
There used to be an old steel counter with a traditional sink and sink in the kitchen before. Although these sinks are made of solid stainless steel, many people don’t keep them when renovating kitchens.
The reason may be that these benches require some adjustment, if they are to be used with new standard kitchen structures. But Nina wanted to keep that seat, so the kitchen was made to fit.
This tub is valuable in itself, and would work great as a bridge between the original and everything new we add to the room, says Nina Michelsen.
The steel bench has been carefully removed from the old kitchen, and the new decor has been adapted to the shape of the bench. The seat has also been pulled back slightly from the wall, so there is room for a small shelf in the back, between the seat and the wall.
The steel seat looked dull and worn out when put back on, but with a good round of steel wool it became shiny and nice again.
Perhaps this entire part of the kitchen feels a little nostalgic, because it uses both the old-fashioned mixer tap and the curtains at the bottom of the window.
The curtain rod runs the entire length of the wall and serves as a curtain hanger and as a hanger for tools and cartoon baskets. The curtains were made from scratch and embroidered inspired by the wallpaper.
loss that looks
Nina has always had William Morris wallpaper as an important element of this decor. In this room, two variants were used – both with motifs from the plant kingdom. In tall cabinets with glass doors, the pattern is formed by green branches. On the walls are branches with yellow lemon and red fruit. Beautiful colorful!
She will not have a modern kitchen
– We couldn’t see how we would solve the kitchen renovation. Seeing what would fit in the house was difficult, and we didn’t want a regular modern kitchen, says homeowner Selge Marie Solberg.
They didn’t get that either, because the wallpaper was designed over 100 years ago and the old steel sink was used again.
– We like it so much. Then we really like the contrasts with the cool bulbs in everything.
The new family dining area has been made a little smaller than it used to be, to make room for a kitchen island. What do you think that?
– It was a compromise that had to be made to make room for both – and we agree on this compromise. There are also many practical surfaces attached to the dining table now, so utensils and other things can stand on the steel counter or stone plate, says Selge Marie.
Thus, we no longer need a lot of things on the table when we eat. This works well for us and our visitors. If there are more of us at the table, we move to the dining room.
When asked if the new everyday life was worth the slightly shocking moment, when they got to see their new room, she responded critically:
– Of course! Today we are very happy, and we know that we did not achieve this alone.
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