Artist bridges inexpensive kit homes in Scandinavia's Far North
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- In Norway’s remote far north, where the wind can rattle walls and the winter light is fleeting, Kjetil Ingvar Berge has built a home that forces him to step outside-literally. The artist, drawn to the idea of simple living, purchased an abandoned 100-year-old kit home for the astonishingly low price of 150,000 Norwegian Krone (about $13,500). Originally shipped in pieces and assembled on-site-a necessity in this Arctic region where lumber was scarce-the home had fallen into disrepair, its walls weathered by time and neglect. The only toilet was in the barn.
Rather than retrofitting the past, Berge embraced it. Instead of expanding the old wooden home, he erected a modern, tin-clad tower next door, linked to the original farmhouse by an outdoor bridge. The passageway-open to the elements-ensures that even the shortest journey becomes a brush with nature, much like his former walks to the barn.
Neighbors were skeptical. One assumed he’d soon enclose the bridge for warmth. A decade later, it remains exposed, a commitment to experiencing the landscape in all its moods. “It forces you to notice,” Berge says. Eagles soar overhead, storms shake the timbers, and every trip between the two structures is a reminder of place.
His new addition, inspired by the region’s kit homes, preserves the character of the original dwelling while adapting to modern life. Clad in repurposed tin roofing material and built with salvaged elements, Berge’s home is a study in restraint-where space is a privilege, not a given.
Join us as we step inside Kjetil Ingvar Berge’s uniquely bridged home, where architecture meets philosophy in the Arctic wild.
/ kjetilingvar
What a warm hearted man in a cold,cold place.I would enclose that walkway between buildings for sure.Any work on that would reinforce both buildings.Salute to this man for throwing convention to the winds,very refreshing.Great work Kirsten and partner.
How funny, Tadao Ando, the Louis Kahn of Japan, designed his first house with an outdoors patio that connected both parts of the house. Look it up, it’s called the Azuma house.
I loved his reply to this suggestion (from his neighbor) in the video
Unrelated but always impressed with Norwegian's English proficiency
Everything about their culture is superior to ours (America’s).
Norway is such a lovely place with warm, friendly and well-educated people. These gentlemen are great examples of the Norwegian spirit.
I hope to return one day. 🇳🇴 ❤
Love it, love it, love it - love the Dirksen's and their globe trotting docu's, and much love for this most gentle and humble man. Looking forward to the next adventure.
Wow. What a delightful and creative way to live. This home is enchanting.
What a lovely place and person ... and a reminder of how much we take for granted in our modern homes, when two families shared half the current space with no electricity and the same harsh weather and envrions.
that farm house is freaking gorgeous
Nothing short of awesome! There is so much soul in this house and the surroundings! And that for only about 15000!
The land is beautiful
And that can make all the difference.
Beautiful place and scenery.
Amazing love this build
The bridge between the two structures instantly made me think of the house/studio of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. It's apt that Kjetil is also an artist 🎨
I like how he restored the farm house without modernizing it, but rather built a modern “outhouse” that was much closer than the original outhouse. The new structure ties in elements like the metal sheeting from the barn, the window sizing from the farmhouse, and then ties the farmhouse into the new structure by reflecting the metal sheeting on the common side. I think the bridge is great by keeping the structures separate but tied together.
Thanks, that was particularly interesting to me. I do so love these windows into a life❤
I have been watching your videos now for years and I have lost count of the times I have watched a video and saw something that looked magical or like it was from a movie and this is another one of those videos. What a wonderful place.
I really like how he welcomed in common household items, respecting culture and history and then arranged them into a working presentation...a kind of overall 'artists statement' rather than the hyper ego driven 'decorated' interiors. Oh, and really loved the red washbasin functioning as a Stonehenge type sun clock!! Well done and well lived.
Incredible place. Thanks for the upload to share with all of us.
If my Google Maps search is correct, that place is above the Arctic Circle, which would not be farmable in North America. Lots of light and lots of dark regardless. Those were/are tough people.
It’s indeed ABOVE the Arctic Circle as you mention, which is quite extraordinary. The North Atlantic Stream keeps (so far) the temperature of places like the Lofoten Archipelago way warmer than they’d be based on latitude. The long and dark winter months are challenging nonetheless. Homes are anchored to concrete piles buried on the ground to prevent them from tumbling away with storms.
Wow, hes done a great job of preserving the old with the new and with the help of his carpenter friend, something special. Love everything about it and scenery, apart from the cold weather, it's one of my favourites that you jave documented.
Really do enjoy your videos. I've been watching for years and continue to be amazed, informed, and entertained. Thank you for your work.
I lived in Denmark for many years and went to several islands. What struck me was how people in these lonely places were very resourceful and had a strong sense of community as well as a kind of continuity. He has a Nordic wry sense of humour :-). Thank as always illuminating
I get that it was probably a budget thing (given that he bought the house because it was super cheap), but I feel like it’d look better to just do an expansion on the house rather than a standalone building with a bridge between them.
That said, he seems very happy with it, and that’s what matters.
There is a ZilpZalp singing in the back, very lovely
incredible work, amazing bringing this lovely house back to being a home. love extension.
A lot of work, but he didn't become obsessed with fixing everything which is impossible with old builds.
Making Use of things that still have Value. Even Function in a Different way. 😌🙏
And really everywhere in the house.
Beautiful home. I was especially struck by the textiles and would love to learn more of their origin. The owner mentioned that his mother had created the hanging Krokbragd rugs. There are many more rugs, table covers, etc.. All of these soft furnishings add incredible warmth to his home. Very inspiring.
Kristen, I can envy you your job. You’ve seen some stunning locales for your series and it’s very useful work. Thanks to you, people are beginning to see the value in living in a thrifty way.
What a great approach to restoring an old farm house. The "annex" next door looks great, even if it's boxy and industrial in appearance. It's still visually interesting and is a contrast to the original structure. I'd love to live in such a home and place.
Such luxury! Gorgeous design. Magnificent setting. Also… I never knew I needed an Oslo Sink until just now.
So nice .thank you for sharing this !
How do you manage to find these magical homes? Every home you visit is a treasure. But this one is in a category all its own.
Amazing you kill it every time Kirsten!!!!
What a cool and peaceful place
Beautiful home and surroundings! 😊❤️
Thank you for sharing this enchantiing place.
Such a lovely down to earth person with great honesty.❤️😃
Loved hearing the history of the house.
🥰🥰🦫🇨🇦
So effortlessly stylish!
What an amazing space! Thank you so much for sharing such interesting world's and humans! You have one of the all time best channels 🙏
Wonderful video as always! I'm with you Kirsten, I would never want to leave that beautiful nook. With the light pink and all the glass looking out to the water I would love to sleep there.
Did this man just say Contemporary Fossils 😂😍🙌🏾
I've been a collector of those for a while! You might even say I'm a Contemporary Fossil Connoisseur 🧐😝
I like it when a home that needs A LOT including a NEW OWNER finds the right soul to extend its life. He keeps talking about how FRUGAL the previous owners were and yet fittingly, he is ... cut from the same cloth. This weeks story SHARES MUCH with last weeks video of Kristie's Ship Wreck.
That's so true. It's so obvious he talks about their frugality with respect. I think he appreciates that their frugality also left all the wood exposed in a style he likes. I hadn't connected this with Kristie's Shipwreck, but they do both have the same spirit of frugality and preserving old builds.
Great aesthetics and sense for the space overall. Even the additional building seems very Norwegian somehow because of the tin sheets.
such a lovely lifestyle
Well done!
Always the talk about light, so many windows, then the buildings shining clad onto each other, amplifying, especially the precious bits of wnter.
Even his sweater has shrunken by the cold
Used to be a time when Home designers designed automobiles also/too Tractors as well. Much better design when that was the case for tractors, trucks, cars you name it now😊😊
Studio F. A. Porsche is an architectural design firm affiliated with Porsche and Porsche Design; a plebe like me can't afford any of that!
Does the writing on the bridge say "我爱妳蜜糖", "I love you, honey."? Is his wife chinese? It's cute!
我爱你蜜熊 I love you honey bear, but we don't say that in Chinese :)
Yes, that is the translation he gave. I believe it's an art piece of a friend of his.
The old house is really lovely but the extension…to me, is an eyesore
I like how he converted the milk processing shed to a sunroom.
Why the bridge though?
Why not just extend the house out several feet to add a bathroom and another bedroom.
In my community, we have several farm houses going back to the late 1800s. People simply add a one story building behind them and connected to the original farmhouse. You can enter the original farmhouse and walk through to the new structure, bathroom and bedrooms and whatever else.
The old house looks to be tied down with cable?
Any idea about why there is a ladder built into the roof?
I want that Oslo sink 16:58 💗♥
He may need to build a storm shelter if he feels his house might blow over in a storm and he didn't mention anything about mold problems, he has many leaks.
What is the ladder on the main houses roof for?
@@wildhurstmanor access to the chimney
I would have loved to see the bar(n).
tell me about that ladder-looking thing on the roof
Access to the chimney, for cleaning
Original home is wonderful, but the addition - is this an LA style ADU transported to Norway.
It is not. But interesting that you made that connection.
4:55 我愛妳蜜熊 (I love you honey bear)
Perhaps the bridge is keeping the 2 buildings up?😮
❤
That is a long way to the out house.
Old meets the new.
No shade on Stephani because overall it's a great home, but it almost feels like a home designed by a semi pro who's watched a lot of Arvin's videos and internalized a lot of his best advice. 😂
This is the beginning of a found footage horror movie. Don't sleep over.
✌️
😊👌
He looks like Nicolas, tall, glasses. 11:30 is a good example.
Funny, I hadn't made the connection, but there are similarities.
@@kirstendirksen Hey, I love your work and also love that you work and travel as a family. Cheers
Just recording, no judgment.
Why are all modern buildings so ugly? What hapoened to society that a big unadorned box is seen as a desirable home space to live? Everywhere I look there are more hideous boxes being built and oresented as lovely homes, I just don't get it.
HE GETS HURRICANES THERE, JUST LIKE FLORIDA. Do take care. USA
Terrible doblaje. Insoportable,
It’s from UA-cam. You can disable it in settings. Nothing related to us.