Looking at Scandinavian interior design and thinking about how much cooler the world would be if the nordic countries took the South American approach to decor
Apparently white walls and light wood are good for reflecting light (true) and the intentionality and simplicity is partly a reflection of agrarian poverty. But I’m just saying. What if these guys used the extra darkness hours to go insane and paint indoor murals that they regretted in May
Ive got splendid news!
This used very much to be tradition (trademark for norway) and is called rosemaling (meaning “rose painting”, so mostly floral and not mythological, but still painted all over the interior!).
It’s very cool!
Why newer schools of interior design went away from it I don’t know, it’s too bad.
Throwback to the time I stood inside a reconstruction of Cappelenstugu, a house where every single surface was painted with rosemaling, and nearly burst into tears because it's so fucking beautiful. The pictures I can find on the museum website don't quite do it justice, but it's just. staggering. artist Olav Hanssen did this around 1800, in an enclosed space without reliable strong artificial light, and covered every single surface in gorgeous, intricate artwork (featuring Adam and Eve hiding after eating the apple, among other things).
If trench warfare were made-up, it would be the most on-the-nose anti-war satire ever created. Bunch of young men shooting at each other from inside open graves, slowly rotting even as they fight to stay alive. Every so often, they get to move a few hundred metres to dig a new grave for themselves somewhere else and this is called a victory.