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Ida’s Tiny House Life on a Norwegian Farm


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This is Ida and her gorgeous Mikrohus (Tiny House) in Norway. Originally from Sweden, she lives on the edge of a farm with her beautiful cat Teo, enjoying nature and simple living.

Her home was built by Norske Mikrohus and Ida (@mikrohus_4seasons on Instagram) has done a lovely job decorating it to match her minimalist lifestyle. Living tiny has not only allowed her to have a more sustainable life but it’s also saved her a lot of money. We interviewed her so check out our Q&A at the end of the post to learn more about why she went tiny. Enjoy!

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Minimalist Living in a Tiny House on a Norwegian Farm

Now that couldn’t be a more idyllic location!

Such a clean and crisp interior, dotted by beautiful green plants. And Teo the cat!

A look at her bedroom loft and kitchen area. She has an induction cooktop.

The white walls and light wood accents keeps this tiny space feeling open.

Ida moved all her pantry goods into these lovely glass containers.

Here’s Teo’s sneaky cat toilet (litter box) hidden under the stairs.

That plate storage is brilliant and dual purpose: storage and wall decor.

Ida also put all her personal products/soaps in glass bottles/containers as well.

Here she is working from home like many of us during quarantine.

Her couch becomes a bed for guests, which is a great feature.

And it doubles as plenty of storage space! Every nook and cranny has a purpose.

A close-up of her bedroom loft. Notice the upper window opens to let in a breeze.

Cute picture of Teo, just because. The door below leads to the bathroom.

Beautifully simple bowl sink with her incinerating toilet next to it.

And a shower stall with a rainfall shower head. Luxurious.

The exterior of the home is also lovely to look at.

Now this is a tiny house parking space to rival all others!

Keep scrolling to read our Q&A with Ida!

She clearly loves her tiny home and tiny life!

Q&A with Ida (and Teo): Minimalist life in Norway

What are your name(s)? Ida Johansson and Teo (the cat)

How many people (and animals) will are living in your van? One person, one cat

Where do you live? In south of Norway on the countryside, on the side of a field.

Why did you decide to go tiny? What are you hoping to get out of living tiny? I got inspired by the documentary The Minimalist (Netflix). Then I started to think about it as an option to buy an apartment. It suits my lifestyle: I love to live close nature. But also I have lived in so many different places and countries, and I know I have a hard time to decide where I want to live. There’s so many beautiful spots in this world. So right now I live in the south of Norway, but If I want to go somewhere else I just bring my home. The feeling of having a home, but also the freedom of be able to move it suits me perfect. It’s cheaper than an apartment here in Norway and it’s more environmentally friendly.

I hope I will get a better life, less stress and closer to nature. Be able to do more of the things that make me happy.

How long did it take to finish your tiny house? 4 months

How did you build your tiny? Did you have any help? Did you do it yourselves? Norske Mikrohus (www.norskemikrohus.no) built it for me.

How did you find a place to park and live in your tiny house? So first I jumped on the bus, to see where it stopped. Then I took my bike and knocked on doors on houses that where placed close to these bus stops. In the meantime I was looking on Facebook on pages that involved the area. Suddenly I found a guy on that page that I knew and had danced salsa with at the salsa club. I asked him if he lived in the area and explained that I was looking for a place to park my new house. He had a farm in the area and wanted to have me as his neighbor.

Before going tiny, what was life like? I lived in a 3 times bigger apartment with a car parking place outside my window. Felt like I was actually living more tiny back then, because of the surroundings. I was also worried about my cat when he was out.

What benefits are you experiencing after going tiny? The best thing is waking up with the sunrise over the fields, opening the window and listening to the birds sing. You are more a part of the nature: If it rains, you hear it, and same with wind or snow. And when the sun comes out, you grab a teacup and sit down outside on the staircase.

My cat loves the tiny house as he can sit in all the windows and look on the life outside. He loves running up the stairs up to the loft. And when we go outside, he feels the wind in his fur and the smell of forest in his nose.

It feels good to live more sustainable. All my things here have to be things I really use, so you end up with your favorite ones. Its cheaper then the apartments my friends have.

What about some challenges? I love long showers, and in the beginning, I learned that I can take long showers, but after I have to fill up the water tank.

What makes your tiny house special? I have chosen kitchen details, bench and floors that are a bit special. I like it when it looks a bit old, like the kitchen sink. Of course the cat-toilet. Also I think it looks like an modern apartment but just placed in a tiny home.

What is your favorite part of your tiny? The couch is a nice couch, but also you have a lot of storage under the seats. You can also take it out and have two guests over and sleep. In the sides there are storage and USB chargers.

What helpful advice would you give to others interested in going tiny/living in a tiny house? Do it! Begin to sell and minimize long before you are going to move. Start changing your cleaning and body products to more sustainable products when your old ones are empty: this before you move. Think of where you want to live and work hard and be creative to get that dream come true. Ask a friend / family member if you can have some storage in their loft. Where you can put clothes that are out of season, skiis in summertime and your grandmas old table if you don’t want to get rid of it.

Do you have a website, blog, or social media page where we can follow along? Instagram @mikrohus_4seasons

Learn more

Our big thanks to Ida for sharing!🙏

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Natalie C. McKee

Natalie C. McKee is a contributor for Tiny House Talk and the Tiny House Newsletter. She's a wife, and mama of three little kids. She and her family are homesteaders with sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and quail on their happy little acre.
{ 20 comments… add one }
  • April 7, 2020, 8:15 am

    Congrats! This is absolutely lovely!

  • Maria
    April 7, 2020, 2:02 pm

    LOVE IT!!!!!!! I would love to have this one!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      April 8, 2020, 1:40 pm

      It’s spectacular. Especially the location.

  • Mary
    April 7, 2020, 2:11 pm

    What a wonderful layout, the open feel and interior so full of light. Love the couch that turns into a guest bed – and also has storage! Great workable kitchen also.
    What are the dimensions of this tiny? I went to the website of the builder, but of course it’s in Norwegian, so can’t get details.
    Is Ida off-grid?
    Thanks for sharing!

    • S Wijnsma
      April 7, 2020, 5:03 pm

      Two sizes, 6.5 meter and 7.5 meter. Both 2.5 meter wide.
      19.5 square meter and 22 square meter including the loft.
      (source https://norskemikrohus.no/pris)
      Prices 7.5 METER: NOK 930000,-
      6.5 METER: NOK 890000,-
      Approx. 10 NOK vs 1 USD.

    • James D.
      April 8, 2020, 1:56 am

      She’s parked on a farm and uses a Cinderella incinerator toilet and fills a water tank for water but other than that she’s on-grid with electrical power.

      Translation on the builder’s site shows they build to either…

      – 7.5 meters (~24.6 feet) long, 2.5 meters (~8.2 feet) wide, 4.2 meters (~13.78 feet) height, 22 m2 (236 Sq Ft) that includes loft, and is priced 90000 (I’m assuming this is Norwegian Kron currency) (~$90,350 USD)…

      -6.5 meters (~21.3 feet) long, 2.5 meter (~8.2 feet) wide, 4.2 meters (~13.78 feet) height, 19.5 m2 (~209.9 Sq Ft) that includes loft, and is priced 890000 (~$86,472 USD)…

      I would also assume the price is just the base/starting price as they offer a list of options and upgrades…

      Standard features…

      -Exterior: Cover in 16mm (0.63 inches) spruce treated with iron vitriol, laminated 2-layer white wood windows, double font door with glass, aluminum roof, and designed to withstand Norwegian winters.

      -Bath: Cinderella incinerator, washbasin with freestanding washbasin, hower with curtain, down lights, layout for washing machine, and standard drain pipe.

      -Interior: Clear, painted walls and ceiling, 3 meters (~9.8 feet) ceiling height in living room, sleeping loft with parquet, a sectional of parquet flooring, combined staircase with oak steps and storage.

      -Kitchen: 4X60 kitchen cabinet / drawers with space for stove, A variety of kitchen fronts, colors and knobs, Oak countertop (other surfaces possible), cooking range for cooker and dishwasher, design for combined refrigerator and freezer, steel wash 50 cm (~19.7 inches) and fixture, extractor fan and down lights.

      -Technical Plant: 230V electrical installation, electric underfloor heating, water system with pressure tank, 130 liter (~34.3 gallons) water tank, and 30 liter (~7.93 gallons) hot water heater.

      Additional details…

      Supplier trailer: BK trailer
      4 support legs with crank
      3 Shafts
      Permissible total weight of 3500 kg (~3.86 tons)

      They also offer other options like a wood stove (imported from either Norway or Canada), space-built sofa with storage, foldable dining table, bookcase on loft, large fridge with gym, small fridge with freezer, ceramic or induction HOB (electric cooktop), oven, microwave oven, small dish washer, combo washer/dryer, mosaic tiles (multiple patterns to choose from) in bathroom, sliding door in bathroom, alternative white ceramic or black composite sink, cedar siding, exterior staircase, connection cable, solar package upon request, gas system installation, and they offer to deliver and handle set up…

      • Natalie C. McKee
        April 8, 2020, 1:38 pm

        Thanks James!

    • Ida
      April 8, 2020, 6:35 pm

      Hello Mary, Ida here 🙂
      Thank you, and everyone else for lovely comments 🙂
      My house is not off grid. The size is 7.5 meters x 2.55 meter

      Have a lovely easter <3
      /Ida and Teo

      • Marsha Cowan
        December 21, 2021, 1:14 pm

        Really lovely home, and what a setting! Simply beautiful. . .

  • D. Pedersen
    April 7, 2020, 3:40 pm

    Nice! That is a house with style and color balance. With lots of natural light.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      April 8, 2020, 1:40 pm

      So much light. It’s awesome!

  • Paul Larsen
    April 7, 2020, 9:23 pm

    This is a great tiny house , looks so clean both inside and out! and there is a cat as well! The loft looks like its relative easy to get too! Very nice!

  • Mary
    April 8, 2020, 1:22 pm

    Thank you for the complete information, James. Now…to get one of those from Norway! JK. Just so clean and light looking, wonderful tiny in a beautiful spot.

  • Ida
    April 8, 2020, 6:37 pm

    Hello Mary, Ida here 🙂
    Thank you, and everyone else for lovely comments 🙂
    My house is not off grid. The size is 7.5 meters x 2.55 meter

    Have a lovely easter <3
    /Ida and Teo

  • Jasmine
    May 1, 2020, 12:54 pm

    Hi
    This is inspiring… you have such a calm and beautiful home.
    We are living in Norway currently and have been day dreaming about getting a Mikrohus. We are originaly from the UK, need to understand the laws in regards to siting a house.
    Also the realities of not having plumbing (in winter)….(is plumbing an option)?
    Could you guide me in the right place to find the answers please??
    Hope you have a wonderful Spring
    Jasmine

  • Hudson
    May 30, 2020, 8:52 pm

    That is a lovely home. And Teo must be a good cat not to knock off the plants on the stairs!

    • Anna Wendt
      May 31, 2020, 2:11 am

      I was wondering about that myself. My cat would have had all of those on the floor!!

  • Marsha Cowan
    June 8, 2020, 1:52 pm

    Really spectacular tiny home. Beautiful and very functional. Love the kitty!

  • Annette
    December 21, 2021, 2:07 pm

    BRAVO! I love this. Thank you for sharing.

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