We are social creatures by nature. However, the possibility to retreat from the world for a while, to be hermits in nature for a limited period of time is an experience that many of us are increasingly willing to put our money down for. In Scandinavia this urge to retreat to nature in solitude is a dream inherent in culture. Below I look more at how this longing continues to express itself in modern Scandinavia as well as at ways that you can create your own hermitage at home.
The Need for Mental Space
A hermit is by definition a person who lives in solitude. A hermitage is a place for reflection. To live on your own or at least with few people and few things near to nature for a time is a means of creating the mental space that we need to grow as people. Modern life lacks space in that regard. Rather it is crowded with constant interaction with the world, a sea of people and queues, and a consumer jungle so lush with goods that the light can barely enter. The opportunities for reflection in this setting are few.
A Scandinavian Tradition
Leading Scandinavian designers have picked up on this modern need and during the past ten to fifteen years begun to design huts which pick up on an old Scandinavian tradition and renew it. Having a simple nature-near place to get away to – often without running water or electric heating – is the lead theme behind the tradition of sport huts (sportstugor), summer houses and Norwegian mountain huts orhytte. Each of these traditions emerged in Scandinavia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when the advent of industrialized society and urbanization (which also gave rise to higher living standards for many) drove people to feel that they needed to create opportunities for returning to nature.
Hermitages in Contemporary Scandinavian Design
Designers who more recently have taken a stab at the hermitage trend include Mats Theselius (who also wrote a DIY book about how to build a hermit’s hut and live a hermit’s life), Mats Hellström and Thomas Sandell. Theselius' hermit huts, produced by furniture and design company Arvesund, have by now been shipped all over the world. The main characteristics of these designs have been paring down, using small spaces in an intelligent way, and connecting inside spaces to the outdoors.
A striking example of the hermitage trend is provided by Urnatur in Ödeshög, Sweden in which a couple created hermit huts out of the fallen trees in hurricane Gudrun which ripped through southern Sweden’s forests in 2005.
A new project in 2009 is the Harads Tree Hotel in Northern Sweden where you can book in now.
Creating Mental Space at Home
While there probably isn’t an experience that can quite parallel living in a simple hut out in the middle of a forest for a few days, here are a few ideas that can give you a taste of mental space and nearness to your origins right at home.
Transform one room of your house into a media and noise-free zone. e.g. no phones, TV, stereo, ipod, newspapers or magazines. In this media-free zone allow only the sounds of nature to enter. Some people have mini-waterfalls on a side-table, for example.
Make your bedroom a place for pure rest. Remove all books, phones and media sources. Clean off surfaces and get rid of the laundry pile or the flock of perfume bottles on the dresser.
Identify the place in your house where you can experience the sunshine. Create a comfortable place for sitting or resting there and remove all ‘things’ from this area.
Sleep outside under the stars on your terrace or balcony one night before it gets too cold this autumn.
Did you know that a messy room and clutter can impair a child’s development? Keeping spaces clear and orderly creates room for mental growth!
