KNOW YOUR HOME

The words ‘Gnothi Seauton’ were carved into the wall of the Apollo Temple in Delphi. Translated it means: Know yourself – a reminder of the importance of understanding what kind of a person you are. Individual strengths and weaknesses – things one can spend the better part of life pondering. ‘Know your home’ is rarely carved above our front doors, yet, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that we now know our homes much better – indeed, we have become much closer to our private domains. Forced by circumstances. This led many of us to optimise our interior spaces, with light, for example, even as the dust bunnies multiplied. Now this is a topic we rarely address in this magazine: Cleaning. We are happy to publish articles about all these wonderful, beautiful settings, but never a pile of dirty laundry or a food-crusted plate appears on our pages. Studies show that more women than men are apt to transform into white tornados. For instance, women generally do the laundry. We can buy your way out of cleaning – but, amazingly, we still find plenty of time to tidy up before the cleaner arrives. Meanwhile, some jobs are just best left to the professionals. As I sit writing this text, I’m looking at my window cleaner, who is just so swift, so superb at cleaning the large windows of my house. That’s money well spent. We tend to forget the cleaning factor when we renovate our homes. It matters whether your floor is made of wood or epoxy. Or whether a tabletop is made of Corian or steel. The latter is definitely easier to maintain and, from a sustainability standpoint, will last longer. The COVID-19 pandemic means that we are doing more cleaning, and probably also using some of the harsher cleaning agents. As a rule, they are totally unnecessary, because you can actually get far with a mixture of isopropyl alcohol, vinegar and water. Buying a water softener system can be a good idea for people living in areas with a high content of lime in the water. We certainly love the one we have at home, as it also means that we use less shampoo when we shower, and makes cleaning much easier. So new inventions are constantly coming along to ease our daily lives. The design of a home generally requires a slew of choices to be made, and probably like most of you, I too am in constant doubt about which option to go with. So is this doubt a curse or a blessing? Mostly the latter. I see it as an essential fuel in our daily lives and, indeed, also when we produce and compile a magazine like Nordic Living. Which is more important: beauty or functionality? Sustainability or comfort? Red or green? Vegan food or a juicy steak? What is the good life? Did we learn anything from 2020? Well, I’m not in doubt. We discovered, for example, what we could do with our hands. Whether it was to knead dough into the world’s best bread or paint a two-coloured wall or plant a flower. Isolated from the broader community, many have also tried to find their inner artist. Some have snatched their kid’s colourful markers or ambitiously bought some canvases and oil paints. The trend even spread to Hollywood, where Sharon Stone tried her own hand at painting, while Brad Pitt created a pottery studio in his home and had his friend Leonardo Dicaprio come by to throw some clay with him. Perhaps, it is a good thing that a major trend of 2021 is the imperfect or out of the ordinary, so even I would stand a chance of taking part. I still remember the ashtray I created in 1970. Yes, it was back when ashtrays were still a thing. Later in this magazine, see how the truly gifted potters transform nature’s materials into art. Because nature is truly magical, as we learned in 2020, and a good friend whenever you are seeking some comfort or consolation. In this issue, we have chosen to feature the Danish singer Tina Dickow’s home in Iceland, which is a prime example of how nature can play a crucial role in home design. So far away from all the noise and drama of the world that you just want to plunk down and gaze at the sea, and perhaps even reflect on the thought-provoking words of Italian writer Cesare Pavese: We do not remember days. We remember moments.