A ferry ride away from Oslo you’ll find Nesodden peninsula where Eva and Tollef have set up their Elise - in the middle of nature, but close to the Norwegian capital. Living in a tiny house became a way for the couple to break free from restrictive structures in society.
– The design, materials and the costs of your living situation lay the foundation for so much of your way of life in general. We wanted a house built of high-quality materials, but at the same time we didn’t want a large mortgage that we would spend years paying off. Living in a tiny house became a way to take our living situation into our own hands, both regarding the quality of the house, and gaining more free time. Living in a tiny house has been a very good experience for Tollef and Eva so far. Not only do they feel more economically free; there's also the freedom of greater flexibility. Eva is from Germany, and if she and Tollef ever were to move back there, they could bring their home with them. Even if Elise feels spacious for the two of them, it has still meant downsizing, making them reconsider what they need in their home. – A smaller space has also invited us to challenge ourselves, for example by exploring our inner space through meditation, as well as by spending more time outside. Environmentally friendly materials were also an important aspect for why the couple chose Elise. Tollef is glad to have invested in materials of good quality, highlighting both the aesthetics and the good indoor climate in their cozy home. – Now we are so much closer to nature and the land our house rests on. The consequences of our actions are more immediate than before, which makes us more aware of how we treat the soil and our surrounding nature. We experience it as a more rooted way of living, which also accommodates for the inner life of the soul to grow richer, both individually and in community with others. We are blessed with having very good neighbours, something we previously only dreamt about and didn't expect to find. By giving up on certain comforts we used to have, we have gained many other beautiful things that we previously didn´t have. But although it’s a simpler way of living, there’s a very good balance between minimalism and comfort. For Eva and Tollef, choosing this way of life meant a clear decision to go in a different direction, where many things on the way ahead were both unknown and uncertain. An important part of the decision-making process was to let the desire for a more pulsating and alive way of living grow stronger than the fear of breaking away from the established into something unknown. – Choosing to live this way requires a sense of courage; the courage to break free from the conceived safety of the normal housing market and to live differently. The reward for us is the possibility to live in a more adventurous way, where the excitingly rich journey of life can be experienced more consciously and intensely.