Plantlife
Plantlife
WHO : Renata J.Barros, Erlend Blakstad Haffner and their two kids
WHERE: Detached house at Hasle, Oslo.
-You just leave them alone, and be sure, slowly, they will take over. All of a sudden there is a new root, a new flower, a new route for them to grow and follow. They seem to always find a way around any obstacles...They are quietly multiplying, growing, sprouting, taking over, while we sleep and live our lives. That is quite magic, I think.
Renata J. Barros, Brasilian and an expert on user experience and graphic design, - met architect Erlend Blakstad Haffner while doing her masters at KHIO. Ten years on and almost three children later, still living in Oslo, they have set up house in Hasle and lived there for some time now. As is the case with most designers and architects, they’re never quite able to finish their own home completely, but they would let me in to talk about their house-plants...
Having that many plants inside, where you live and sleep, seems very exotic to me- what’s the deal? What happened? Or have you always lived like this?
-The plant collection started actually, on one of my birthdays. Overwhelmed by the amount of things we had to deal with (we were moving in), I asked people to give me plants. There was nothing mysterious about it, just a practical way to avoid more stuff, you know. But then...- it took off I guess.
Although I come from a tropical country, I had no interest in plants before moving here. And in a way, it all makes sense. After I had lived here for a few years I had this really interesting experience when visiting back home in Brasil.
I was eating lunch at a farm restaurant in the city where I come from, and all of a sudden it hit me. WOW. Looking around, it dawned on me how green everything was; the lusciousness of the trees and plants, their shape and hues. It was such a nice feeling, but surprising that I had never really considered how green everything was until I had spent time in Norway. When you see things all the time you stop noticing them. I never meant consciously to copy this in our house, but I’m sure there’s something there subconsciously.
Another great thing about plants is that we tend to see them as things, but they aren't actually. They have and want life, growth and space as much as we do. You just leave them alone.. and suddenly they take charge. From one day to the next you might notice a new root, a new flower. You could of course argue that I have placed them all here, but I tend to see it as though they have played their own part in making this house what it is. Quietly they multiply, grow, sprout and take over while we sleep and live our lives. There is a kind of magic in that I think.
What will not work in your house?
-Anything demanding too much care or even special care. This goes for plants as much as any other object.
My grandmother had a "visitors living room" in her home. It was the most beautiful room in the house, with lovely sofas, pretty objects and marble all over the place. The problem is, that I have only been there about 3 times in my life. She probably didn't spend much time there either...
That's why I am happy to have a home where all the rooms and its’ objects are used and enjoyed at all times, although this means that we have a fairly dirty sofa, the kitchen floor is a bit scratched and we break more of the nice plates than I would have liked sometimes.
How involved are the other members of the family in the botanic department?
-They all enjoy the plants, but I would say that this is more my project. A few Christmases ago, the kids asked for a jungle in their room, as a present. We gave them a few cuttings instead so that they too could experience this feeling of the plants creeping, crawling and developing just like them.
How much time do you spend on them? What are your routines in nursing them?
Plants demand little and give quite a lot, which is very rewarding. They strive for life even when they are forgotten, which works well here, because I find routines difficult, and they can go a few weeks without water.
As a rule of thumb, wait for them to dry out. From my experience, plants die more often from flooding than from thirst. And the signs of too little water – dried leaves, falling down leaves – are clearer than signs of too much water – rotting roots which you don't really see.
But again, I am really not one to ask. I am a sloppy plant person. Plants survive not because of me, but in spite of me!
How do they like the house they have occupied?
-Light is plant food and thanks to all these roof windows they get plenty of it here. THAT is the real secret.
How do you like your own home after it’s transformation from a rather standard ‘80ies(?) house to more open space for family living. What would you say are the best qualities?
-I love my home, to the point where I definitely spend too much time inside. Simply put it's open and practical and made for enjoyment. When we were renovating it, we tried to consider how we lived and would like to live, and adapt it to the architectural plans.
For instance, we love having friends around us, so we prioritized social spaces. We receive visitors from abroad all the time, so we chose many small rooms over fewer but bigger rooms. Still of course, there are always things you don't predict and you end up adapting to how the house is built as well.
How do you guys spend your time together in the house?
-That changes a lot, especially as the kids grow up and change their wants and routines...We try to accomodate that as well. The kitchen is the only constant space in the house. We spend a lot of time together there, making food, eating and cleaning it up after a day's mess. Then we start anew again the day after.
Would you say that you have a certain style when it comes to choosing what to place/keep in your own house?
I would have liked to say no, that we’re spontaneous and free from specific style constraints, maybe even pragmatic? But probably there is something that others could describe. I just don't know what that word would be.
I enjoy that most of the objects we surround ourselves with have some sort of story to tell. It's very rare that we get new stuff in from decoration shops, for example. Many of the things we have are either gifts, souvenirs or things bought at flea markets, auctions or travels, so I can remember a bit of their past life. Even many of the plants come from the give away section at www.finn.no and it's fun to connect them to the strange encounters that always happens when you go fetch stuff for free in strangers’ homes.
Whats your favourite room or part of the house?
-I love the yellow bathroom! Although it's a bit too small and a bit unpractical. Both of the kids and most of the guests prefer to use our bathroom when they visit. I just think the strong color really works wonders and sometimes when everything is too stressful, I love hiding in there. It is a happy room.
How is it to work from home?
-I go a bit crazy after a while without talking to people, so I’m glad it's temporary. But at the moment – I am pregnant and it's icy outside – it couldn't be a better choice.
I can enjoy the house when it's silent, see how the light moves through the rooms and the plants casting their shadows during the day...cooking for only one come lunchtime, reminds me of a time long gone. And I can just take a break, sit down on the sofa and find myself staring into the nothingness, which is quite nice at the moment.
What do you miss about domestic life in Brasil?
It's hard to miss Brazil these days, right? But I do miss it, although not so much the domestic life, which I had very little of:)
In São Paulo, where I lived the last 10 years before moving here, people spend less time at home. Social life in the tropics is more often an outside thing, which is rather nice. Less dinner parties, more ‘hey-everyone-let's-meet-at-that-new-place’. Less planned, more impulsive. I miss the serendipity of random social encounters that happens outside in every cornershop, bar and restaurant, it does something to you.
And yet, it’s hard to differentiate between longing for a specific place and longing for a time now passed. It's been a decade since I left, and the life I live now is very different from the life I lived there. It would have been different anyway, as I am now a very different person than what I used to be. Like a Cutting I guess, but now a proper houseplant myself or something, reaching past the next corner any day now perhaps..
NOTE:
Renata also runs a small business FURO.
Making use of discarded textiles, like old curtains, covers, table cloths and bedding from Fretex - FURO makes reusable gift-wrapping that is beautiful, sustainable and with multiple uses, based on a japanes technique called Furoshiki. The production itself is carried out by a company with a mission to create long-term employment opportunities for disabled workers in the City of Oslo.
Words: Elisabeth Aarhus
PHOTOS: The Chromarty
