He's Not Dead >> He's Pining for the Fjords

One of the last things we did before we left California was take one final visit to Lake Tahoe. Being California and all, it was of course an amazingly beautiful day for a trip to the mountains. Except on this trip, we went to THE COOLEST PLACE EVER. And yes, it is that cool that it needs all caps.

Ladies and gentleman (just in case there is one out there), I present to you

VIKINGSHOLM

Get ready for lots of pics, because it was hard to restrain myself. So, here I should say that I have things for 1) cabins 2) mountains 3) lakes 4) Scandinavian folk design and 5) historic houses. Basically, I just about imploded with excitement when we went on this tour.

The house was built in 1929 as a summer home on the shore of Emerald Bay on Lake Tahoe for a wealthy woman after her husband died. She had been to Norway and the bay that this house is situated on reminded her of a fjord, so she decided to build her home using traditional Norwegian architecture. She mashed a lot of traditional styles and time periods together, but it all looks lovely together. Nay, it all looks AMAZING together.

This is the dining room. All of the furnishings are original to the house. You can't see it, but even the beams on the ceiling have stained and carved details on them. I LOVE that painted sideboard on the left there.

There were several (I think 7?) bedrooms in the house, but this here is my bedroom, er, I mean my favorite bedroom. Sigh. I love all the wood here - the floors, ceilings, and walls. So cozy! The nook in the back with the windows was a little writing nook, you know, for keeping up with your corresponding, and it overlooks the lake. There was also a fireplace in here, which was to the left of this picture.

And did you see this kitchen?! It took all my willpower to stay behind the rope and not go in there and start baking cakes like a 1930/40s lady of the day.

If I could have gotten away with, I would have stuffed this whole mixer up my shirt and made a run for it. Except it was a mile back to the road, and uphill at that. I'll have to start training.

This is where your chambermaids and chauffeurs and whatnot stay. What, you don't have a chambermaid? And just a few dragons to keep you safe.

This is me and my new lady friend, and another amazing door. There were so many details and handmade elements everywhere you looked. I bet you could spend hours in each room, just admiring all the intricacies.

Besides being a lady of Scandinavian heritage myself, part of why I love this kind of design is that I love pattern, texture, and color, and as you can see, they're all about that. The more the merrier! That's what I say, too. Skol!

And if one of you buy me this house, I'll be your best friend forever and ever. And ever. :)

shanti >> sondra
 p.s. we can also be best friends if you picked up on the post title's reference. Much cheaper. ;)

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