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Farmhouse from Grøsli in Flesberg. Anne-Lise Reinsfelt | Norsk Folkemuseum
The house was probably built by Hallvard, a wealthy farmer who owned the farm from 1604 to 1653. The house consists of a main room, chamber and entry. A fireplace and chimney has replaced the the open-hearth and is believed to have been one of the first in the valley.
With a fireplace in the main room, furnishing were now placed along diagonal lines. The bed and the door are set diagonally to each other, as are the fireplace and the high seat at the table.
Other new furnishings include cupboards, a grandfather clock, and a cradle hanging near the bed. A little table top between the fireplace and the bed could be lifted up and fastened to the wall. The shelf on the gable wall was used for books and other small items.
Several elements in this room come from Flesberg Church, such as the panel behind the high seat that once formed the back of a church stool.
Fireplace with chimney
The fireplace with chimney, or peis, began being used by the aristocracy, clergy and townspeople by 1500. Farmers living where there was good contact with the outer world built such fireplaces in the 1600s. They appeared later in isolated valleys like Setesdal where open-hearth houses were still in use around 1800.
The fireplace was almost always built in the corner nearest the chamber. With a fireplace and chimney, smoke vents were no longer necessary. Since a new source of light was needed, windows now appeared in the main room. Window glass became cheaper and windows more common after Norwegian production started in 1775.
Walls and furniture could now be painted and decorated since they were no longer coated with smoke and soot. While smoke vents had limited houses to one story, fireplaces and closed chimneys now allowed for a second floor.
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Haakon Harriss
