Mauritia Kirchner

After many fulfilled years and countless wonderful acquaintances, it was time for me to say goodbye to my duties as a landlady to go into my well-deserved retirement - for more time for my family and publications about fly fishing. I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all the wonderful guests I was able to get to know during this time – especially those who came as guests and stayed as friends. Now it is my pleasure to offer my house on the Faroe Islands to my family, friends and dear regular guests as their domicile on the Faroe Islands.

My Faroese domicile

"Heimi í Stovu"

was built in 1835 and has kept its historical character in perfect condition until today. It is one of only 88 buildings that are listed on the Faroe Islands as a cultural heritage. It is set at a point in Kvívík where, after Viking times, the first settlements were built: sheltered from the wind, sunlit all day and with an open view over the village, the waterfall and the sea. In the Faroese style, it is covered with a grass roof and has the typical, adjacent stone huts, where traditionally fish and lamb meat was dried.

The historic Snuggery is reflecting in particular old times Faroese life culture. With caring and artisanal dedication people used to manufacture knobs, beds or wall hooks. Timber was a precious good, and not rarely flotsam was gratefully used. The two into the wall integrated beds were the sleeping areas of the land/house owners. In order to preserve the style of the period, we have used for the wallpaper and fabrics copies of the original works by the famous English designer WILLIAM MORRIS from the 19th century. For this room we liked the motive of the STRAWBERRY THIEF in particular. William Morris designed this pattern of strawberries stealing starlings in 1883. It can be seen at Abbey Merton (UK). His pattern books are on display at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

Beside the snuggery, the "Roykstovan“ = smoke room, has probably been the heart of every Faroese house. In here the residents spent most of their time. Food was prepared at the warm stove, women were spinning wool or knitting and men enjoyed smoking their pipe. We have created a fantastic chamber in Nordic style with many furs of Faroese sheep and fishing antiquities. The historic refectory table has seen many joyful feasts. A similar table can be visited in the Roykstovan of the historic farmhouse in Kirkjubøur. There even state guests are attended from time to time. At "Heimi í Stovu" you are the VIP guest!

A very impressive sleeping room awaits my guests on the ground floor of "Heimi í Stovu". It was the first and only antique four-poster bed on the whole Faroe Islands. Both, the bed and the sideboard are made of bog oak and date back to Renaissance era. We used BRER RABBIT by WILLIAM MORRIS for the interior decoration in this bedroom. Indigo Designs from the 17th century Italian Renaissance influenced the Master to design it in 1882.

A narrow staircase leads you up to the Attic. Also there our goal was, that the rooms are functional but not modern. Because the house is under protection of historic monument, here – and in the rest of the house – no structural alteration works are allowed to be done. A separate bedroom with a single bed is on this first floor. It was in former times the room of the younger parents (second generation the house). The vestibule is very cozy with its various furs, cushions and the another wide single bed.

The kitchen is now in the former stable, which was in historic farmhouses usually immediately attached to the living rooms. We made a lot of effort to preserve as much as possible of the historic character. Antique cooking utensils and old casted iron pots, which were used to the melt whale blubber, decorate the upper shelves. A typical Faroese "Spískamarið" = pantry connects the former stable with the next chamber.