Garden Allotment House

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A 237 square feet owner-built home in Aarhus, Denmark. Photos and shared by Assia Awad. More info. here.

4 comments

  • Robin says:

    I am guessing that this is a modern version of an ancient dwelling: the infamous “Outdoor Kitchen” of yore.

    When home owners lived in dreaded fear of their homes burning to the ground because of the LIVE flames that cookstoves/oil lamps/candles/woodstoves created, many homes of both the rich and poor had “outdoor kitchens” to not only keep fires localized but also to provide the poor cooks with a cooler environment to make their meals. (my own grandmother, as a child, had her family’s cabin burn to the ground THREE times from fires!)

    The fact that the couple has a very extensive garden and this is called the “Garden Allotment House” tells me that this serves as a combination dining area/prep area/cooking area for a family deeply dedicated to growing a lot of their own food. How much fun it would be to go right from Harvest to Kitchen and then serve it all up at that charming table? 😀

    No need for a bed, as it’s an outbuilding, not a tiny home. Of course, bathroom is necessary for the cook, guests, and gardener, alike.

    I’m a SUCKER for tiny, “senseless” windows and am quite keen on that sliver of a window in the kitchen; it’s easy to miss but if you look closely, you can see the tiny vertical area. GREAT design!!!

  • Robin says:

    Okay, some updates: I followed the LINK after I wrote my above post and apparently, there is a bedroom that sleeps both children in a custom “bunk bed” and a fold out sofa for the parents to sleep upon.

    I know nothing about Danish culture (this is Denmark) and have never heard of an “allotment house” but apparently, it’s something in Danish culture that’s common. It sounds like a 2nd home, from the description in the link; this dwelling and land are NOT attached to a main home.

    I copied THIS>>> from wikipedia, which has a massive article on “allotment homes (gardens)”–

    “Denmark–

    In 1778 land was laid out outside the fortifications of Fredericia for allotment gardens and according to an 1828 circular from the royal chancellery allotment gardens were established in several towns.

    Private initiative formed the first Danish allotment association in Aalborg in 1884 and in Copenhagen an association named “Arbejdernes Værn” (lit. “The Worker’s Protection”) founded the first allotment gardens of the Danish Capital in 1891. Since then allotment gardens have spread to most Danish towns.

    In 1904 there were about 20,000 allotment gardens in Denmark. 6,000 of them were in Copenhagen. During the interwar years the number of allotment gardens grew rapidly. In 2001 the number of allotment gardens was estimated to be about 62,120.

    In 1908 twenty allotment associations in Copenhagen formed the Allotment Garden Union which in 1914 was expanded to cover all of Denmark. The Allotment Garden Federation was founded to negotiate more favourable deals with the state and the municipalities from which the allotments associations rented the land. Today the federation represents roughly 400 allotment associations in 75 municipalities.

    The Danish tradition for allotment gardens later spread to the other Scandinavian countries; first Sweden, then Norway and Finland.[6]

    Today most allotment gardens are on land owned by the municipality which rents the land to an allotment association. The association in turn gives each member a plot of land. To preserve allotment gardens as something that is available for all kinds of people the membership charge is set significantly below what a market price would be. Since allotments are often placed on attractive plots of land, this has led to huge waiting lists for membership in many allotment associations.

    Although the main purpose of the allotment is gardening, most allotment gardens have a pavilion built in them. These pavilions can range in size from an old rebuilt railway car to a small summer house. Many people grow so fond of their allotment gardens that they live there the entire summer. In most cases, however, members are not allowed to live there the entire year.”

  • Lisa E. says:

    I’m not seeing a cook stove in this kitchen. They probably use a grill or hibatchi. I suspect these folks are vegan and eat a lot of their food raw.

    In many of the big houses of the Edwardian Period, they had “summer kitchens”. This would take the heat of cooking out of the house, give the cook a heat break and would keep grease on the air from settling inside the house. Every time I cook bacon I think about having a summer kitchen to take the mess out of doors.

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