As so often happens with these things, it was pure coincidence that led Anine von Krogh to renovate her cabin. In conversation with her neighbour, it emerged that they had some leftover stone. This turned out to be Light grey Oppdal quartzite slate – exactly what Anine needed. So, one person’s rubbish became another’s treasure. 

They’d used the stone for their own fireplace and were actually just waiting to get rid of what was left. So we just carted it off and suddenly our project had begun to take shape,” Anine says.

And it’s not the first time Anine has recycled materials for a building project.

– Recycling is brilliant! At home we’ve recycled bricks of slate from an old apartment building from 1885. The fact that the material has its own story, gives the room something extra, she explains.

Slate has eternal life as a material for new ideas – if only you choose to reuse it! Get inspired here!

Another way to add an extra touch to a room is to do it yourself. So the fireplace builders were actually Anine’s husband and father. Her father is a master builder and they have built several fireplaces together.

– I think it becomes more personal when we do it ourselves. It gives the cabin a more personal touch, and the fact that it was built together with people I love makes the fireplace a memory in itself, she explains.

In addition to the neighbour’s offcuts, specially cut slabs of Oppdal slate were used to clad the top part of the fireplace. 

Anine’s cabin doesn’t have a traditional fireplace corner. The fireplace is the actual centrepiece of the cabin. There are several reasons for this.

-I like to create contrasts. There are so many straight lines and angles in the cabin, so having a round fireplace makes a good break from this. In many ways, the fireplace forms a natural centrepiece. By having it in the middle, it’s not only visible from all angles, but also a place to sit around and warm your legs after a skiing trip, or enjoy a glass of wine in the evening, she continues.

Anine was certain that the fireplace was to be built from natural stone:

– I really like the fact that it’s Norwegian slate. It works great with the elements found in and around a Norwegian mountain cabin and is a material that has always been used in cabins. It just adds a timeless touch and will never go out of style.

It’s also incorrect to think of natural stone as something old-fashioned and practical. And it’s not only when it comes to shapes that Anine likes contrast.

– When building a new mountain cabin, it’s often a case of old meets new. Most of the furniture in the cabin is new, of course, and the natural stone adds a classical element. It’s not important to me that everything should be modern. The most important thing is that it all fits together and that it matches the surroundings, and I think that’s what I’ve achieved here, she concludes.