Quirky Swedish lifestyle facts Posted by Katja on Apr 14, 2010 in Uncategorized
When I travel I think it is really interesting noticing the small and big differences in the way people live.
Some of the odd or quirky things you might already have noticed or will probably notice one day are:
1. Swedish houses and apartments have bare floors made out of wood, plastic linoleum or tiles (though tiles aren’t that common). Wall to wall carpeting isn’t common since Swedes believe that mold might grow under the carpet. Rugs are then placed on top of the bare floors so that they can be easily removed and shaken when cleaning.
2. The average temperature that most Swedes find is comfortable in their houses is somewhat warmer about 20-23°C (68-74°F) inside all year round. Being able to walk around in a t-shirt and bare feet is quite common. For example in England where most people seem to have an average temperature of 17°C (62°F), this annoys or makes a lot of Swedes feel uncomfortable, finding British houses very cold.
3. When staying with friends (also in England, though the same things happens to me in many other countries as well) I find myself trying to turn on electrical appliances with them not working. I get a little but frustrated and then exasperated realizing that I have forgotten to turn on the individual power switch for each appliance. Since there are no such switches in Sweden and we just have to plug whatever we want to use into the wall and then leave it there, near the outlet.
4. Walking along the streets in Britain I notice the white curtains all over. I know for a fact that not everybody has white curtains, they can be quite colorful from the inside in some cases. That makes me think of how in Sweden the curtains are almost always open letting anybody walking past see what is going on in that home. Curtains are also changed at least twice a year. Around Christmas time the Christmas curtains come out and then get exchanged for the Easter curtains as soon as Easter starts drawing closer. The Easter curtains are taken down after that to be followed by the curtains that will remain until some time in fall. There is another ritual involved in the curtain changing business. The choosing of material for all of the Swedes who can sew their own curtains and the buying of already made ones for everybody else. New curtains are bought every few years to give peoples houses a “new” look.
5. The same comes to privacy of yards/gardens in Sweden. There are no (or very few) fences. The ones that actually exist are there for decoration, not even being able to keep dogs in in most cases. Peoples’ properties are not marked “this is my line and that is where your gardens starts” type of thing. People don’t seem to mind that other people know what they are doing in their homes.
6. There is also the very common habit that Swedes absorb themselves with. Not wearing shoes inside, and not wanting to in any other country either. This airs feet out and keeps houses clean.
These were a few of the many things that characterise Sweden and Swedish lifestyle.
Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.
Comments:
Marija:
Thank You for the really interesting stories You publish!
Paloma:
Actually, for me it was very impressive at the beginning to see how Swedish houses were so “open”. I found myself looking inside the houses thought the big windows!! haha! In Spain we have blinds, curtains… we don’t want that neighbors can see us inside our house. And then the fences… it’s so amazing! I love the sense of openness of the houses… in Spain we would be afraid that someone could step on our gardens, enter the house and so on. Yes, Swedish society is too different from Spanish one.
Marta:
I’ve loved this post. My English friends respect point 6 too 🙂 but, as you say, they love curtains!
Alison:
I live in Britain, and it’s true that houses here are often cold…but the main reason for this is that it’s really expensive to heat our homes! Could it be that Swedish homes are much better insulated, or is fuel for heating just quite cheap?
Graham Byrne:
I Swedish in laws visit me recently. At one point on the first evening one of my guests stopped me in my tracks and said ” where are you going”, I said nowhere. He looked confused and then said ” So why do you have you shoes on”. Swedes always take their shoes off entering a house. Always. I’m Irish and trust me we dont always do that. The first time I visited Sweden they all got great amusement from my frequently odd socks. I still love them though, those crazy Swedes
Luke (Sydney):
I have always been wondering why it takes so long to stroll thru IKEA’s curtain section.
Kenia:
That about walking barefoot in houses is what i’ve heard and noticed myself the most and i find it uncomfortable to have to take your shoes off when you visit people. At your place is ok, it doesn’t bother me, but when you’re all dressed up and going to visit someone? I mean, shoes are also a part of your outfit…so i think it’s a little strange.
Great post Katja, this was really interesting!! Is there any chance we’ll have “Quirky Swedish lifestyle facts-Part 2”? =)
LC in Seattle:
I’m curious what you mean in #3. Do you mean that there’s a switch somewhere other than on the appliance, such as on the wall? What other countries do this?
I definitely noticed #1 and #6 when I was in Sweden, and I’m usually oblivious to things like #4 no matter how obvious they are to others, but I’m pretty sure I would have noticed #3 if it’s different from the US.
LC in Seattle:
On Norwegian TV many years ago I saw an American expat living in England (Ruby Wax iirc) jocularly needling a native Brit about how cold British bathrooms were, so I can believe you on #2.
Win (Holland):
Thank you,just received your post;first one for me.Hope to receive more nice topics about Sweden.
By the way:I”am sitting barefooted while typing this!
In my house visitors must take off shoes as well.
Love the Swedish domestic attitude.
Katja:
Hey Guys! I’ll try my very best to give you some more “Quirky facts” since they can be so funny sometimes. 🙂 Growing up in Sweden never made me think about shoes being so important part of your outfit, though you’re right Kenia.
The prices for heating are cheap enough for people to not have to think about them, which must mean much cheaper than in Britain.
By point #3 I meant small switches on the wall that control the out-put of electricity (I think).
Emma:
I had some Swedish friends love the fully carpeted floors in our shared house in California. They would wrestle and play on the floor like it was a soft gym mat.
Helen:
That’s so interesting about walking barefoot in the house. At my house, it’s a “no shoes in the house” rule and when I walk into someone else’s house, it ALWAYS feels uncomfortable and disgusting to have to wear shoes in the house. I mean, you’re tracking everywhere you’ve been with those shoes inside a house where people live. It feels wrong.
Thanks for this post! It was very fun to read. 🙂
La bamba:
Wall-to-wall-carpeting and wearing shoes inside is a terrible combination. Think about all the dirt from the shoes that accumulates in the carpets. Disgusting.
Vicki:
Interesting insight into swedish lifestyle. I agree the culture in Sweden is completely different!
Pamela gregson:
how interesting the Swedish lifestyle! has anyone heard of Harpo the Swedish handsome singer who sang moviestar in the 1970s? I wondered why he is bare footed on stage! In fact I live in England and I go round bare footed, because I find shoes un comfortable in the home I cant keep slippers on my feet either, if homes in Sweden have no fences how does Harpo go on trying to stop :fans: tresspassing on his property!. East Anglia in G britain is similer to Sweden with high trees pleasent people and farms dotted around the place. I would love to See Sweden!!