In the old canteen of the collective farm, Inga installed a house for herself and her daughters: “For me, feeling is more important than the value of property” | Lifetime

During the Soviet era, the village of Labardžiai was the center of the collective farm, inhabited by many young professionals from that year. Here families were formed, children were born. Inga is one of those children born here, and the house where he lives was a collective canteen during the Soviet era.

“I was born and raised in this town. At first we lived with my parents in a house, then when I was 14 years old, my parents moved to the farm, also in this town.

I remember Dad came to pick me up, took me to the canteen basement and was playing with sawdust.

As for this building, in the Soviet era, the father had established a wood workshop in the basement of this building and was engaged in the so-called auxiliary production of the collective farm at that time, various carpentry work. Yes, although there was a canteen here then, but Dad worked in the basement of this building.

Through the window and now I see my old kindergarten, which I later visited. I remember Dad came to pick me up, took me to the canteen basement and was playing with sawdust. Or we went here with a friend whose mother was the hostess of the canteen, waiting for my mother to finish work at school, in another village. Many things have happened around me in my life, ”said Inga.

The building has not been used for many years.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the canteen building was privatized. It was bought by Inga’s father along with two other owners. Inga says she didn’t know what she was going to do with it, but the canteen, which had been in the canteen for several years, was not used.

“It just caught our eye then. There is even more, because the building itself is about 900 square meters. There is also a large hall where food is served, a kitchen area, a second floor and a basement below the entire building. .

When I was a child, this canteen seemed huge, gigantic to me. But later I thought about it all the time, considering doing something here.

I did not know what, I did not imagine, an art that I thought maybe there could be a coffee here. The time passed, the thoughts calmed, but the dining room was still on my dream list. I don’t know why, “Inga said.

He did not get used to urban life: he wanted to return to town

Later Inga’s life, like the others. collective farm kids, changed, the small town was replaced by cities, the young woman started a family, the first-born Roberta was born.

Inga lived in Klaipeda for five years, then in Kaunas. She graduated from these cities. Vilnius Academy of Arts, Klaip Klada Faculty – Bachelor of Visual Design, and Kaunas University of Technology – Master of Architecture.

When Inga started a family and started expecting a firstborn, she says for the first time, she clearly understood: not wanting children to grow up in the city.

“With my then husband, we began to think about where to live. And my parents say: maybe look at the canteen? I really had no idea that I would live here. “When I dreamed that I wanted to do something here, I really had no idea that I would live,” said the young woman.

The original idea seemed awkward.

Parents offered to look around the ancillary facilities of the old canteen, as the main space of the building is too large to accommodate the dwelling.

“It just caught our eye then. As an interior designer myself, I scratched the existing walls and plucked up my courage. The original idea itself seemed very awkward, everything here was very ugly, it wasn’t used for a long time.

There were also unnecessary walls, some had to be demolished, changed, relocated. But basically, this place turned out to be suitable to install a small house, about 80 square meters, “said I. Jocė.

The family did a lot of work on their own, as Inga says, saving a lot and looking for the best solutions.

The production facilities are equipped with a kitchen and living room, the former kitchen staff room became the Inga family’s bedroom, the adjacent small room, probably changing, is now a closet, and the office of the Former director of the canteen is the room of Inga’s two daughters.

“When the guests come up to us and show them the house, I say it: not much has changed, because two of my directors still live in this room,” laughed I. Jocė.

Each wall has its own story.

Although Inga says that the house is still not completely tidied up and that the work here is abundant, both she and her daughters feel good.

Through the windows, Inga sees the nearby parents’ house, as well as the “door” of the family forest, where another of her own baby is found: a space for a quiet rest “Forest Paradise”.

In summer, green meadows delight through windows and behind doors: a deck with a trampoline, a hammock, outdoor furniture, and a children’s playhouse.

Speaking about the installation of the house, Inga says that many problems had to be solved: how to accommodate everything the girls need in a small children’s room, how to insulate the house, how to fight mold.

Speaking about the installation of the house, Inga says that many problems had to be solved.

“In our house, each wall has its own history. I really wanted red brick walls because they are for me something like that. It is built on site. Once a relative came and said: what a great thing you left the original wall, you did nothing.

But those bricks are brought from another village. This building did not see the red bricks, and the wall was built for us by a neighbor. I wanted him to be as hard as possible, to look as old as possible. My father later objected, saying it would be very complicated, but I like to break the standards, “Inga recalled.

Another idea by I. Jocė is a single-cut white wooden board wall: “This means that the logs that have been cut in our forest are especially the same length as this wall. Anyway, the logs in the forest were cut 6 meters, and for us we cut 8 meters. It was difficult to put boards in the house. But for me, that wall is very unique.

Another similar wall with single-cut boards had to be a little different, but not finished yet, because we put a painted foam padding underneath, but when the kids were still young, they scraped the paint off the gaps and with all the padding. So you have to think what to do. “

Kitchen furniture is made from what is found in the building.

The basement of the building is equipped with a wood stove, underfloor heating and radiators in the rooms.

Inga laughs because she still doesn’t have kitchen furniture. After all, they moved into the new house before the repairs were completed: “We really wanted to stay here as soon as possible. There wasn’t even a bathroom door right away, we didn’t have a shower and we washed in the kitchen sink for a few weeks. We really wanted our home, and those details seemed unimportant. ”

The kitchen furniture is made from what was found in this building, as well as the old stalls that Inga’s father once made.

“They were dark brown panels painted white with seven coats of paint. We put the drawer, we buy the table.

The hanging cabinets are made from fruit boxes, which I also painted. I found old fruit boxes here in the canteen.

It was necessary to find something for the plates too, so the shelves for them were twisted off the plates. If something is missing, I do it myself. My parents have a carpentry company that has a surplus warehouse. So I’ve made a lot of that wood waste: I can use woodworking machines and other tools. I like these works, apparently I inherited them from my father.

There is also a smile board in the kitchen where I put everything that makes me smile. Now my smile panel has expanded so much that I had to remove some things, which is a sign that I am very happy, “said I. Jocė.

Reactions were varied

It is true that when he began to repair future houses, Inga received a wide range of reactions. Others wondered why the family did not want to live with Inga’s parents, who had a spacious house.

“Because not with the parents. That is the answer. And the parents’ suggestion for this canteen, I think, was deliberate. It is not good to live with your parents, but it is good when your closest people are close.

And there are all kinds of reactions now. Some say: how fainai, others ask why

It seems to me that we all have our own lives, we manage our own ways. It is good for me to live here, there is peace here, we have a lot of space around us, we have a trampoline, an outdoor house for children to play, a swing, we also have wonderful neighbors who always help us and even leave us gardening supplies in the door.

Feeling about life is much more important than the price or value of the property. For me, this place is better than Viniai, Kaunas or Klaipeda, “said I. Jocė.