Popular in northern homes is the central chimney with many fireplaces branching off it. Despite the fact that the weather never gets that cold, even in northern Meron, fires burn all winter. In the case of peasant homes such as this, the fireplace also serves to divide one room into three. The small entryway of this house contains the cellar door and a woodbox.
The main area of the house is used for eating, cooking, and spending time. This family has wooden benches instead of chairs, which are easier to make, but a braided rug sits on the earthen floor, a touch of luxury in an otherwise stark environment.
The curtained sleeping area is for the adults and children under the age of two, who typically sleep with their parents. The uncurtained area is for older children. There is one shuttered window in each area, which are kept open in warmer seasons. Otherwise, the house is lit by tallow candles, which are made by the family.
This kind of house could belong to a family from any walk of life, but it most commonly is the home of farmers or fisherman. Some families will add on to their houses as time goes on and they gain the means; an additional room or two that might be used for a second bedroom or even a sitting room (the latter is viewed as slightly pretentious). More often, however, homes like these are used by couples whose parents are still living. When one of the parents dies, the couple moves back into their family home (usually larger).
Some northern villages have adopted the mountain tradition of boys' and girls' homes, wherein at puberty children leave their parents' houses to live with four or five others in their age group, supervised by a single adult of the same gender. In such places, a cottage like this often houses the young people.
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