About us
Filippa & Ole
Who we are
People who love life, cyclists (road, MTB, gravel), hikers, outdoor folk, food lovers, parents of three daughters (and one lovely grandchild!) – and, for a while now, owners of a B&B and restaurant.
Ole worked in business for many years – including in dental technology and printing – and has run his own construction and painting company since 2008. Most of what you see in the house he built or painted himself.
Filippa worked for many years in the media industry, the last 15 as executive assistant at Warner Bros. ITVP in Amsterdam: management support, events, social cohesion – and responsibility for workplace environment and safety.
We became a couple in 1987 and now have three grown-up daughters. So what now? A dream of building something together – with love and energy – during our remaining working years.
Away from the rush of the Netherlands, to space, beautiful nature, fresh air and calm.
The house
The tracks in the foreground are now the Banvallsleden.
Three buildings side by side
One more thing: Filippa is half-Swedish and speaks the language. We'd long been reading about emigrating to Sweden and travelled around to find the right place. There were many options – in the end we chose Småland: easy to reach from the Netherlands, and everything we were looking for, and more.
Our original plan to renovate an old farmhouse was quickly put on ice – it turned out to be both difficult and extremely expensive because of the building regulations. And then, suddenly, up popped RYD ! The old railway hotel, the stationmaster's residence and the packing hall. Travelling salesmen displayed their goods here for sale in the region (and slept at the hotel). For the last 15 years the buildings had been used as a school. The school is gone – and we saw huge potential.
An old house like this is no small job – there's more to deal with than you'd think. We haven't touched the building itself, it's beautiful as it is. But we've done some work on safety and, of course, a fresh coat of paint, wallpaper and the like. It's cost time, money and some frustration – but it was worth it.
But we're resourceful. Old chairs get reupholstered, the crockery stays in use. Flea markets are hugely popular in Sweden – and we love them.
Ryds Gästgiveri is still a work in progress, and probably always will be: always improving. But we're already proud of the result.
Welcome
We warmly welcome you home to us
We love welcoming guests and seeing them feel at home – we look forward to having you here.