Christmas Guitar Retreat · Idea Farm · Bonnarp, Skåne

A Christmas Retreat,
In a New Home

December 5–6, 2026

I've done a Christmas gathering before — twice, years ago, on the Island of Ven, before the island went quiet for winter and that door closed. This December the Retreat comes back for the colder months, in a place built for exactly this kind of gathering — and it's booked.

Show Your Interest
The Venue

A Recording Studio
Becomes Our Room

I found Idea Farm through a stroke of good luck, and an immediate connection with the people who run it — Robbie and Elsa. Robbie is English, Elsa is Swedish; the two of them spent years running a studio together in Germany before settling into an old Skåne gård and turning it into something rather remarkable: a working recording studio, event space and creative home built into a cluster of century-old barns, on the edge of Söderåsen.

The studio itself becomes our room for the Retreat. And Robbie doesn't just lend us the space — he's with us as sound engineer, and as camera operator if we want to record or film anything we play together. That possibility alone has given me more ideas than I know what to do with yet.

There's also a stage. If the mood is right on Saturday evening, we might put something together — completely optional, completely low-pressure. Playing Together for the sake of it, nothing to prepare, nothing to prove. The village around Idea Farm shows up for what Robbie and Elsa do, and the kitchen is already planning a Christmas blues menu for us.

Idea Farm, Bonnarp, Skåne Idea Farm

See the studio and the space for yourself

Visit Idea Farm's own Recording page ↗

Inside the recording studio at Idea Farm
December 5–6, 2026

What to Expect

When

  • Saturday, December 5 — arrival from 12:00 noon
  • Sunday, December 6 — we finish by 15:00
  • Roughly 12 hours of guitar, spread across a day and a half

What's Included

Tuition, Playing Together sessions & all meals
SEK 2.695
incl. VAT

Food is included in the fee — including a proper Christmas blues dinner. Accommodation is separate (see below).

Accommodation

Two Buildings, Two Tiers, First Come First Served

There are two places to sleep on the property, and I'm filling them in order — once the first is full, the second opens up. No one needs to book anything themselves; just apply below and I'll confirm your spot in the order interest comes in.

Tier One · 8 spots

The Guest House

Four double rooms in Idea Farm's own guest house — the early-bird option, a short walk from the studio.

See the space on Airbnb ↗ For a look only — book through this page, not Airbnb. Rooms go "först till kvarn", first come, first served.

Tier Two · 5–6 spots

Above the Studio

One large room with four beds, plus a second room with a large double bed — a couple's room if you're bringing someone, or a twin room for two participants if we bring in an extra bed. Same building as the studio and live venue — fall out of bed and you're already there. Opens once the Guest House is full.

A Look Inside

Above the Studio, Tier Two

Entrance to the four-bed room above the studio
Inside the four-bed room above the studio
Common space by the studio
Stairs up to the double room
The double room above the studio
The double room above the studio, another view
Bathroom for the studio accommodation

A quick look around the studio-building rooms.

Accommodation, per person
~SEK 150
total for the stay

Please don't compare it to Ven — this is intentionally simple and affordable. Robbie and Elsa aren't running this side as a business; they're just making it easy for us to stay together.

If Both Buildings Are Full — or Simply Not Your Thing

There's no shame in wanting a proper bed and a private bathroom over a shared farmhouse room — I want to be upfront that both options exist. Close by, there's a proper hotel — a gästgivaregård called Spången — and a handful of other BnBs in the area. Robbie knows everyone around Idea Farm, so if Spången isn't for you, just ask and we'll point you to something else nearby.

Spångens Gästgivaregård on Booking.com ↗

Participants from my Summer Retreat get first right to the on-site spots — I'll always give you the heads-up before anyone else.

Idea Farm · No Commitment Required

Show Your Interest

Fill in the form below and I'll be in touch. Choosing "Just curious" is perfectly fine — we can talk through everything before you decide. No payment, no obligation.

Prefer email? Write directly to homesickmac@gmail.com