update from Pizzo

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Buongiorno,

today I woke up and the sky was grey. Very windy and chilly outside - and it is not much warmer inside.

Sleeping with hot-water bottles makes the nights cosier. During the days I am wearing wool sweaters - sometimes two layers.

However, the good news is, that the wind here at the seaside blows away always the clowds quiet quickly and we have sunshine everyday. The weather forecast (the link is on my blogroll) is surprisingly reliable.

We have been to the house daily since our arrival on Sunday. Yesterday we ordered the following material to continue and finish the attic (mansard) :
  • material to insolate the roof (it also absorbs noise, smell and humidity)
  • white paint for the beams under the roof
  • and the parquet flooring (white painted oak panels)
And we have been looking into tiles (again) for the bathroom. We are very close to make a decision ;-)
We also bought some spare paint for the main facade to paint over some spots and kids scrawl.

I have made lots of picures yet - not many from the house as there is nothing new - except some more mould in the basement (well, we need to speed up to finish) - but pictures from the area. The other night we saw Stromboli at sunset. But so far I have not figured out why I am not able to upload picures to my blog (and even to my emails). I am here at Angelo's laptop, all different and in Ialian.

I will be back soon with pics. Also from the inside of the house as CC and Angelo are right now there to prepare the wooden beams for the paint job.

Saluti della Calabria
S.

Vietri Tiles for a table top

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I want to add this ceramic tiles pattern to my "kitchen file". It is a fun and playful combination of some smaller Vietri tiles.

While we were looking for some mediterranean tiles to use on the wall behind the stove - we came across the above pattern and my husband had another idea: using these for a table top !

It is quiet popular in the South of Italy to choose your favorite tiles for a custom made outdoor table from wrought iron or teak wood :


But maybe you remember our baby blue tiles on the balcony - I think it would be just too much colours.

photo source: de Maio

Room by Room: cucina piano terra

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My drawings, measuring and thoughts for our kitchen at the ground floor



I can picture a mix of styles: mediterranean country and modern sleek. Vietri tiles (above from De Maio) either with a stone walled kitchen or modern surface. Modern small island for breakfast and workspace. Modern appliance, steel surface fridge (2 doors) and large old fashioned gas cooker / stove.
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Room by Room : Bagno piano terra

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As I said, over the last years I have collected lots of pictures and inspirations in a "room by room" file on my computer. Now I need to make a selction and print core ideas in order to make a nice filing for our next visit in Pizzo.

I have started with the smallest room, the overhanging toilet (I posted just about the shrinked window).

 Next comes the bathroom of the ground floor (il bagno piano terra):

I really like the combination of the floral floor tiles and the silver mosaic for the shower area. However I want to keep the GREEN - maybe a terra cotta floor would suit better together with a greenish mosaic or smalto (lacquered water resisting paint) for the walls in the shower and behind the toilet and bidet.
(above my favorite pics... hope not to bore you)

And we need two sinks. I tend to use utility kind of sinks to creat a casual look. This will be a bathroom where we will have a washing mashine and where I will rinse our beach wear.

And we need to think of a solution for the sandy feet issue:
We never come home from the beach with properly cleaned feet. 
Washing the sandy feet in an utility sink might cause congestions. -We could do it the "Asian beach resort way": a barrel or tub full of water with a dipper - located in the right entrance or on the balcony.