Horizontal Wall Stripes

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Angelo did it: 
Horizontal stripes in the small corridor:

horizontal stripes and door to the green bathroom

view towards side entrance area

view towards dining area and kitchen

view towards kitchen with balcony in the back

two horizontal stripes

Not only I am impressed with the speed Angelo implemented my proposal, I am also impressed by the result. The two painted blue horizontal stripes look as interesting as I thought they would.

I discovered something else in the pictures: the passage way towards the dining area and kitchen is wide and open. I was not sure if there would be a door, it looks better this way! And you see the original thick walls (egg last pic)! They are about 1 meter thick. (The art work Angelo did on these walls I need to check out on site next month.)

But this is not all.
I got also vertical stripes !!!
But this in another post.


Italian Beach Painting

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Beach at Tropea in Oil on Canvas, 40cm x 40 cm (painted by me)

my inspiration, a photo by Italian photographer Marco Cristofori (via imagestate)

While Angelo is painting walls and ceilings, I am painting the beach in Calabria.
The beach shown above is at Tropea and the view is from above. It is quite a famous spot to take pictures. There are many on the intern if you google "Tropea beach" images. 

The motif I have chosen, however shows the Calabrian beach life best: colourful umbrellas, white sands and turquoise sea. And I wanted to try out water, colour and pattern. It was easier than I thought. If I would have known that my second oil painting turns out so nice, I would have painted on a bigger canvas. Now I have to do a second beach scene to hang a pair somewhere in our "beach palazzo".

Tropea is just about 30 minutes drive from Pizzo. But Pizzo's beaches are nice too. You even have the same perspective when you watch the beach at the Marina from the upper piazza.

In April, although there will be not many umbrellas on the beach, probably none, I will take some photographs that I could use as original for a painting. - Or I just use the second photo that Marco Cristofori did only a moment earlier:


Funny, if these people would know that they are not only eternalized on photo, but now also in oil ?!
Okay, one of the bigger guys I changed into a singorina... freedom of artist - and no royalties to pay to the photographer. My teacher and maestro also added a doggie since he felt something was missing in the lower left. Thanks to him, my painting looks so decent! 

Why Designer Kitchens Do Not Have To Cost Much - OR: When Architects And Designers Use IKEA Kitchens

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While IKEA kitchens in some countries still have the reputation of being cheap kitchens for young and small budget households, it seems that in France architects and interior designers effortless and successfully integrate IKEA kitchen into their projects. And at the end, they are even featured in glossy magazines like Marie Claire Maison. And the source IKEA is clearly stated.

After seeing all my finds below, you might forget about your fear of the DIY hassle of assembling an entire IKEA kitchen. I, myself feel tempted:

Above, the architect Philippe Harden managed well to disguise a kitchen behind brown furniture (Nexus, IKEA). The counter top harmonises with its dark wooden tint (Numeraer, IKEA). White lacquered cabinets  (Applad, IKEA) frame the counter and form a niche. The dining table is custom made (Atelier 54) in steel after an army table. Above the table, two bicoloured lamp shades (Habitat) are pending on red electrical wires (BHV). (remark: text partly translated from the original French description) - Who would have thought that this sleek kitchen is by IKEA?

interior by architect Flora de Gastines - black glossy kitchen furniture by Ikea (Abstrakt)

a Parisan apartment by modern architect Carl Fredrik Svenstedt - basic kitchen furniture by IKEA

architect C. F. Svenstedt had Ikea kitchen furniture repainted in a fresh "bamboo" colour (inox gas stove by Ariston)

the kitchen island is a cube made of 10 modules by IKEA 

The above apartment is arranged by French interior designer Didier Gomez - with a kitchen by IKEA. Okay, this one looks almost like a cut out from the IKEA kitchen catalogue - but with a thick stone counter top and the different styles of lower and upper cabinet it looks more stylish.

And now, how to get the look:

glossy surface with ABSTRAKT? Or APPLAD or NEXUS?
(click on picture to enlarge)

handles - or no handles for a sleeker look

industrial faucet HJUVIK (NR 7, just 169 Euro)


IKEA's steel shelves, although nice, would reveal IKEA on the spot 

little helper on the side, flexible inox service wagon NR 8


So it depends on you, how you transform an IKEA kitchen into something special, something not looking like a cheap IKEA kitchen from the catalogue:

like this (above)
or like that (below)

Have you experience with assembling and using an IKEA kitchen? Please send in a comment. I am looking forward hearing from you.

Photo sources: Marie Claire Maison and IKEA


Ceilings: Some lighter blue paint

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Angelo tries out a lighter blue in another corridor
(all three panels are painted in the same hue)

the light sky blue in comparison to the other recent bright blue

for comparison of hues and for orientation - both are corridors 

The story behind:

This morning, very early around 6.15 am, I saw these pics in my mailbox. Angelo had written last night and was asking about how I like the new light blue, that he had tried out (surprise!), and which colour I would like better.

Remember, he is addicted to blue colour paint and obsessed with painting the walls and ceilings colourful - and then surprising us with the result.

First, I had to ask back - via mail from Bangkok - whether the light blue in the first pic is one or three different hues (I could not tell). Later, Angelo confirmed from Italy, that it's only one light blue hue and that he and Tonino, his co-worker, like the new sky blue. Also my husband, on business trip in London, joined the discussion by mail and said that he likes the new colour too, but I should decide.

Due to the time difference between Europe and Asia, I was busy with other things (egg cleaning the fish pond) and for some hours not at the computer, while, meanwhile in Italy, Angelo, probably waiting with a paint brush in his hand, couldn't wait any longer and just sent me a SMS text message on my mobile phone:
"I am still waiting for your reply. See my and CC's mails." 
Wow, now, a new medium got introduced to our long-distance-renovation-project: SMSs.
After a quick look into my mails, I wrote straight back: "Light blue! Va bene. Grazie e buon lavoro!"
I did not even know that I can send a text message from my prepaid Thai SIM card to Italy.
It worked. Only a few seconds later, his reply : "Good choice!"