INSPIRATION
‘Who would have thought I’d be dreaming of windows…’
We found our ‘window guy
(his name is Sergio) through our neighbor two doors down, a relative who with one quick phone call was out to measure up and give us a quote. A little Italian haggling and a price was agreed upon.
In a community this small things like this are always done through word of mouth.
Yesterday we took a trip out to his workshop to choose the color of the stain and found a treasure trove. A true craftsman’s place filled with our windows which made my heart almost skip a beat! We already have snow on the mountains and the soft powder looks as if I could reach up and touch it. The nights are getting cold and the temperatures dropping.
I’ll be counting down the days till those windows are mine.
For many years I worked in a major decorating store in Australia. We sold paint, wallpaper and wood finishes, it was quite normal for customers to come in and agonize over the wall color or want us to put some stain onto a bit of wood only to end up with so many options they were never able to make a decision. Quarter strength off white, half strength off white…can we get an eighth strength…no you can’t!
So it was refreshing to be shown our color options for the windows via strips of off cuts stacked by the door. This one I say optimistically, close enough will do I guess, I’m hoping they will roughly match the few existing new doors and windows put in by the last owner. Things like this which I would have agonized over in Australia are just minute questions here, no color cards or paint swatches just a rough idea and go with that.
These things are really just not that important, just another Italian life lesson I’m learning.
Our current windows are held together with ancient tiny tacks and no putty. They rattle and the chill night air seems to seep right through the thin panes of glass. One window is missing a pane and we have temporarily covered it over. I can’t wait to be rid of them. We will also have a new door both up and downstairs, the one leading from the kitchen out onto the upper terrace will be glass to let in the light. The old doors will be put to good use somewhere else in the house.
We are also looking at sealing up the cavity in the upper bedroom ceiling, at the moment it is open as the wardrobe we were given won’t fit any other way. It was nice in the summer to be able to see the starlight coming in through the roof but not now.
I wonder how old these windows would be?
While waiting for Sergio to return his father suggested we take a walk around the borgata, the tiny road did a loop which took us about ten minutes. Chestnut and walnut trees with the ground covered in nuts had us wishing we’d bought some plastic bags. I usually carry one in my pocket now for just such a discovery. Two half breed Burmese cats followed us on our circuit weaving through my legs and purring loudly when I stopped to stroke them.
One doorway caught my eye with the brightly colored layers of paint peeling over time….
and the gang x
I love the photo of the paint peeling around the door, years of history there, I wonder how many coats have been painted over the years!
Hi Jo, you’d love this photo I saw at http://reubenmiller.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/11/just-paint-it-o.html
It came to mind instantly when you asked how many layers.
ciao ciao lisa x
What an amazing-looking place… and I bet you can’t wait to get your windows fitted now!!
Well now we can go ahead with things as we have some timing for the tv program. It will be nice to have doors that don’t whistle with the drafts. It’s time to get cracking again with the renovations xx
ciao lisa
Everything changes as soon as the double glass goes in!! The fire can roar and you can be cozy and happy. xoxo
Ahhh promises promises lol xxx
Yeah! Your windows are almost ready! They are going to make such a difference….keeping out the cold and looking beautiful. Can’t wait to see the finished product.
Yes Denise the house will really start to feel like our home once the windows are in and we are able to keep warm. Next the lounge room so we can sit somewhere else in the evenings other than at the kitchen table. Lots to do and luckily we have the time to create this as we want over years x
ciao lisa
Gosh Lisa – sure hope those windows can be made and installed asap!! So love how you were able to chose the stain you wanted on the finished windows.
The walk through town looks gorgeous, the colours, the feel of the country side comes through on your pictures. It’s almost like I am there in the moment with you, you have a wonderful lifestyle 😉
Hi Lisa, the lifestyle is so vastly different to that in Australia that it’s hard to really capture. Every single thing is different, even the alphabet which Sam has been teaching Luca. Autumn is beautiful here and the mountains are changing daily and winter is on the way.
I loved your post about Steven and your meeting at the station, just perfect,
love to the gang
xxx
How great, Lisa, that you are enjoying every single aspect of your renovation. (And I am too, vicariously!) Love love love the colorful door. We’ve still got steamy summer weather down here; send us some of those cooler temps, please.
Hi Jann, oh I don’t know if I’d say I’m enjoying every aspect but looking forward to the house being completed and becoming a home we can enjoy and relax in. I loved the door as well and the bright punchy shades it’s been painted over the years. I’ll be happy to send you some snow lol xxx
Gosh it must be getting cold! Before our renovations we had paper-thin glass panels that rattled and had gaps. The cold air used to claw at you when you walked past. I don’t know how I managed for a couple of winters but we all toughened up and the kids still don’t get colds (touch wood). Keep supplying us with photos and can’t wait for the windows to be in! Xxcat
Oh yeah it’s getting cold Catherine, and I feel it unfortunately. Our windows sound just like yours and yes the night air does have claws how beautifully put! The valley is so beautiful that it more than makes up for the chill and I can’t wait to experience our first winter here at Malpertus. I have so many photos that I just can’t keep up with them all, it seems like I’m always chasing my tail!! xxx
Ohhh, you must be SO excited to see your new windows arrive!! 🙂 It will be lovely to know you’ll be so cozy for winter. I love your little town. So much beauty and simple living, nothing flash or unnecessary. I too am learning that things don’t need to be perfect to be good. 🙂 XO
I can’t wait to see them and better yet to look through them at the snow on the mountains. I loved your five things that made you smile, I especially love my piles of books and little sections of the house that make me smile. Simple living really brings pleasures I never thought about, like freshly laid eggs and roasted chestnuts xx
I never really thought about window colors, but now that you mention it, what a conumdrum! Aside from being double- (quadruple?) paned, I guess I’d either go for a direct match to current decor or the color-wheel contrast to accent the window. Enjoy the process!
I have no idea why I asked that question lol, the windows and doors will be stained as closely as possible to the ones already here. I can’t wait to see them finished and our lovely window guy is also going to give us a hand to put them in. We are just waiting to hear about this TV program before installing the heater etc. Your room will be waiting, and the windows should be in by the time you arrive! Hopefully you’ll be toasty warm xxx
I still have some of those old windows in my house. Actually, I have them in my bedorrom and are useless in winter. But…….we still have them ! LOL
Wonderful Lisa, you and your family are such an inspiration !
xxxooo Sally
Hi Sally, someone suggested keeping the old windows and putting mirror into them which I like. I’d like to keep them somehow in the house, maybe sometime in the future I’ll be able to strip them back x
Next year we plan to travel a bit so I’ll make sure we come for a visit xx
sending love