INSPIRATION
‘Time does not pass, it continues…’
Years of darkness peel away and the beams in our rustic Italian kitchen are restored to their original warmth.
The house has taken on an entirely different feel as if it took a big sigh now that all those layers have been removed.
The ceilings seem higher and the rooms just that bit bigger, an optical illusion certainly but maybe it’s due to that big breath the house took, the shaking off of the past.
A fine dust has now settled on every surface in our rustic Italian kitchen, both up and down stairs, and will be returned to become part of the floor in the living room. We are using it to level the surface before we lay the slabs of rock flooring.
Our friend Claudio spent the day sandblasting the two rooms. He looked like the guys from Ghost Busters.
I never expected the end result to look this good and I am now mid way through coating the raw timber with a clear finish. We kept all the huge original nails used by generations past to hang various items.
It looks like a beach in our kitchen and all we need now are the deckchairs and sun umbrellas.
The sand is at least an inch thick in most places downstairs and we are waiting on a vacuum to arrive so we can clear out the fine dust.
Sam and I have been busy taking out the door and widening the opening between the rooms, and also taking out all the nails in the lounge room walls that held up the hideous plastic paneling. Luckily the render will cover any gouges and we don’t need to take care of the floor as it is now sand.
Everyone has been in to see the results of Claudio’s work in our rustic Italian kitchen, including two Aussies we met by accident yesterday as they were trying to decide if it was okay to walk through the borgata.
How wonderful it was to hear someone say ‘Mate’ and we ended up taking them both for the grand tour of the house and the village. They just happened to come at the perfect time to see the house in total disarray, anything now will be a big improvement.
This is the wonderful part about our house in Italy, it is a living breathing part of the mountains. It has it’s own history which we know will continue long after we are gone. I like that feeling of being a care taker, of leaving the house stronger than before, of giving something back to this valley and it’s people.
and the gang x
What an undertaking you have chosen to take on, with such amazing results! Looking forward to seeing the transformation in person! I’ve been in the restoration/renovation business for over 45 years. It seems that each completed project is my new favorite!
That building is super cool looking. I can see how the sandblasting will be a total benefit for the entire place. The sandblasting most likely will break down years of wall dust that is truly a testament to time and the people that place has served.
I admire your determination! This winter we re….restyled a house, we definitely didn’t do a renovation like you but at a certain point in February I looked around at the mess, holes in the walls, beams, dirt and sawdust and I despaired…I thought we’d never finish, yet a few months later we were ready to move in! I’m enjoying watching your huge project evolve. Xxx
Just been visiting your blog Nicki and found the renovations which are gorgeous, reminds me of some of the houses we did in Australia, very light and bright. What a beautiful place you have to live in, I backpacked here in my 20’s and wandered around the back streets with my camera. My Aunt has been a long time visitor to Positano over many years and it must be in her soul by now. How long have you been living in Italy? We have another house in Liguria but looks like we will remain in the mountains, we do have a house a street from the beach in Australia which is split into four units and rented out so we will always have a little bit of the beach lol xx
ciao for now
lisa x
Gosh what a difference the sand blasting has made to your Kitchen! It has given it a new look, and it sure has made the room seem bigger 🙂
You guys are incredible with your renovations, I am loving what you are doing.
Pretty incredible. It is much brighter now! Can’t wait to see what’s next!
Oh my gosh. I cannot even begin to fathom the extent of the project you’ve embarked on!!! The dust! Dust masks! I hope you’ve kept your computer away from all that, Lisa. The wood looks absolutely gorgeous. I remember the low point of my Sicilian renovation–I was stirring paint around with a carrot stick and bathing in a bucket. It’s all so worth it!!! Blowing you kisses and wishing you buon corraggio. xxxx
I remember the sand blasting , the noise and mess, smoke billowing out the windows, and all came to a halt when a funeral passed by. Its worth the mess ..I can still remember it now 20 years later.
Yes we did have sand billowing from the windows and luckily no funerals. I hadn’t thought of that. So in twenty years we’ll be laughing about all this right?? xxx
Just beautiful Lisa. I’m so glad you shared so many photos of your kitchen. I can’t get over the amount of dust on the table.
it’s everywhere and we are waiting for the vacuum to arrive then it’s ‘dust busters’. xx
Lovely to have you back and hope all is okay at home. You certainly have your work cut out for you here. But it must be cool where you are and great for steaming ahead with renovations before winter comes around again.
We also did our renovations one very hot summer and I remember sleeping with a plastic sheet as a back door for months. And I wasn’t even worried! We had a plank through the window to get onto the stairs to go up into our rooms, as the floor was dug down a metre to put in floor heating. The sanding part was hellish and ruined the windows which my (dumb) builder neglected to take out. I never thought it was a good idea, but do they listen to women around here? He paid for them to be changed afterwards.
I’m so glad our renovations are done and it’s all worthwhile in the long run. Just where I am sitting now used to be the dampest most miserable corner! Love seeing your progress xxcat
ciao Lisa, I have been following you on FB for a while,as it is a quick look each day….also not a blog follower,but it has been nice catching up on the blog as Saturdays are nice and relaxed.
I really take my hat off to you and Sam tackling such an awesome project……firstly uprooting yourselves and now restoring your casa.
Your enthusiasm gives me hope that within the next few years I will make a move as well…but to a ready to move into home!! Too old for major make-overs! xxx
Lisa, this is great! I have never actually seen anyone “sandblast.’ So they use sand to blast away the old color and soot and dirt? At any rate that guy in the orange pants is very cute for a sandblaster! Everything is going to be so pretty soon in your house. And…..do you really think you will be staying there for a while?
Yes Claudio is just a lovely man and Sams partner in crime here in the borgata. The whole family are wonderful and make living here even better. He is Anita’s son. I certainly don’t feel up for another move any time soon, certainly other renovations but I want to settle for a bit. x
It has been such a pleasure following your progress! To be able to watch the process and hard work, I envy you for your vision to see the beauty through the dust and rubble! Ciao! Terri
well the great thing about so much sand on the floor is I don’t need a drop sheet to put the clear on the ceiling. Seeing those beautiful beams and the rooms opening up make everything else a minor problem. I just know it will all come together and then the good part starts, being able to slowly make the house ours over the coming years. x
It’s a beautiful legacy Lisa, bringing an old place back to life. Those timbers must be feeling like they’ve just had a face peel, able to breathe again. It does look so much lighter, in colour and spirit. Go team Oz! x
I think that’s what I need now…a facial. The wood is just gorgeous and in perfect condition under all those layers of paint and soot. I hope we’ll be able to hand the house over to many future generations. Much lighter in spirit, exactly!!! xxx Aussie Aussie Aussie lol x
p.s I agree with Caterina B the orange -panted sandblaster is “way-cute” hahahah
and just a lovely man as well, but sadly taken with two gorgeous children and a wife. He’ll laugh when we show him this x
LIsa the ceiling wood is very warm and beautiful! Did you know this was here all along? I too don’t know anything about blogs except the enjoyment of reading yours!
We had no idea how beautiful it would be without all those thick crusted layers of darkness. I really didn’t know anything about sandblasting other than Claudio was coming to do it and now he wants to gurney the inside walls to get all the dust out. We will have a waterfall down the stairway lol x
If you want to get hooked on blogging try blogger to begin with but be warned once you are bitten you will love it x
ciao lisa
I couldn’t blog! Could I? I’ll keep blogger.com on hand just in case I have the great need to share something? Thanks for the encouragement:-)
of course you could!! x
It’s so wonderful to see this house coming to life again. It’s a lot of work, but the end results are fantastic. My husband is visiting Italy next month and I hope I’ll get a chance to visit soon too. Well done guys.
It is lots of work but I just keep thinking of the end result and it’s all worth it every time I open those doors onto the verandah and look out over the valley. Is your husband coming over for business? Hope it’s not long before you can come as well x
carrisimi Chiodi,
You are going to have the most wonderful, character laden ‘casa’, it’s already so emotive of an era past and with the love and attention to detail you will lavish on it… meraviglioso !! xox
and with a bunch of characters like us what hope did it have really! We have so many ideas and the time to bring them to fulfillment. I got that feeling visiting your own home, filled with stories and family, just beautiful and of course I am totally smitten with the princess!
Some day very soon your print will take pride of place, it is so beautiful and timeless, and of course I love the ‘fine art’ quality. We met two Aussies here and I can’t wait for the day that it will be you and June walking in the door. What a great gift of friendships fb has given us all.
For anyone reading I’d encourage you to go and check out the work of this fine art
photographer at http://www.frescoimages.com/
ciao bello xxx
I’ve so enjoyed your pics on Facebook and did not even realize you had the blog !! So happy to know …. can’t wait to get caught up on the story here ! I feel like a child opening a gift at Christmas *LOL*
arrghh don’t tell me that Kathy, funnily enough my husband keeps telling me I’m building up fb and not our blog. I do love the immediacy of fb and the ease of sharing things I like. The blog is where the ‘life’ of our story lies and I’m so happy you found it. Merry Christmas lol xxx
Hi Lisa ,
I have come over to your blog to say well done on the sandblasting …I get all tingly everytime I see the progress of the your beautiful new (read old ) home :)..I never thought to leave a comment here as I am a very basic computer nanna hahah…
take care everyone and keep up the great work xxxx
Lynda
Macleay Island Queensland
Oh thank you so much for visiting lynda and taking the time to leave a comment here. I think many people don’t understand how important it is for us bloggers to get visitors. The house is coming along slowly and is in a total state of chaos right now but I know this is only temporary. Now you’ll be able to leave comments on other blogs and be an advanced computer nanna….my Mum just got an Ipad so I’m hoping she’ll get a chance to see all the updates once she figures it out.
ciao for now
lisa x
I think this house will be so beloved because of all the hard work you’re putting into it. It will truly become YOURS for this (these?) generation(s) with all the love and effort you’re putting into it. I absolutely cannot WAIT to see the ultimate finished product!
Talk about a labor of love!
Neither can I Wynne and I know one day you’ll come to visit and have a vino with us x
This house is a keeper and I know we’ll be here for years to come slowly restoring it and adding many layers of love and TLC.
xxx
How exciting ,, I am loving your story ,, It is certainly hard work ,, but it is going to be fabulous ,, and all because you moved from Australia to Italy 🙂
thanks Anne I don’t mind the work this time because I know we’ll get to live here for a long time. So many layers to this house and such a lot of history to uncover, I can’t wait to see how she develops over time along with us xx
SO excited for you, luv!! How amazing it must be to see this dear ol’ place come back to life as you all work SO hard. 🙂 I’m thrilled to pieces for you. 🙂
thanks Krista, it’s been such a long journey and finally able to get to work and see such beautiful results. Now to sort out all the sand lol x