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
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