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
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