Blue is the new black

And no I haven’t become an Interista! I just wanted to keep you updated on our home reno. In my previous posts I showed you pics from the new kitchen. I’m loving it! Having a decent-sized kitchen makes it such a pleasure to cook. My daughter and I had a great time doing the Christmas baking together and I finally roasted a chicken to crispy perfection.

But just across the hall lay a vortex of confusion: the living room. Up until a  week ago it was jam-packed with boxes, bags and baby paraphernalia. I also had the sneaking suspicion that Elvis was lurking somewhere in the midst of all that mess, possibly close to the peanut butter and banana sandwich the workers left behind. But the hubby quickly cleared out the mess and made room for the painter to transform our hell hole into something a little less cringe-worthy.

Here are some before pics:

view of fireplace and french doors

picture it: a sofa and two armchairs in this space

a view of the vomit-hued buffet that we inherited but that I really loathe

And after!

Ta da! Now in technicolor!!

il cielo in una stanza!

I love the colour so much it even makes that buffet look almost decent

I’m really happy with the way the colour turned out in the living room. It’s always a bit hit or miss when you choose colours from a painter’s swatch but I really think it goes well with the floor and the wood fixtures. In a couple of weeks all the furniture will be arriving, some new, some antique, some Indian. Can’t wait! And I’ll be definitely taking more pics of the finished room.

Speaking of pictures, I was previewing the shots of the new living room when I happened to come across a few masterpieces snapped by my 5 yr old daughter on the sly. Like this:

I almost dropped the camera after seeing that one! Well, I guess she has a few exposure issues to work out before she becomes the next Annie Leibovitz but I’ll give her an A for effort!

ciao ciao!

Kitchen Krazy

Ciao Bloggisti!

Just wanted to keep you posted on my new kitchen. Things are progressing quite nicely, thank you very much. We’ve put the tiles/backsplash and are slowly moving things from the old kitchen upstairs to the new one.  The  stove works great and I’ve even baked Christmas cookies in the oven. The kids are thrilled even though our first dinner in the new kitchen was marked by a blackout. Half the town was in the dark that evening. My daughter wanted to move to Canada right then and there!

Anyway, here are some pics of the kitchen as it is now:

Kitchen with new backsplash

Hand-painted tiles from Vietri

Tile detail

view of island

My first "antique" purchase: a 40's desk we're using as a TV stand

We still have to put up the utensil rod and get a new table and light fixtures but I’m quite pleased with the results so far. My biggest preoccupation now is to organize my kitchen as efficiently as possible. I’ve been cooking in the midst of chaos for the last 12 years so I’m really looking forward to tapping into my inner Martha.

What is one tool/trick/thingamajig that you use which makes your kitchen great? What can’t you live without?

Cucina Confidential – Part 2

Ciao Bloggisti!

Due to popular demand, here’s a quick update on the kitchen situation. Yesterday, two men from Cappellini, our supplier, arrived early to start the long and arduous installation. It took them eight hours. Hopefully none of our cats were injured in the process (however, Beppa’s been missing for the last 24 hrs. Hmmm…).

Anyway, I am as pleased as punch to finally have my very own kitchen, one that my husband and I designed and that is actually younger than me. You see, our previous kitchen was a hand-me-down from the in-laws (when people move house in Italy, they usually take their kitchen furniture with them, cupboards and all). And before that I lived in rented apartments. So having a new kitchen that I could choose from top to bottom meant a lot to me.

 

There’s still some more plumbing and tiling work to do but here’s phase two of our new cucina:

 

 

View from the door. Unfortunately our pasty white dishwasher doesn’t

really match the rest of the decor. Maybe I’ll ask my son to “break” it. Heh heh!

 

My new Lofra range, big enough for a Palin turkey!

 

 

View of the junk-strewn U-shaped island

 

 

Yes, more furniture

 

 

The one bone of contention: a glass cabinet we’re not sure we really needed

 

Now, we don’t really remember whose idea the cabinet was (my husband insists it was mine. I have no recollection of making that decision whatsoever!). Anyway, it would be a good place to store wine glasses, teapots, cups, saucers, etc. The hubster thinks it’s useless and takes up valuable space. He wants to take it out asap and put it in another room, give it to the cats or something like that. I say we should wait and see if we can’t find a use for it in the kitchen. I don’t know why we didn’t think about it more when we designed the kitchen but it seemed like a good idea on paper.

So now I turn to you, my blogging buddies. Do you think the cabinet should stay or go? My marriage hinges on your decision. Grazie!!

 

p.s. Will post more pics as the kitchen progresses. Next up, the backsplash!!

Cucina confidential

Ciao Bloggisti!

I’m at home with a sick Diggy so I actually have a few minutes to write. Miracolo!!

Anyway, I just wanted to share some news with y’all. My baby is coming home tomorrow! It’s been a gestation period of over 18 months but tomorrow, it’s finally happening. My new kitchen is coming!!!

We moved to our new place at the beginning of 2007 and had to do some MAJOR renovations. Have you ever seen the Money Pit? Well, it wasn’t that bad but we basically had to fix up the place from top to bottom since the previous owners hadn’t done much maintenance inside or out. We even planned to create a new living room, kitchen, laundry room and garage from the junk-filled basement (Exhibit A).

Exhibit A; basement before renovation

As you can see, we had quite the job on our hands. Not only did we have to plan in detail with our architect/surveyor but we had to get various permits from the town, a bureaucratic nightmare but no surprise in this country. Then my husband had to coordinate the construction workers, electricians, plumber, tile installers, painters, etc. And of course, there were delays, burst pipes, suppliers gone AWOL, budget constraints. I was starting to lose hope that I wouldn’t have my dream kitchen until I was too old for solid food. But Santa’s giving me an early Christmas present this year and tomorrow I’m finally going to meet my bella cucina!

Here’s a sneak peak of our new and improved basement:

new hallway

location of u-shaped cooking area

my new fridge and oven, waiting forlornly

Will post more pics after the new kitchen furniture arrives. Gotta run now. Kiddie mini-emergency. Never a dull moment around here!