Windows with a View

A home pleases me when it has a view! It is important that a house or apartment looks appealing from outside. First impression is important. So is the entrance. But I realized, what I like most, is the view from inside out of a home. It doesn't have to be Manhattan's skyline, or the Tour Eiffel. It could be the neighbour's lush green gardens and some old tree. And of course, sea view is one of the best views!

When inside, the window is our connection to the outside world.

Henri Matisse, the impressionist, painted lots of interiors. Very often there is a window with a view in his paintings. Recently, I came across Pierre Bonnard, a post-impressionist painter. When I researched his paintings (thanks to google images) I realized he must have known Matisse. He painted similar windows with a view! And indeed they were friends, they were even part of the same group (Les Nabis) and inspired each other.

Artists have always been inspired by windows with a view:

Pierre Bonnard 1919

Henri Matisse 1918

  

The tiny overhanging bath or former outhouse needs the perfect sink

Can anyone tell me how they called these overhanging shithouses people used to have in the medieval times in European cities ? (and elsewhere ?) I do not even know the Italian expression for these tiny outhouse loos.

Anyway, we have one! And it is going to be our son's bathroom.

In my previous post I gave a sneak peek into the ongoing renovation. It is another green bathroom. We have ordered all appliances, except the sink. Advise is welcome!

But look and read from the start:

front facade of the house with the overhanging former outhouse on the right

 

a closer look at a BEFORE photo (we came a long way!)

above drawing by the architect shows the former privy on the right

the layout says the WC is 1,90 m x 1,40 m

above and below is the BEFORE bath,

there were a WC (left corner), a bidet and a sink

we took out everything (please note the "big" window)

with the help of an AFTER pic (note the former big and now shrinked window!)

I made some tiles planning

And finally, see and enjoy what Angelo made out of my amateurish drawings :

Bathroom: Can't take my eyes of subway tiles

A beautiful mix of three different shapes of white tiles, separated by a thin border of black tiles and finished with a pastell mint wall paint - I am impressed by this composition ! 

Not sure via which blog I found the above picture, but the photo below is from another blog and it shows the the same bathroom! So, I proudly present both pics together in one blog :

I just can't take my eyes of subway tiles

Subway tiles (on walls) are often combines with hexagon tiles on the floor. Here above with tiny, mosaic type hexa tiles.

But you can do it easier and cheaper, but not less interesting with square tiles :

Just another bathroom of ours ...

Rectangular subway tiles on the walls and square tiles, diagonally layed on the floor

Since we had not made any further specifications than "green" wall colour, our son (7 y.) actual favorite colour, Angelo used the leftover paint from downstairs and added a border of his choice. I think it looks super good, especially when you see the "matching" green leaves through the bathroom window and ....

.... a bit of sea view

More about this bathroom later with before & after pics.

Shrinked window

Usually, when renovating or remodeling and it comes to windows you would tend to enlarge a window, if possible. In our case, the window of the smalest toilet (the one that hangs on the outside), was large enough - before the renovation.

But look what happened with the new window (before, during and after) :

It shrinked !

Somehow it is less than half of the before size.

However it has a very bold frame.

Italian way of how to use Bamboo shades on balconies

I do love that balcony with that shade ! I posted it before when I was musing about how to handle the sun with inside window shutters and difficult curtain situation. In Italy do like the Italians do. So I looked around and found all these bamboo shades on balconies. You have shade and air at the same time. You can look out but no one can look in. It is a pretty and very affordable solution.



Even the inhabitants of the nicest palazzi in town use this solution. The lower floor (above pic) with the white shutters show exactly my situation.



You can roll the shades up and down easily - like interior blinds.


And even the more shabby houses are having them ...



And the charming houses ...


In this palazzo one inhabitant is using a bamboo shade and his above neighbour is using a fabric shade. I definately prefer the bamboo shade.


For those who want to see another fabric alternative. Not bad either.


As you can guess, I am a fan of bamboo shades. How could I not, after having lived 8 years in Asia ?!

All above pictures were taken in Pizzo (VV).
*

the 20 something windows

We ordered 'non-bombato' window frames and got a 'bombato' (round) finish.

The craftsman claimed he never saw our detailed order.

That's also why some windows we ordered to be 'pivot-hung' are not 'pivot-hung'.


Lesson learned: always let the craftmen sign the details you want !

When I saw these windows for the first time (3 weeks ago), I lost my temper ...
For me this 'bombato' (round) finish of the window frames on the inside does not fit the square-cut finish of the window shutters as well as the square-cut finish of the window frames on the outside ! How can someone do a round finish when the rest is not ? 20 something windows ... impossible to think of an exchange.

I also did not like the window handle, this golden finish ... and all these hooks. But this was my husbands idea. It seems to be quiet common in Italy. And as we are here ...

After sleeping on this one night I went again to see the windows.
Well, they are not the end of the world ... but when you spend so much money it should suit your taste ... well, maybe dust cleaning will be easier ...


And while I shot the photos for the blog, a boat passed on the blue sea, deep down below the window.

Aaahh ! What a view ... what am I complaining about
?!
?!
?!

the new window shutters

This is one of our new window shutters. The newly ordered, white laquered ones. The original ones were not preserved well enough to go for an economic restauration.

As you can see, our window shutters are on the inside of the house. This is quiet common here in Pizzo, as the sea climate affects the wood over the years. The palazzi here that have window shutters on the outside mounted them additionally. Often made of aluminium or PVC and having fins to let in some daylight.

Personally, I would love to have shutters with fins on the outside. During the afternoon heat, you can close the shutters and leave the windows open while napping.

When we close our shutters, the windows must be closed as well and no light comes in. They just have a different purpose.


During the renovation of the windows and walls on the sea side we have left enough space for additional outside window shutters, in case we want to add them later.

For the main facade, however, where we have two bedrooms, I am already looking at some easier solution.

I love bamboo shades.
So why not something like this :

Bamboo shade mounted outside over the balcony door, house at Pizzo Marina

When the shades are rolled down, they are hanging over the balcony to allow air in and look out. (I need to find more picture samples, coming soon)
...

Renovation: restored shutters

Some days ago, a small transporter drove down the alley and parked in front of the house. I was picture taking, and we had not yet delivered the entrance doors, when I saw some workers hauling a heavy door. Beautiful finish, antique looks ... WOW, I thought, what a beautiful entrance door ...

When they were hauling this door up the stairways to the first floor, I learned that this is not our entrance door, but one of the three restored window shutters !

You see, I am not the best informed person on the contruction site ...


The next thing you see, is the attempt of the workers to fit the shutters to the right window ... but at the end it turned out that still two of them are not measured accurately so the windows cannot be opened (see picture above).


This shows how beautiful it will look at the end (when small corrections are made).

We had decided to restore just three of the many shutters. Three that were best preserved. And we decided to paint them with wood color to show the original wood that is of high quality. The other shutters are all newly made and lackered white - less expensive then the restored ones.

And if one day the brown shutters will ever appear too dark we still can paint them white.

window draperies

Looking for various window dressing I came across this beautifully fabric by Nya Nordiska. "A combination of high-tech and folklore, results in this extraordinary decoration fabric Isabella. A parchment-like, almost stiff base with a sheen like mother-of-pearl is embroidered with fleece or Lurex yarns." It already won four awards for design and material.

Not less interesting is the curtain rod "Spannstange" an innovation from Artline by Nya Nordiska. This rod made of Ø 6 or 8 mm stainless steel is able to bridge mounting distances up to 5 m without intermediate brackets! "Following the trend to more delicate curtain rods Artline designed this excellent problem-solver" that was honoured with the Busse Longlife Award 2008.



And these clips that hold nonchalantly fine curtains are a cool alternative to the usual rings:





All above products are made by the same company which name sounds so nordic, so scandinavian. But, who would have thought, it is German !

Source: all pictures via website and brochure of Nya Nordiska