Focus on Kitchen

That's the actual situation: a niche with a hole for the hood. The balcony access that should not be blocked by the kitchen island. I think a kitchenette or L-shape with our stand alone 2 door inox fridge on the right (below the glass bricks). And it looks like we better have shelves instead overhead cabinets on this front!

In only two weeks from now I have to pack... we will fly to Italy ! The main purpose why we are doing this trip - in between a skiing holiday in Europe and our summer holiday in Italy - is because we need to make some major decisions, and this is about the KITCHEN !!!

The kitchen, not only in Italy, is the center point of the house. Nowadays, there are mainly open kitchens planned in new houses or remodelled in old houses. Kitchens are connected to dining and living area by just a kitchen island. Friends and family gather together around the kitchen before, during and after cooking and eating. Kitchen islands play a key roll. They are not only the new "border", they provide additional working space, they offer useful storage and often feature appliances. With stools they can be used as breakfast area, laptop work area - to check recipes ;-) or simply invite for an aperitif to accompany the cooking.

You all know that, and I am not a kitchen seller. This is just to remember, how important it is to choose the right kitchen design! It should matches the style of the house, especially the dining and living area.

That means for us a balancing act:

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 :

Bathrooms Boudoir Style

Would you split a big room into a tiny bedroom and an even tinier bathroom with no window? Assuming you have enough space, eh a palazzo? I rather opt to sacrifice one entire room to be a nice bathroom, 'boudoir'-style. Le boudoir (french) = the lady's room or "bower", means a room separated from the bedroom where you / ladies can bath and dress.

Here is my inspiring collection of bathrooms boudoir style:







For more inspiration see also my post about bathrooms with wallpaper. Only use tiles until half hight (like in the photo above). Then use color or wallpaper to turn the bathroom into a more cosy space.

My only remaining question: which of the five rooms (below) should be our bathroom?

My favorite at the moment is the top left, with one window facing the sea. That would make a boudoir with sea view! We could install the sink in front of the window with a little round mirror, like in two of the pictures.

Photo source: different blogs, and flickr - Sorry I kept not track who posted it first and from which original source (internet or magazines).

Impressions of the House

Today, I tried the The Mosaic Maker for my photo collection. Do you know similar tools?

Palazzo To Do: Layout and first Details

We have over thought the use of the different areas and floors and came to the following:

Seminterrato – Garden Floor:
Inside: 1 Bedroom, 1 Living Area, 1 tiny bathroom, 1 open kitchen and bar style eating area
Outside: 1 Garden (big enough for 2 sun beds and outside eating)
To check: Is tiny bathroom with shower possible in basement?
Style: ‘shabby-chic’ --> mainly leave old stone walls, ceilings and floors – combine with modern furniture
Colours: Orange, Yellow, White, Black, Mocca
Special: The Garden Floor has a separate entrance and can be used as independent apartment for guests.

Piano Terra – Ground Floor:
Inside: 1 Entrance Hall, 1 Living area, 1 Dining room, 1 open kitchen, 1 bathroom with washing machine and dryer, 1 working garage space
Outside: 1 Balcony (big enough for outside eating)
To check: can we take out separating walls between living – dining – kitchen for bigger space feeling?
Style: ‘smart casual’, ‘simple elegant’
Colours: Coral Red, White, Black, Mocca

Primo Piano – First Floor:
Inside:
Sea Side: 1 Master Bedroom, 1 Living area, 1 Master Bathroom
Piazza Side: 1 Children Room with small bathroom, 1 working or guest room, 1 separate WC
To check: can we have a shower in the small (overhanging) bathroom?
Outside: 3 small balconies to decorate with flower pots
Style: different room, different style
Colours: different room, different relaxing colour matching the blue sea and the green hills

Secondo Piano – Terrazzo – Terrace:
Inside: 1 small pantry including cooking facility and bar, 1 living area, 1 WC or small bath, 1 service area (water tank etc.)
Outside: Hugh Terrace (big enough for several sun beds, daybed, outside eating, small pool, flower pots)
To check: would floor be strong enough to carry pool?
Style: casual, simple, beach
Colours: fresh mint / cool blue, white

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PS: the name of the blog was first "Palazzo to do" before I renamed it into "Palazzo Pizzo"

Der Grundriss - Thoughts about the Floor Plan

Wir fangen an zu überlegen, wo wir drei, vier oder sogar fünf Schlafzimmer haben wollen. Wo sollen wir die fehlenden Bäder reinquetschen? Oder opfern wir eines der Zimmer für ein Bad. Und wenn ja, welches? Eins mit Meeresblick oder eins zur Piazza? Wollen wir separate Badezimmer oder ein Gemeinschaftsbad? Angesichts der Groesse des Hauses moechte ich eigentlich mein eigenes Bad.

Dass sich der Palazzo nicht so einfach für ein praktisches Wohnen eignet, haben wir nun auch gemerkt. Er ist für eine Familie alleine zu groß. Und für eine Familie mit vielen Gästen lässt er sich nicht so einfach aufteilen. Aber vielleicht sollten wir nicht so viel an Gäste denken, denn das ganze Jahr hindurch werden wir bestimmt nicht immer Besuch haben.