Shabby Chic Italian Library

Now that it is the new year doesn’t it make you want to clear everything out and start fresh?  Here is a job I did recently that is a good example of new beginnings.

Sometimes it is hard to paint over the dark wood especially in a library setting.

Here is the before shot.

First I painted the ceiling an antique rose.  I believe that painting the ceiling a color is way hip, especially here in Italy where the ceilings are often so high that it makes the space seem empty and cold.  Color above right away makes the space glow with warmth.

Then I painted the walls a creamy white that had a tiny hint of pink in it.  You can’t really see the pink on the wall, but I could see it in the paint bucket and once the walls dried it gave the effect that the ceiling was reflecting pink onto the walls.  Which it was, but I helped it along.

This room really shows the changing light of the day.  Under gray skies it has a splendid effect of tones of white and off white.  Then with the sun out a blush comes over the space.

the doors are almost an oyster off white
(not green tinted) it's the light

here I left the wood of the desk natural

I did the Shabby Chic effect on the bookshelves, this way the shelves looked more aged in this antique room.

the glass is definitely half full

I painted the bookshelves the same color as the walls only in acrylic paint with a satin finish.  I didn’t prime them since I wanted the wood to come through easily.  Here there is 4 coats of off-white, one to two coats of polyurethane. 

Then I sanded just the edges of the bookshelves, painted on some brown wax, waited a half an hour and rubbed it off with a piece of wool (an old sweater).  I left the wood of the desks as it was, touching it up some with Mordente (wood stain) and the white shelves ethereally rise above.

 

painting on the brown wax for Shabby Chic effect

I love this apricot color tile floor

Shabby Chic bookshelf

Shabby Chic distressing detail

This client was going relocate the hat collection and put the books back in, plus some colorful art on the walls.

Isn’t this Italian Library just reeking of a fresh start with hope permeating the air? I love the view of the secret garden ensconced inside our crazy city.

With affection,

Natalie

I'm linking with:
Miss Mustard Seed

Between Naps on the Porch

French Country Cottage

Creativity Living Blog

Pink Roses and Olive Leaves

I have a dark little secret and it is dark because this Diario di Design is supposed to be all about light and color and design of course and joy and if you remember 2014 =7 and that means it’s going to be a kick-ass year. I will not be one of those people who write kick-a**.  You have no idea how my profanity is in check on these posts.

My secret is I hate the darkness of this time of year.

I count the minutes of light that are arriving.  Here in Umbria this is the break down, we are gaining about 1 to 2 minutes of daylight a day.  This means that by January 20^th we will have found 15 more minutes of “enlightenment”.  Right now the sun rises at 7:41 (way late) and sets at 4:50.  Any sunset that has a four in front is just wrong.

Yet when I have traveled to places in the world like Ecuador or Indonesia that are close to the equator, it is so strange to have an even 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark all year round.  So my dark secret is that I'm a hypocrite, becasue actually I love the changing days and looking forward to the sun rising higher in the sky.

olive leave and pink roses - bliss

As of tomorrow school starts again and that means we start waking up at 6:30 a.m.

My solution and it truly helps, is to fill the house with flowers and candles.  I try to have the candles lit by the time the girls get to the kitchen table in the morning.  Get the coffee on and tea water to boil and then I sometimes even cheat and plug in a space heater for a few minutes.

What are your solutions to get through the dark days?

I love the idea of olives leaves (peace) and roses (love) together.  The bright pink roses and slate gray-blue of the olive leaves is a great color combination. 

Nature always has the answers for me.

peace and love all around

With affection,

Natalie

I'm linking with these parties:
Between Naps on the Porch
Creativity Living Blog
French Country Cottage

Houseboats - Alternative Life

Hello everyone, Happy New Year! 

As promised I am going to show you some wonderful Houseboats outside San Francisco, California.  In a little hillside town called Sausalito.

I get all silly headed when I think about living an alternative life.  I think my fantasy has to do with something about beating the system.  What system, you may ask?  Well that is still unclear (I said silly headed), maybe the world of pressure and conservatism, the rat race, paying ridiculously high energy bills (as we do here in Italy).  Becoming trapped by a mortgage.

I love loft spaces, organic gardens, solar panels, making your own things, tiny cottages/sheds, big old rambling houses that need love.   I go crazy for color and I love white and gray and brown too.  I like the idea of living off the grid and then I also want to be able to go to a café and have a good cappuccino, often.

many of the houseboats have names like boats
  this one the ANSWER is pretty great

Houseboats and Mt. Tamalpias

Sausalito, Ca Houseboat

this one is quite huge, because they are all bigger than they look

When I went to Design School in Brooklyn I really wanted to move into one of the architectural masterpieces that were burnt out in that ghetto which was then my neighborhood, Clinton Hill.  I really wanted to be a squatter, but not a homeless type, more of a well-designed squatter.  I was also very scared of the rats I knew would be living in abundance there. I’m not tough.  During that time and even now I know in my heart that I would like to own a pink cashmere coat.  Do you see my dilemma?

this houseboat the roof is a deck garden

I understand that to some our life here in Umbria Italy living in this huge Gothic Palazzo is already a bit alternative.  To me having two feet thick stone walls is still weird.  Interesting that for me girls it probably normal.

this guy is even further off the grid, she has to row out

Do any of you out there know of blogs that seem to be about an alternative life?  I love and follow the blog Soule Mama www.soulemama.com.  Soule Mama is homesteading in Maine and knits and has a garden and makes honey.  She understands the simple life.  I also like the Tiny House Blog http://tinyhouseblog.com.   I am so impressed with these people who can live big while living small.

 

this houseboat has copper panels that have a gorgeous patina

it's a long pretty walk down the dock

this lavender paint job is fantastic,
the color is blinding in it's perfection and hue

My mother lives in a houseboat.  I left my mother's house out of this post to respect her privacy.  I will say that her space has lots of windows and skylights, it is quite modern and airy.  The front door enters into one big room that is the dinning room, kitchen and living room, then the bedrooms are downstairs at water level. 

I love this tiny houseboat full of color

What is your alternative life fantasy or are you already living it?  Interesting that alternative is just a perspective.

Un bacio di Umbria,

Natalie

Joy- Gioia

Joy -Gioia in the new year 2014

Oh ragazzi

Happy New Year


Buon Anno!


Joy - Gioia

This is going to be a year of astonishing joy.

and 2014 =7

I hope you will keep coming back to this little Diario di Design because there will be lots of joy around here, because of you and because we bring it around the world.

Cheers,

With affection,
Natalie

Paint Studio- Design Studio

I’m pretty excited because I actually cleaned and organized my Studio.

Now I call my friends and even my daughter’s friends (when they come over, I’m not stalking them on the phone yet…) and I say want to see what my paint studio?   Of course everyone says yes, not only out of courtesy, but out of sheer joy and curiosity!

So wanna see my studio?

I'll start with the before shot.

Here it is cleaned up.

I feel very inspired to make this next year kick!

Lucia my 14 year old says,  “Hey 2014 equals 7”.

2 + 0 PLUSone +4 = Sette Design 7.

zero is a start 2 is a pair seven is heaven
or a place to keep paint brushes and paints

Do you dashing ones out there have a good space to work or play or create something that makes your heart go thump? 

do you think this sign functions?

Isn’t it funny about us in world of design, how our hearts go thump just to see a pretty space.

My studio cleaned up and organized and filled with candles and pink roses and white tables gets my heart thumping and leaping.

And here we are on the eve of the eve of the new year.

 

buon anno from sette design

Wishing you some cheer swirling in and out of your studio.

Cheers,

Natalie

I'm linking with:

Between Naps on the Porch

French Country Cottage

Romantic Home

Nancherrow
Mod Vintage Life

I love Christmas in Italy

Il Vischio- Mistletoe

I love Christmas in Italy.

Today is the day after the Winter Solstice, from now on in our hemisphere the days are getting longer, brighter.

I think this will be our tenth Christmas in Italy and I must say I love it.

Alfredo my park ranger boyfriend found Mistletoe (Il Vischio) in the forest and brought it home to me.  If he had hung it in our short Medieval doorways we would have to crawl under it.  Now we have a chair for kissing under.  Italians believe it brings good fortune.

It rarely snows in our valley in Umbria, as it does in the mountains around us.  We always are hoping for snow.

Hope brings joy.

 

downtown

A foggy Christmas is lovely too.

It makes everything blurry and the colors soft and bright.

 

Christmas in Italy

Here is proof we really do live the simple life.  Just bliss pushing the tree home on the bike with gloves on and sucking on candy canes.  Ellie my little one refused to let them rope it up, as they like to do here in Italy.

 

Medieval wall, bike and Christmas tree

Since our living room is my paint studio this means the Christmas tree is in my bedroom. It’s pretty fantastic to snuggle in bed with the Christmas tree a glow.

Christmas in Umbria

I saved a baby sock from when Lucia was a baby

some of our ornaments are from my childhood
MANY years ago they are antique now!

I recommend it.

This year we had a party with Elisa and her-ten-year old girlfriends.  They made cookies with mashed up candy canes inside.  The hammering part was fun!

mashed candy canes and dough from
a chocolate chip cookie recipe -YUMMM

Pink roses and a red candle.

crazy yellow ring on the candle

The girls seem to check on an hourly basis to see if more presents are put under the tree.

Art in progress, books to read, cyclamen and vintage Christmas balls.

art in progress

I hope you are all happy and warm and savoring every moment.

Cheers,

Natalie

I'm linking with:
Between Naps on the Porch