Our new Project: an update on tiles and more

We were so crazy about cement tiles that we almost imported a container from Asia, until I realised the quality is not what we want. Since cement tiles are so en vogue, also Bisazza has some well-known designers creating beautiful cement tile series. But we could not see any samples, only the online catalogue, and they not only seemed pricy but also a bit too opaque. I almost had given up on antique style cement tiles when someone was telling me in Pizzo that they are renovating an old palazzo and the new owner wanted to get rid of the cement tiles. People have different tastes, right? When I wanted to see them, we learnt that workers had just taken them out the fast way. They were all destroyed and already disposed. Then I announced to my FB friends in Pizzo that I am looking for old tiles and the message got shared. A few days later, I was offered to visit a dark and dusty storage room. The tiles looked interesting, not glamorous, but ok. We did not know how many of the same pattern were in that dark earth hole, and how many were still usable. Look at the photo below! This is now what lays in front of our new entrance at the end of the staircase. It is a bit shiny after washing it with water, but doesn't it look nice? The same pattern in a different size and colour (not as nice as this one) was later offered through a different source, for a different price...  I think we got really lucky! 

antique cement tiles from Pizzo found a new home in Pizzo!

We even have one more square meter available that we will lay on the floor of a little bathroom. It is not what we had in mind, but I am so glad to have found something antique, something that gives the new apartment a bit of a special touch. When you come to Southern Italy on holiday you don't want to see what you could get at home or at Ikea, right? With these cement tiles we have recycled something original and local. I am sure our visitors will like a unique flooring. I do!

So far these cement tiles cover just 2-3 sqm ... out of hundreds....  there is so much more to decide ... 

Apart from tiles, we like the experience we have with wooden parquet from Berti. So we decided to repeat the oak wood parquet from the residence for the flooring of the living areas and bedrooms. 

However, for the kitchens and entrances we prefer tiles instead of wood. And because we could not get cement tiles, but wanted a Mediterranean touch nevertheless, I said let's get Vietri tiles that are beautiful colourful ceramic tiles from a town called Vietri, near Salerno.

And I still love the floor tiles of our master bathroom: Greca Blu by De Maio. It was an easy decision to use them also for two bathrooms of our new project. Each apartment will get a bathroom with these gorgeous floor tiles: 

There will be two kitchens with entrances plus one extra side entrance for the dependance. I decided to chose for each area the best matching tile. So three decisions had to be made. Some of my friends got a bit of whatsapp messages with photos during the holidays (no crowd sourcing on the blog this time) and then, two days before my departure, I went with my mother-in-law to the showroom to finalise my choices. In the very last moment we changed the color of one kitchen from red to white in order to match a beautiful modern interpretation of a classic Vietri pattern! Since the kitchen builders were also gone to the beach (August!) it was no problem to change the colour for the kitchen. We had red in mind as we wanted it to resemble the kitchen of the residence. But now, I am looking forward to something fresh and exciting like this:

Tile: Benincasa by De Maio, Serie Fiori di Ravello

For the larger kitchen in the dependance (that would be white too) I have chosen 'Valeria' by De Maio (photo below). The star pattern is matching the cement tile 'star' in the entrance (first photo above), the light blue will match the balcony tiles and the Smeg fridge that will be light blue again like the one in the residence.

Valeria by De Maio 20x20

The most beautiful tile probably is the next one! I am very much looking forward to see that laid in the "side" entrance of the dependance, which is a corridor of 14 m2. The blue will match the Bisazza mosaic in the small bathroom, the blue of the relief of the church opposite in the piazza, the sky and the sea. It will look fabulous!

Acciaroli by De Maio 20x20

Bisazza OPera 15 Agata

From the piazza, the facade looks already as we could move in tomorrow. Deja-vu! We had this with our first project too. When my neighbour brought me flowers to welcome us in the alley, because it looked from the outside like we had moved in, it took us another two years or so to finish the inside! This time, I hope we will be faster! Although we are already one year behind schedule due to - I would call it 'the usual Calabrian obstacles'  - we plan to have two apartments ready for rent in May 2016.

The project from the outside - with one studio downstairs and the 2 story dependance upstairs.

The roof is done, windows and doors are installed. What is still missing are the balustrades for the balconies that we ordered to be crafted according to my design (which is repeating the pattern of the oldest railing of our first project).

Maybe I should have ordered some standard wrought iron pattern. Then you know what you get. Let's see. Can't wait to see the facade completed.

playing with designs for the WROUGHT iron balcony railings

Cement Tiles

One color pattern of 4 tiles

CEMENT tiles look cool with modern or antique furniture

In our old palazzo we have beautiful cement tiles that we were able to preserve. For our new project we were thinking of having cement tiles too. But the ones we have are no longer produced anywhere. However, as one can observe, another kind of cement tiles are very popular nowadays, especially crazy tile mixes can be seen everywhere. The pattern that are popular are probably Moroccan origin and are very hip in America and Southeast Asia. There are factories in the States and in Spain that produce them, but not in Italy. Since we see them allover in Bangkok (in the newly opened EM Quatier I would say 1/3 of the restaurants use Mediterranean cement tiles and crazy tile mixes) we found a factory here that produces beautiful cement tiles with classic pattern. We went to an architects fair and were in heaven at the BEZZ booth.  

2 color 1 tile pattern

5 color 4 tile pattern 

Should we really import for our project in Italy Mediterranean cement tiles made in Thailand? I was searching for producers in Sicily, but it does not seem that any Italian factory is still specialized in real cement tiles with a good choice of pattern. We were told that cement tiles are so delicate, even more than terracotta tiles, that customers turned to other products, porcelain tiles or wood. Cement tiles need constant care, mainly waxing and special cleaning products. Therefore cement tiles should not be used in wet area, not in bathrooms and even not in kitchens, we were told.

When we were in Italy, fake wood was allover the showrooms. It seems very popular and actually looks great. Should we use that in the kitchen? The only Sicilian company that offered products close to what we were looking for never replied to my email inquiry. Probably their hand made tiles would cost us a fortune anyway in comparison to the amazing Thailand tiles that are just 30 Euro per square meter! Sigh, I would really like to support Italian economy and have Sicilian tiles in my Calabrian home. 

After having visited the fair in Bangkok and having found the factory's showroom and discussing pattern and color, and finding out the amount of sqm we would need, and having confused Angelo about the floor preparation, two weeks later we finally came up with a decision for two patterns.

pattern for entrance and small bedroom

pattern for living room and other small bedroom

Then a day later, I visited the new EM Quarter in Bangkok and - what a coincidence - most tiles on the new restaurants' floors looked very familiar to me and indeed were by that factory we had discovered. Shockingly, in one restaurant they were in a terrible state. I had seen the same scratches and cracks in the showroom before, but ignored it as I thought it's impossible what I see. These tiles had black marks allover and cracks. Black shoes and moving chairs seemed to leave black scratches. A lot. I went home and told my husband, that I have made a new decision. No imported tiles. It is a total different quality from what we have in our 200 year old house. 

There must be another quality of tiles that you see allover Pinterest. They are used in shops, in restaurants, in highly frequented area, and they can't be that high maintenance. The Spanish factory is about three times the price and probably delivers more durable quality than the Thai production. But I need to see tiles and touch them before I can order. I have nothing to do with Spain. Thailand was just an option since we live here.

Why can't an Italian company just jump in and pick up the trend? But wait! Bisazza does now cement tiles! They are not the joyful elaborated Moroccan patterns and colors we were looking for. Bisazza's tiles have larger scale geometrical designs and mainly opaque colors. Cement tiles with a modern twist. And very Italian! 

bisazza cement tiles

bisazza cement tiles

Maybe we should stress the budget for those Bisazza tiles?!

I can't believe we are back to zero. Feeling kind of disappointed if we would go for the good old oak panels. At least that kind of floor would not distract from the stunning sea views!

Day 3 choosing bathrooms and kitchens

We knew it will be a 'working holiday'. And today, we spent a few hours in a shop to determine sinks and toilets for 2 1/2 bathrooms and 1 guest toilet. The good thing is, we already have experience and like what we chose last time. So we stick with Duravit and its Stack 3 and Vero line.

More difficult are the tiles for the floors and walls. We still like what we chose last time, but thought not to spend too much money on expensive Sicis mosaic tiles ... and find a cheaper solution instead. Also terra cotta tiles are not the best solution for bathroom flooring since they absorb water. (In our guest residence we used old restored terra cotta tiles.) For the balconies we already ordered the same blue tiles as at our main house. However, we knew we will spend more time on the subject the following days.

The two kitchens we would order from the same local company (Alindar), in white and red, same as last time. Even with the same wall tiles (remember my crazy tile mix?). The only challenge we are facing this time, is to build a kitchen around and above the stairways' arch (see photo). I can't picture it yet and we are still waiting for the company's proposal.

In the evening we had a casual and relaxed dinner with friends at the local fish restaurant 'La Lampara'. I ordered TONNO CON CIPOLLA (fresh tuna fish with red onion from Tropea, cottura media - medium cooked) - and it was awesome! I totally can recommend that restaurant in Pizzo. The owner speaks english, reservation is recommended, unfortunately only tables indside, but nice decor.

Before and After: How a tiny 2,6 m2 overhanging Toilet became a pretty Kids Bathroom

A bit over a year ago, I was planning the tiny overhanging bathroom that measures 1,4 m x 1,9 m (2,66 m2). Originally it was just an "outhouse" with a toilet, a bidet and a sink. But we wanted to install a shower - in order to have an "en suite bathroom" for our son's room.

And I have to say, I am really happy with the outcome!

tiny kids bathroom 2,6 m2

I had told Angelo (our "capo" and my father-in-law) that his grandson would like to have a "green" bathroom. And, that I like "subway" tiles. I designed the tiling for the floor and the walls. Angelo over exceeded our expectations by adding a stucco ceiling (that was not there originally)!

Since the sink is right below the window - where you have a nice view in the neighbours garden and over the sea - we needed to have the mirror installed beside the window.

Our young son does not use a mirror so far... So, I do not know whether this beauty mirror is too small or not. But it looks nice! It has the right size for this bathroom.

shower area 80 x 80 cm

If you wonder why we have a rain shower installed in such a small bathroom, then because we probably made a mistake when ordering the shower equipment back in China, where we were living at some point - a couple of years before this bath renovation.

But we were lucky, it just matches the height.

small compact toilet

For the sink, I researched online the different sizes available for different models. At the end I choose a Duravit Strack 3 model, they have a lot of options. It is important for a small area to choose the largest possible sink - as it is a hassle to wash hands in a sink that is too small.

I even asked Angelo to sit down on the toilet (that was already delivered) and measure the space between his knees and the wall to make sure, there is still enough space between toilet and sink.

The two short blue tubes that stick out of the wall next to the toilet are the pre-installation for a water spray. In Italy it is common to use bidets in private bathrooms. But with the installation of the shower we really had no more space for a bidet. So we opted for the space saving water spray - yet to come.

The floor tiles are layed diagonally in order to optically strech the room.

"spider" shower curtain holder and "fish" hooks

In a shop in Vibo Valentia, we found these green "fish" hooks. There were only two left and I bought them. Angelo fixed them behind the bathroom door. In another shop I found the "spider" that is a space saving Italian solution for hanging the shower curtain.

And here is the old bathroom, BEFORE renovation, as we found it when we bought the house:


BEFORE toilet with bidet

The toilet itself was also very tiny before and squeezed into the left corner. The bidet was eliminated for our new bathroom layout. The sink was moved below the window to give space on the right corner for a small shower.

BEFORE renovation

The only thing that was bigger in this bathroom before the renovation and became smaller after the renovation, is the window! Strangely, the window frame is so massive that the new window is much tinier. Well, these are things you encounter when renovating, whether you are on site or thousand of miles away.

"outhouse" or overhanging bathroom

Our palazzo is over 200 years old, and at that time an outhouse toilet was common in European cities. You can still sea the remains on the side of many palazzi in Italy. But of course the toilets nowadays are linked to the public canalisation.

A new old lamp

old wrought iron gas lamp

My Italian family likes to stroll antique markets and browse antique shops. Variety and prices are more attractive in Italy than in Germany. The latest find of my mother-in-law in Northern Italy is this old wrought iron chandelier that used to have a gas supply in the center of the lamp.

modified by adding new lamp shades and electrical wire

My father in law modified the gas lamp into an electric lamp by adding adding electric cables. Also the three small lamp shades of red glas are newly added. If I want, he said, I can have it for my bed room. Of course, I want! It would go along well with the red in the floor tiles.

original cement tiles with red swastika, an over 3,000 year old symbol for good luck

we had an expert restoring the old flooring 

I am looking forward to see a picture of the chandelier hanging from the ceiling in our bed room. The pictures above were taken in my parents-in-law home in Calabria and in our house in Pizzo.