Phase IV...

I met with Our Geometra yesterday and My Phase IV Plans remain firm!!! Again, this phase is our next bout of reconstruction of the last three rooms of the main house... or, La Casa Grande... to be dealt with by the builder, who is, currently, AWOL from his Entrusted Task to build us a working fireplace in the Apt. Azzurro by January 31st!!! But enough of my moaning about that. OK...

The top left room... la Stanza Grande 2 will be the Kitchen/Dining/Sitting & Reading Area-before-the-fireplace Room. Quite a title. It breaks down as follows...

the Kitchen will be in the corner... or, the prow... of il Poggiolo, better seen from the ramp as you arrive from the Medieval bridge. The kitchen sink will be in the left hand window, which affords lovely views across the Aulella River to our friend's house, La Concia. The sink will be arenaria stone... or, sandstone. The faucet will jut-out from the left-hand wall of the window niche. Right at the prow, will be a kind of shack-looking silo, nestled into its corner. Inside & below will be a dish-washer and above an oven and above still will be a bit of storage in the silo's roof!!! Working to the right will be a short run of low cabinet & counter... a suitable place for pots & pans... with a niche in the wall above... for canisters for Flour, Salt & Sugar, etc. Jutting out from another niche, which will be artfully transformed into a much needed third window, will be a huge work table I bought at a junk-store. By the way...

this quaint term does not translate well into Italian. I found this out when I innocently said to Dr. You... L'ho comprato ad un negozio di spazzatura! I could have said... I found it in a sewer... and have caused less horror in the Dear Dr.

On top of the spazzatura-table will be a stove-top box made out of INOX. We have one in our Genoa apartment. It's great. You can lift it up to clean underneath. Another silo will sit at the end of this spaz-table which will house... conceal might be a more apt word to use... a refrigerator/freezer and storage for pasta & stuff. By the way...

both silos will have metal corrugated roofs with seams and the entire kitchen cabinetry will be built out of the over-stock of oak flooring from the Apt. Azzurro. Since I am toying with painting this room either an Acidy Ochre or Pink Geranium, the cabinetry might stay in its Natural Oak. But then, it might not. By the way...

this might be the place to mention color for the other two rooms. La Stanza Grande 1 I want in Purple. I do not care a whit that a dark room needs white. However, I have an Option up my sleeve. I can accept a shade lighter and go for Victorian Violet. My ideas for the Bathroom are for an Acquamarine, the space's last known color, Orange, or Beige, if Dr. You gets too hysterical about the Purple... not forgetting his Emotional Level about the true location of the Kitchen. The Hallway will get whatever la Stanza Grande 1 gets. Done.

The Dining Area is on the other-side of the work-table. And that's all I need to say about that. The Dr. & I rarely sit down to eat at a dining table. Guess where we do? Begins with "T".

A fireplace, mantel piece, chimney structure et al goes in the lower corner of la Stanza Grande, catty-corner to the prow. There is, conveniently & happily, enough space for two leather club-chairs & The Dog's mattress, plus a small coffee table & floor lamps.

To the left of the room's entrance door from the Loggia is another niche, ideal for our umpteenth set of china plates & serving pieces. And, to the door's right are two other smaller niches... rather high in placement... which, I am sure, Dr. You-know-who will find some delectable treasure to gather dust in their recesses. Che sara' sara'.

A new archway with a heavy sliding door will give access from la Stanza Grande 2 to la Stanza Grande 1... what will officially be the Living Room/Studio/Gallery. Unofficially, it will be My Bedroom!!! The trick here will be to cleverly disguise the room's real purpose, however, I do not intend to sleep on a sofa bed!!! My thinking is hovering around the idea of cordoning-off an area with curtains to hide a bed within. I am confident that engaging Dr. You with Our Ongoing Discussion about the location of the Kitchen will forestall any worry on his about just what will go in la Stanza Grande 1 in the way of furniture. Do we all agree here???

On the wall opposite the archway opening between the two big rooms will be a large fireplace, mantel piece, blah-blah-blah. By the way...

these fireplaces will be the ONLY source of heat in la Casa Grande since, for us, it is out Summer Residence. La Casetta with its radiators, is our Winter Residence. This is so you will know & understand Our World Order, previously agreed to with Dr. You.

A doorway from la Stanza Grande 1 is a short Hallway leading to the main Entrance to the house and will be the route to the Bathroom. It will be billed as the Powder Room. The Italian here translate that into... la toilette per signore... or, the Ladies Room. How cute. It will actually be My Bathroom!!!

The last item of Phase IV is to re-build the stone stairs up to the main Entrance and then, la Casa Grande will be complete. Well, it will be so, once I get il mio sedere Scozzese... or. my big Scottish butt... in gear and clean out the stalls. Gads.