As house hunting is not going great in London, I am trying to focus my attention and energy on a different and more productive project: the refurbishment of my parents' top floor at their house in Pescara, Italy.
The house where my parents live now is not the house where I was born. We moved there when I was eleven and I have always had a sort of love-and-hate relationship with the place. I equally loved and hated the location; I loved the view, the sea from one side and the mountains from the other and I loved the garden that goes all the way round the house. But I hated the fact that it's a twenty minute drive to the city centre and you need the car to go anywhere. During my teenage days I complained with my parents on a regular basis on how far the house was from all my friends' houses and the fact that I needed to be driven everywhere by them. That until I turned fifteen and received a blue scooter for my birthday. And then, just a few years later, I had my own car, so it was no longer a big deal.
The house was designed by my dad and I still remember all the sleepless nights he and my mum had discussing about the house. It was their dream and they were living it together. Only now I understand how important that moment must have been for them.
I started to appreciate the house only when I got a bit older and I was able to throw big parties in the big garden and invite lots of friends. My birthday is in July, so it really helped to have a nice garden to decorate and entertain friends in. My graduation party was probably the best: there were drinks in the gazebo, a live band playing and the atmosphere was simply magical. The graduation party was in July-2003 and in October 2003 I left for the UK. Living in student accommodation for three years and then in small flats in London really made me realise how beautiful my parents' house is and how lucky I am to have the opportunity to spend my holidays there.
Now that I am married and plan to have kids at some point relatively soon, I think of that house as my house again and how I can use some of the space to create a little nest for me and Rob and our future family.
The house is on four levels, so after some discussions with my parents, we have decided that they will keep the ground floor and the basement and Rob and I will get the first floor as well as the top floor. This might be the biggest space we will ever have, certainly we can't afford that much space in London. I am excited to finally have a space to decorate and make it my own and have been looking at interior magazines and online websites and blogs for inspiration.
I have started from the bathrooms. The place will have two bathrooms, one of which en-suite. I am heading towards Bisazza, who wouldn't? But given their high prices, I may need to re-think things through a little...for now, I can dream of a super girly bright pink bath tub in the en-suite bathroom
and a classier green and gold main bathroom with lovely chandeliers and a white Louis tub....
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