The Villa del Vigneto construction is lagging and dragging behind schedule. Although I shouldn't say "schedule" because I don't have one. I'm making forward progress, but it isn't the progress that I thought I'd be making by now. You may remember that my first speed bump appeared when I realized that I couldn't put the ceilings on the first level because if the ceilings were on, I wouldn't be able to reach the back walls to do all the fiddly things I needed to do. So I held off on the ceilings and concentrated on finishing the back walls.
Except that I found it impossible to just STOP when the back walls were complete. One wall led to another, as they will insist on doing, and before I knew what I had done, I had completely finished the kitchen, the dining room, and the foyer of the villa. But all that is just as well, because the next speed bump is the LONG delay on shipment of some light fixtures and lamps that I ordered in early October. I definitely need to get the wiring done on those lights before installing the ceilings. Perhaps I was a bit hasty in even thinking about ceilings. (Impatience rears its ugly head.)
So - I've been concentrating on refinishing, refurbishing, and repairing various furniture pieces and completing, against my better judgment, the dining room and the foyer, in addition to the kitchen that I finished in September. (See "A Tale of Two Kitchens" from October 1, 2016. I still don't know how to create a LINK!)
This was last month's project - except for the pitcher on the right side of the table; that was the one last thing I needed to complete the back wall of the dining room. The pitcher (I'm sure there's a better name for it, but I can't think what it is at the moment) came from an antique store in Corrales, New Mexico.
And that's when I lost all reason and went on to finish the whole thing! I started with these pieces: an unfinished buffet, an Italian sgabello chair that looks way too new, and an estate-sale settee that's way too green.
I painted the buffet, aged the chair, and reupholstered the settee. All ready to go.
Here are some additional make-over projects: two of the dining room chairs that I've had for years and years were broken; the wood on the two new brocade chairs was a bit too shiny, as was the dining room table. Disregard the brass and silver pieces on the floor; I decided not to use them.
Make-over complete! All the pieces have been aged, painted, or mended as needed.
A close-up of the buffet that holds the cappuccino machine, some pretty Italian pottery, and several bottles of (Italian) wine.
This is a straight-on view of the complete dining room. (Except, of course, for the chandelier and the ceiling!)
A view looking towards the wall that separates the dining room from the kitchen and the loggia.
This view looks through the arched doorway into the foyer.
The narrow wall between the two doors was the perfect spot for the interesting sgabello chair. (I hope it never needs to be used for extra seating; it looks very uncomfortable!)
This metal chair came from an estate sale and needed a little work.
I used a piece of ribbon to reupholster the chair. This is my second attempt, because I stained the ribbon with glue on my first try. Then there wasn't enough ribbon left to choose a smaller-scaled portion of the pattern.
The chair rests against the staircase wall, along with a carved "stone" table that once belonged in a "fairy garden." I added some gold paint to trim the table. There will eventually, in the fullness of time, be a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. I also hope to find an umbrella to join the walking sticks in the large urn.
And now - this big stack of upper-level walls and lower-level ceilings awaits my attention. Working in our garage, I barely succeeded in finishing all the cutting, stuccoing, and sanding while the November weather remained unseasonably warm in Nebraska. I sanded the last piece late on a Thursday afternoon, and by Friday the cold had arrived! But before I begin painting that stack of walls and ceilings, I must first complete the FINAL back wall - in the living room. (Will I be able to stop with the back wall? I think not. What do you think?)
May you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy December!
