Unveiling Our Italian Home: Transformations, Dreams, and Future Plans
Capture the Beginning: Keep following as This Space Transforms Over the Next Year
A Sneak Peek at Our First Italian Project
Here’s a sneak peek into our first project in Italy! Some of you follow our daily updates on Instagram, but now, by popular demand, we’re giving you a closer look at our plans.
We are happy to share the ups, downs, and unexpected decisions that have shaped our vision and brought us to where we are today. Spoiler: we ended up with a completely different plan! In this article, you'll see photos of the cozy touches we've made to live here temporarily, along with a short video showing the bigger picture. Are you ready for a glimpse into our design process, complete with floor plans that bring our vision for this property to life?
PS: Looking for the final result? Scroll down for a sneak peek of the vibe in the final outcome.
The big hayloft in our Italian home
“It’s big, it’s ugly, and the location feels a bit uncomfortable.”
Starting at the Beginning: Jennifer Didn’t Want to Buy This House
In Jennifer’s words: “It’s big, it’s ugly, and the location feels a bit uncomfortable.” We turned the car around and drove out of the street, never to return (or so we thought). Boy’s attempts to convince Jennifer were unsuccessful.
A few months later, the house came back on to our path. We hadn’t found anything else, and by this point, we had enlisted help to view properties while we were not in Italy. This turned out to be a smart move, as they were able to convince Jennifer of the property’s potential and addressed some of her concerns.
With the mindset of “You need to take the first step toward your dream, even if it’s not perfect,” we scheduled a viewing. Fast forward: on March 23, 2023, we signed the paperwork and received the keys. The purchase process was incredibly smooth. Are you worried about buying a house in Italy? Don’t be! There are plenty of rules in place to streamline the process. We were initially discouraged by a Dutch book full of warnings, but the reality turned out to be far less scary.
“What we first overlooked turned out to be full of hidden potential.”
A Few Key Selling Points
Here are some of the reasons why we chose this house – you could even consider them tips for what to look for when searching for a property in Piemonte, Italy:
Located on a fairly high hill just outside Nizza Monferrato (with fresh cappuccino available just 5 minutes away).
Beautiful, unobstructed views of the hills and the Alps (though this was hard to see because of the overgrown foliage).
A dead-end street, so little to no traffic.
South-facing, which is important to keep your home dry, even in winter.
Structurally in good condition.
Not an overwhelming amount of land (you don’t want too much work).
Plenty of opportunities to add value.
Since the house offers so much space, we initially saw it as the perfect opportunity to create four vacation apartments for rental and a loft for ourselves. You’ve probably guessed it by now... It seemed like the ideal plan, but just before submitting the building permit applications, we had a change of heart.
The view from our garden towards San Marzano with the Alps in the back.
“The plan for four apartments seemed safe, but it would have delayed our dreams by years.”
A Complete 180 degree turn in Our Plans
After living in the house for a few months and hosting many friends and family, we realized that our original plan didn’t feel right. We moved to Italy to make our dream come true: transforming abandoned properties into serene places for holidays, retreats, and beautiful events.
And we didn’t want to become hosts for guests renting the apartments. The house and location felt so special that we wanted to share it with friends and family, not with tenants. By slowing down, working together in the garden, and making the spaces temporarily livable, we reconnected with our dreams and talents. The plan for four apartments may have sounded like a safe bet to outsiders, but in reality, it would have delayed our dreams by years due to the large investment required.
The New Plan: A Home for Ourselves and Creativity
So here we are, living in a massive house with just the two of us and Abbey. What are we going to do with all that space? By coming closer to ourselves here in Italy and discovering what truly makes us happy, we were able to reimagine the purpose of all this space.
The right wing of the house (to the right of the first staircase) is entirely for family and friends. It has a living room with a kitchen on the ground floor and two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a separate toilet on the first floor.
We’re moving our entrance to the double doors where the cantina (wine cellar) is located. This will become a large hallway or perhaps a small boutique store where we can sell home decor items and consult with people about their second homes. From the hallway, you enter the living area through the utility room. Behind that is the kitchen with French doors opening onto the stunning view. Next to the kitchen, we’re creating a dining room and a sunken seating area with a fireplace.
In the middle of the house, you’ll find our studio and Abbey’s room. The staircase leads to the master bedroom and bathroom. The finile (hayloft) will be a creative space: lots of light, linen curtains, and room for exercise, music, and workshops. We are preparing for the possibility of future expansions to add more rooms and bathrooms in case we decide to sell the house someday.
The explanation of the layout
“Hundreds of shades of green, terracotta, and yellow—the seasons themselves inspire our design.”
Living in Your Own Project
Despite Jennifer once saying she would never live in a project again, here we are, living in our own renovation. By spending so much time outdoors and putting effort into making a few rooms temporarily livable, it’s actually quite manageable.
We’ve broken the project down into phases. Right now, we’re living in the right wing of the house, which is almost finished – the future guest wing – and this has already given us energy after all the hard work. Next, we’ll move on to phase two: the master bedroom, bathroom, and office below.
Some pictures (before or during and after) of how we temporarily made a few old rooms livable for us.
The Vibe We Envision
The vibe of the house is inspired by its surroundings: a simple farmhouse with breathtaking views of the hills and vineyards. The seasons change before our eyes, with hundreds of shades of green, terracotta, and yellow. Our restoration philosophy is that preservation comes before replacement. We aim to bring back the authentic, hidden details, which contribute to the house’s atmosphere.
What hidden details have we found? You’ll read about them in the next blog!
A sneak peek of our first finished room – see the full transformation in our next blog!
