Please everyone, for the love of god, check the chimney!
If there’s a chimney over a stove in the Italian house you’re considering purchasing, don’t do what I did. How did I manage to not look under the chimney? The geometra didn’t mention it when I walked through with him and I didn’t think of it. I know, epic fail!
But I was so focused on the SIZE of the room. Yes, size matters when it comes to kitchens.
Italian apartments have a love affair with minuscule and impossible kitchens, and I have a hate-affair with them😅
One of the main reasons I bought this particular apartment is the size of the kitchen. I won’t mince my words. The existing kitchen sucked. But the space was large, which would allow me to create a functioning kitchen. One with space to prepare meals, with ample countertops, maybe even a pantry cupboard and an island. Nothing I’d ever had in Italy.
However, I didn’t quite realize how awful the existing kitchen was until I started living there. And it wasn’t until two years later that I was able to remodel it.
Some of these videos are pretty funny. You’ll enjoy them more than I enjoyed camping out in that situation for two years 😂🤪
My friend Elena’s reaction to the state of the original kitchen
An intimate look at what came down the chimney 😬
To tackle the kitchen I hired an architect. Not just because the kitchen was more major than what I’d undertaken thus far, but also because after the “incident” with the Moroccan, (blog post about remodeling the living room) and after the screw-ups the Italians did who I hired for the bathroom (blog post about remodeling bathroom) I had no desire to manage workers on my own anymore.
Relief through humor
Massimo and I drove to Poggibonsi twice to meet with the kitchen cabinet designer, for three-hour meetings both times. This video gives just a small hint of what those long meetings (in a very hot room) were like, and how much my brain had to strive to discuss in Italian, the details of kitchen design.
More of the required grit
About to leave for the summer and hand the apartment over to Massimo, the contractor, and a stream of workers.
Excited for the demolition!
Over the summer I had god knows how many video conferences with Massimo as the work progressed. The following video gives a small hint of the hours-long and frequent on-line discussions. In this one, Massimo tells me one of my neighbors in the building is upset about the workers going up and down the stairs. We discuss how to get approval from the “condo administrator” to put an air conditioning unit either on the side of the building, outside my kitchen window, or on the roof. Massimo informs me this approval is tricky when people in the building are already upset. Fun times.
Be prepared for a hundred and one discussions!
Yay! DEMO! So satisfying to see that awful kitchen demolished!
What an eye opening experience. That open range hood…no words. Thank you for letting us all see the before of your (now) beautiful kitchen.
Ciao Rachel! Yup, amusing now and no fun to live with then. So glad I was able to improve it!
Unbelieveable. Great insight into the hassles of buying in Italy. It makes me happy that I am committed to renting furnished apartments. One question: I hear homes are tough to resell in Italy. The value always goes down. Do you figure your renovation will increase the value?
Hi John,
I have always heard that homes in countryside areas of Italy are tough to resell, but I have heard it is not a problem to resell apartments in prominent and highly touristed cities like Florence. I have definitely improved the value of this apartment. It definitely assesses at a higher value now.
Thanks for stopping by!
Impressed by the result! Fascinating to see the before. I can’t believe the patience and trust required to manage this from afar. Did the neighbors come around to see the fruit of your labors?