by Helen | Apr 2, 2020 | Renovation
When we bought our stone house in Istria, we were advised by the sellers that the little abandoned dwelling, to the rear of the property, could be purchased from one of our new neighbours. We were interested, and with hindsight, should probably have sorted the purchase of it, at the same time as the main house. But we didn’t, and you live and learn.
why we should have bought it initially
Boundaries in Istria (and, as would seem to be common across The Balkans, Italy, France…) are complex issues and often are not established legally. The particular problem in Istria is that because the region has been ruled by many over the years, each regime has had different ways of demarcating boundaries and so what you might think is your land, may not be. On the flip side, what you think may not be your land, could be. Sorting all of this at the time of the initial purchase could have saved us money, but more importantly, the process may have seemed swifter. However, we didn’t – the enormity of taking on a property to be renovated in a new country where we couldn’t speak the language, probably meant we had other things on our minds back in early 2017.
But, we did begin the process in October of that year, agreeing a price with our neighbour and having a contract drawn up by our solicitor to seal the price. Surveyors were appointed and the ball got rolling. With a little unexpected blip when we had a visit from the Land Registry who had to come and assess the house and certify that it was actually permissible to be used as a house. Yep, that’s right. It’s only after we’d bought it that we found out that there was a possibility that it wasn’t actually included on any official records and that it wouldn’t be classed as a dwelling. Luckily, we were legit…
what happened next
Once the surveyors had been, and using three sets of ordnance survey maps – Austro-Hungarian, Italian and Yugoslavian – our borders, all around the house, were established. Some surprises here – we found out that we actually owned a little more on one side than we thought, but that the little patch of land, in between our house and the (other) abandoned house we are attached to, isn’t actually ours after all. However, it belongs to seventeen people – three of whom are in Australia – and so we figured that if we tidied it up, no-one would object. So far so good…
It turned out that none of the neighbours objected to either our new boundaries or our purchase of the abandoned property and associated land behind the house, and so nearly two and half years later, we signed the official documents, paid the balance to our neighbour, and hey-ho, we now find ourselves the owners of a bit more land and property. It all sounds very grand, but it’s not at the moment. The potential is massive but we’re in a real quandry about what do with our new acquisition.
Two and a half years ago, the plan was for us to either renovate it as a self contained property, or knock it down and create a walled garden. But that was all before Coronavirus shut the world down…
so, what now?
The dilemma is what can we feasibly do, under our steam, to make the rear of the house look as pretty as it can, especially as we can’t get to builders’ merchants or DIY stores for the foreseeable future. We have dismantled the Istrian stone trough which was attached to the front – leading us to believe that this property was probably actually for cattle. But, you can see that inside it was once on two levels, so possibly cattle on ground floor, people on the upper. We’re trying to find out what it’s history is, but it’s quite difficult, records-wise. We’re also in the process of making it as safe as we possibly can – the slate roof is still pretty intact, but to be fair, it’s held together more with the ivy which grows up and through it, than any kind of mortar. Internally, there’s very little to be salvaged apart some great big beams, which, along with the Istrian stones, if we dismantle it, will be salvaged and reused. Without a cherry picker or proper cutters, we can’t really tackle the foliage as we’d like, but we’ll be trying to cut back the lower levels around the outside to tidy the property up.
I do have some ideas and if we can pull them off in the short term, we’d be delighted. I do need to keep myself away from Pinterest though, as I actually considered this as a possibility, this morning. Still wondering if it might work…
We’re going to be using our next few however many weeks/months in the house, to assess what we can do, but in the meantime, if you have any ideas, we’d love to hear them.
by Helen | Apr 1, 2020 | Lifestyle
Renovating a property can be very expensive. Even though things out here are often less expensive than back in the UK, we don’t have a bottomless money pit and so sometimes, rather than splashing the cash, we look for alternatives. And, currently, spray paint is proving to be worth its weight in gold. Quite literally…
Rather than continually buying new *things*, we’re starting to give new leases of life to things we already have. And, we’re particularly delighted with the new look we’ve given to the (unused) vintage French woodburner. Once a duck egg blue ceramic woodburner, this has been sitting outside for quite a long time. The enamel was fading, the metal work rusting and it was just looking a bit sorry for itself. But, a couple of cans of gold spray paint – and just look at her now!
The Hektar floorlamp from IKEA was fine in the brushed anthracite finish, but with a can in my hand, I couldn’t resist a spray. It’s totally transformed the little corner of the living room where I have my desk set up. All of a sudden, working from home seems a tiny bit more glamorous!
So many new looks for so few pennies.
Since we finished renovating our kitchen, one thing has really niggled me. The walls are painted in gorgeous Hague Blue and the units are concrete style. We’ve tried to keep accessories to a minimum, so as to avoid the usual cluttered look we usually have in a kitchen, and what we have is either copper or burnt orange. Consequently, the silvery stainless steel microwave, has bugged me as it just didn’t match with anything. I’ve looked and looked, trying to source one – but no luck. Baby blue, powder blue – yes. Navy blue – no.
So, there was ever really only one answer – take it into our own hands! Although I did resist going for gold and this time reached for the anthracite spray…
Probably a bit mad, but as I had exactly the colour I wanted in a spray can, it was worth a go! And do you know what? For just under four euros I have the microwave that I’d visioned, which would fit perfectly in the new kitchen…
As they say, where there’s a will, there’s *always* a way!
by Helen | Mar 31, 2020 | Lifestyle
We’re currently in proper lockdown here in Istria. As of last week, a permit has to be applied for if you want to travel to a different municipality. Borders are closed so we can’t – and at the moment, definitely don’t want to – hop across to Italy to stock up on our favourite parmesan and proscuitto and so we’re driving over to Umag, on the coast, to shop at Lidl and Spar. Although obtaining a permit is relatively easy – we have residency here and so just need to email the appropriate office – we’re much happier not being out and about, preferring to live a much more self-sufficient lifestyle, at the moment. Rather than multiple weekly trips to a supermarket, we’ve decided that once a week, at most – less, if we can be very organised – is the best way forward. This also means we are finally getting to the back of our kitchen cupboards and rationalising the many packets and tins and bags of foodstuff we’ve accumulated. Rice, pasta, pulses – all there, and because a lot of it is at the back, and we can’t see it, more of the same stuff has been bought over time. So, now seems to be the right time, to actually start using it.
coconut and lentil dahl
With a glut of tins of lentils, it was decided that a dahl was on the cards. I found this recipe from Deliciously Ella and liked it because a) most of the ingredients were available and b) a bit of coconut flavour is always welcome. It also looked easy -peasy – which it was – and appealed to my liking of chuck-everything-in-the-one-pot kind of cooking.
what you’ll need
- 400g green lentils, washed and drained
- 2x 400g cans coconut milk
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 2 large tomatoes, cut into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes, optional
In the end, I only used one tin of coconut milk, because I used a jar of passata instead of chopped tomatoes and so there was quite a lot of excess liquid to cook off. I also used more of the spices, than in the recipe – probably double the quantities as we like our food to be flavoursome and spicy. The onions, when first sauteed in olive oil, were also quite heavily seasoned with black pepper from the grinder.
what you’ll need to do
It really is the easiest thing to make – taking the recipe from Deliciously Ella (linked to above), I did adapt things slightly. I added a packet of black puy lentils to give it a bit more texture, and with hindsight, I maybe used too much passata, so that the final colour was more orangey than the usual yellowy-mustard colour of dahl. The chopped tomatoes, as suggested in the original recipe, would probably be better if you didn’t want it to be over-tomatoey. Last night’s was served with roasted new potatoes, which were cooked in a mixture of olive oil, spicy paprika and chilli flakes. We also had some cooling natural yoghurt on the side, although our herbs haven’t been planted up yet, and so sadly, no coriander as a garnish. That’s our next project – an old IKEA CD cabinet, which has been sprayed anthracite, and which is about to be planted up with herb seeds. Perfect compartments to keep them organised.
Because there is so much left over, it’s going to be the base of tonight’s dinner. In the fridge, there is a lovely Italian chorizo which will be fried off with a bit more spice and added to the dahl – and this time, I’m going to add a fair few sprinkles of turmeric to try and achieve that yellow colour. Nice to see the kitchen cupboard staples actually finally being used…
by Helen | Mar 23, 2020 | Renovation
I’ve thought long & hard about adding blogs to the website, in the current climate. It seems too frivolous to be posting about renovations and life-style things and recipes. But, and it is a big but, we’ve worked hard for so long to get to the point where are currently, that I have decided to carry on, adding blogs. My way of continuing to record our journey, as we, like so many other people, embark on self-isolation for the next few weeks.
Our second bedroom has gone through some changes since we became the custodians of our stone house in Istria. Before we started work on it, this bedroom was an undecorated space, with two sets of bunk beds, left from the previous owners, shoe-horned into a room which was just not working. Beams, although potentially beautiful, were untreated and clearly hadn’t been touched in a long time and very basic pine floorboards were bare. The window, which again we knew, could be a real feature, was partially undercoated and the ill-fitting door unable to close because of one of the most ugly door handle/locks we’ve ever seen. All in all, a pretty dismal excuse for a bedroom. However, we had to have at least one room where we could escape the madness of full-on renovation – and so three years ago, Bedroom Two, was for a while Bedroom One.
From what we inherited above, we were delighted with the first incarnation with the room. Walls were painted white, a new bed was ordered and delivered, industrial wall lights fitted, new bedding on the bed and we were in. Utter luxury! I cannot tell you how amazing it was, in the early days, to close the door at the end of the night and sink into that bed. If you’ve renovated a property, you’ll know where we’re coming from.
But, we’ve come a long way since the room looked as it does above. The wooden beams are original – very old and very beautiful, but we did have a problem with woodworm, which we had to resolve very quickly, as this room became a guest bedroom. We called in a specialist company who treated all of the beams in the house, and we then got to work on them, ourselves. Just to be extra sure that the pesky woodworm had gone, we further treated them, wrapping them in clingfilm for a couple of weeks – just to be on the safe side. These measures seem to have worked, and we think the woodworm are no more. Although the beams were beautiful in their natural state, our style for in the interior is contemporary and they just felt as bit too country-cottagey. So we got to work on transforming them – and after undercoating and painting in a very soft grey satinwood, they are, we think, even more beautiful…
To contrast with the white walls and soft grey beams, the woodwork – window frames and surrounds and door and frame – have all been painted in a very soft baby blue satinwood, which contrasts well with the colours around.
Although the room isn’t the largest, it can comfortably fit a double bed and two wardrobes from IKEA – these are from the STUVA range. More for a child’s bedroom, but perfectly adequate, with plenty of hanging and storage space, for a smaller bedroom. And, much nicer on the budget too. However, as they are actually full of our stuff, they weren’t serving much of a purpose in a guest bedroom and so the decision was made a few weeks ago, to have a big change around and create bedrooms which worked much better as spaces. We’ve completed the dirty, dusty, disruptive renovation work, and so can now have a bit more fun, being creative and accessorising.
The wardrobes went to their new home, in the room next door and once we’d created a bit more space, we started on the new look. First up was the cerise pink table in the hallway. Once an old work table, it was covered in paint splats and oil stains, but a few cans of spray paint gave it a new lease of life and it’s been a proper pop of colour, for a couple of years on the upstairs landing. However, we wanted something that visitors could use – a table where they could dry hair, put on make-up, maybe catch up on a few emails on a lap top, but we didn’t want to go out and buy something else. Our house has rapidly become full of *stuff*, despite a massive clear-out before we moved, so we’re trying to recycle and up-cycle where we can. The pink table was a perfect starting point…
Spray paint is now our go-to product for quick make-overs and within an hour, the pink was gone and replaced with shimmering gold. Accessorised with a beautiful opaque, glass vase, in a very unusual shade of green and tall faux blooms, scented candles in pinky coloured glass jars and a tortoise shell mirror, it now looks completely different. A round globe lamp sits behind the green vase, so at night, a really beautiful glow is cast around the room. The large pine mirror looked out of place, against the table, so this too has been sprayed gold and now looks a million dollars. For the cost of a can of spray paint. I didn’t want a bulky chair at the table and so found this rather lovely stool – gold frame and pale pink velvet seat. Perfect! The Moroccan style off-white & navy blue geometric patterned rug adds warmth and sits well on top of the newly painted navy floorboards. No more pine!
Yes, I did spray the bin, too 🙂 Rather than searching around to find something which was more suitable, the black, metal, flip top IKEA bin was given the bling treatment, too. And, why not?
To the left hand side of the window is the internal chimney, which comes up from The Snug and the living room below. Gorgeous in the winter, as it means we don’t need any additional source of heating in this room, but it does make the way we can lay out the room, a bit more problematic, because it is bulky. The bed can’t be located anywhere else, but space to the side is limited because of the chimney, meaning that we were also limited to what we could have each side of the bed. We wanted something that people could use for mobile phones, ipads, drinks etc and did a fair bit of head scratching as everything was always just a tiny bit too wide. Then, hurrah again for IKEA – we spotted these mustard coloured boxy wall units, which are just perfect. Attached off the floor, but not too high, they don’t take up too much room and mean that phones be charged, and there’s space for water, a book or two etc.
I think we might now be happy with this room. Although who knows? After a few weeks of self isolation, we may have sprayed the whole room gold…
by Helen | Mar 10, 2020 | Renovation
Unable to ever leave a room, close the door and congratulate ourselves on a “finished” project, we’ve been revisiting our third bedroom. To be honest, we’ve re-visted then all, but that’s another couple of blogs. Let’s stick with this one for the time being. Although the room was so much better, design-wise, than it had been previously, we felt it still wasn’t *quite* right. It still felt a bit sterile. A bit cobbled-together. And we suddenly realised why. We had the wrong furniture in the wrong rooms. Simple as that! And so another week was spent emptying cupboards, wardrobes, drawers. Filling vac-pac bags. Cleaning, touching up paintwork and moving furniture from one room to another. Gone from the room above are the navy blue cabinet, the thin beechwood display shelves, the office chair which we tried to make look prettier (it’s properly gone), and the Moroccan rug. They’re all elsewhere, in new homes and are looking much better for the various moves. So, what’s in this room now?
Because the second and third bedrooms aren’t our main bedroom, and so smaller, we needed storage that didn’t overwhelm and didn’t break the bank. Step forward modular wardrobes from the Stuva children’s range at IKEA. The perfect colour and the perfect size – and looking a whole lot more at home in this room. We can’t work out why exactly, as this room and the room they came from are exactly the same size and orientation – apart from the position of the window, so maybe it’s the light that makes all the difference. The geometric Moroccan style rug which was originally in this room had to be moved as it was too thick for the the wardrobe doors to open – but now our prized Berber rug, brought all the way from a tannery in Marrakech, has found its forever home. We hope! Soft cushions, throws and faux foliage create more of a feeling of a room that is used and is comfortable – and now the long, navy velvet curtains seem to “fit” the room more easily.
Always considered the third bedroom, and therefore with not much thought ever really being put into it, we hope we have finally created a room which is a beautiful one in its own right.
by Helen | Mar 5, 2020 | Interiors
Pink has never been my colour. I think I’ve always associated the colour with being “girly” and so have largely avoided it. But, I’ve been wrong, Oh, so very wrong. And now I’m letting pink into my life. The image above, sort of sums up why. From the palest baby pink through to almost plum, pink is pretty perfect. A colour for every mood. I’ve been experimenting with pops of pink in the house. An old carpentry table, rescued from a family garage, and covered in old paint splodges and oil stains and wood cuts, took on a whole new lease of life when it was sprayed hot pink and stood defiantly at the top of the stairs…
And this got me thinking, about larger spaces and use of colour. Our stone house isn’t a style which lends itself to crazy colour, I don’t think. We’ve used quite bold colours, but they fit in with their surroundings. However, our thoughts are turning to another property. Hopefully, the next renovation project – and this one is potentially a blank canvas. So, inspiration is being sought and pink is featuring quite heavily. Pink concrete, especially…
Images : www.pinterest.com // Pink table : We Are Life Photography
by Helen | Mar 4, 2020 | Interiors
We’re suckers for stylish interiors. The kind of interiors that we maybe wouldn’t be quite bold enough to go for at home, but love experiencing. And if anywhere does stylish interiors, it’s the new kid on the block in Istria – Roxanich Wine and Heritage Hotel.
When we moved to Istria in 2017, we’d often drive past a very intriguing, but derelict building, on the road below Motovun. A bit of research revealed that this had been a winery, and in its heyday it must have been majestic. And then one day, the demolition guys arrived and work started on it. We knew pretty soon that this renovation was going to pretty special, as even just from the roadside, we could see that sympathetic, but contemporary design, was the order of the day. It finally opened early 2019 and in the summer we were delighted to experience Roxanich.
Friends from Manchester came out to stay out to stay with us, and as a birthday was happening mid-visit, we booked into Roxanich, on their first night. The hotel has private parking – always good to know if you’re in a hire car, for example. We had thought that spaces would be at a premium, becasue you can see the car park, to the side of the hotel, from the road, and there are only about ten spaces here. However, Roxanich has this covered. With a car-lift, down to a secure underground car park. Very James Bond.
The hotel itself is an utter class act. Everything is on point. Perfect. It’s wild and raucous in terms of decor, in places, but cool, calm and supremely elegant, in others. It’s a hotel that knows when to be playful and when to be more decorous. The reception area is wide and expansive, with a sweeping arched ceiling and crittal doors, providing immense views across the Mirna Valley.
As its name suggests, wine is at the heart of this hotel.
One of the greatest treasures of Roxanich estate are undoubtedly its wines. It is fitting then, that they should be kept safe, deep inside a hill. Visit our winery and cellars, snugly fit inside the landscape, based below the hotel…
We didn’t get to visit the wine cellars, but did check out the wine shop. Although “shop” doesn’t really convey just how beautiful this area is, which is accessible from both the hotel and the outside area, meaning if you’re passing and need a top quality bottle of wine, this is your place.
So, to our room.
- Bizarre;
- Amazing;
- Eclectic;
- Views to die for;
- Super comfy.
Did I say bizarre? And eclectic? A double dose of both! Imagine a room with a four poster bed. You’re not even close! Imagine that four poster bed, not with a wooden frame, but with a caramel coloured leather frame. Yep, that;s what we had, but you’re still not even close. Imagine that four poster bed, also being a… bunk bed. This is one of the Family Rooms, Roxanich-style. You in the bed. Kids up the ladder and onto the top double bunk. Only it’s also a proper, grown-up bed, with fabulous bedding, pillows and duvet. Perfect if you fall out. Although hopefully, not literally!
If you’re on a cheeky night away, sans-kids, but fancy the Family Room, let it be known that that this particular four poster bed has a mirrored ceiling. I know…
Style-wise, this hotel is just sublime. Definitely not to everyone’s taste, but it ticked every one of our boxes. Playful, light-hearted and cheeky, but with super attention to detail. We love it. And, if we’re bold enough in our next reno project, who knows? Maybe we’ll find a new place for a mirror…
by Helen | Mar 4, 2020 | Lifestyle
With our lovely new kitchen, we are trying to be more organised, have food in, take advantage of our new cooking facilities and eat more at home. We love risotto and have been meaning to try out the Three Cheese Baked Risotto spotted in a Donna Hay cookery book – bought primarily for the beautiful design, so it’s been a bonus to find that the recipes are really, really good!
The best thing about this baked risotto is that it’s baked. No standing stirring. Just shove it in the oven – and if you spend a teeny bit extra on the parmesan and prosciutto, I promise you, it is delicious. You’ll never stand, continuously stirring a risotto, again ?
what you’ll need
- 1 cup (200g) arborio rice
- 2.5 cups (625 ml) stock (we used vegetable stock, but Donna Hay suggests chicken)
- 1 leek, very finely chopped
- 1 tsp of chopped oregano leaves
- 30g butter
- grated parmesan (as much as you like!)
- salt & pepper
- creamy blue cheese, roughly sliced
- 150g fresh ricotta
- 4 slices of prosciutto
what you’ll need to do
Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Place rice, stock, oregano leaves & butter in a baking dish and cover tightly with a lid or piece of foil. Bake for 40 minutes or until the rice is soft. Stir in the parmesan, salt & pepper and continue to stir for 4-5 mins or until the risotto is creamy and the remaining stock has been absorbed. Divide the risotto between serving plates and top with blue cheese, ricotta, chopped prosciutto and remaining parmesan.
by Helen | Feb 5, 2020 | Interiors
Not long ago, who’d have thought you, or me, could have a piece of Jean Paul Gaultier in your own home?
If you’re a fan of the unconventional designer, you can now have a roll (or two or three) of wallpaper from his couture collection, Les Papiers. We saw, and fell in love, with this gorgeous design, when we flicked through the showroom samples in David Gavin Design, in West Didsbury. Elegant, but utterly playful, the Recreation wallpaper features classical bathing beauties dressed in contemporary clothes, chubby cherubs and stripe-clad sailors, all vying for attention. It’s a definite hark back to 18th century Toiles de Jouy (meaning, “cloth from Jouy”), a type of print that is characterised by complex vignettes scattered over the surface. But with the immediately recognisable Gaultier motifs.
Although not in this house, I have a wall ear-marked for a couple of rolls of this stunning paper.
Just need to move first…
by Helen | Jan 26, 2020 | Travel, UK
It turns out Christmas Eve was just about the most perfect time to visit Salts Mill, in Saltaire, on our way up to the North East for our festive break Now a Unesco World Heritage Site, like the very beautiful Port Sunlight on The Wirral, Saltaire was an industrial village, purpose-built in 1851, by philanthropic industrialist, Titus Salt. The village’s huge factory was once the largest in the world and Saltaire was created as a model village of neat, honey-coloured cottages, leading down to the River Aire, intended to create a close and upright community of workers. Its name is a combination of Titus’s surname and the nearby River Aire.
Now, Salts Mill is a bright and airy cathedral-like building which houses a permanent exhibition of works by Bradford-born artist David Hockney, as well as being a wonderful opportunity for some pretty amazing retail therapy, with an excellent and vast book shop, and a fabulous home-wares area, packed full of unique and exquisite furnishings, fabrics, accessories for the home and just general loveliness.
We didn’t have time to visit the Hockney exhibition, sadly, so made the decision to explore the bookshop and interiors areas and have a spot of lunch in Salts Diner, more of which later. The renovation of the mill has been extremely sympathetic, with many of the original features and much of the layout, retained. It is definitely cavernous – and amazing photographs illustrate what the mill would have been like in its heyday, full of people and noise. Today, it is a whole lot more tranquil – or at least it was on Christmas Eve. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to wander without throngs of frantic Xmas shoppers – most people seemed to be visiting on this particular day to have “a day out”.
Just look at those beautiful pillars. Tall and imposing, now looking almost delicate in crisp white, with the intricate detailing at the top picked out in a beautiful blue. And, because it was Christmas, complemented with subtle, colour co-ordinating decorations.
We rarely now get a chance to visit bookshops, so it was a sheer delight to just browse the shelves, leafing through books. It would have been very easy to spend a fortune, but I managed to just about restrain myself, justifying purchases on the fact that I couldn’t buy the books I wanted in Istria. And, because we are giving the big bedroom a complete make-over, I couldn’t resist three Scandinavian Swan mobiles and a butterfly pop-up. The homewares section is truly fantastic. From small tealight holders to incredibly expensive pieces of one-off, bespoke furniture, there is definitely something for everyone and I would defy you to make a visit here and not spend a few pennies. Again, because it was Christmas, it was exquisitely styled – and I have to say, I’ve returned with a heap of new ideas. As a well a few bits & bobs to help the make-over along.
Salts Diner reminded me very much of the lovely Tebay Services on the M6. Well thought out in terms of industrial design and interiors and with fresh food, largely made on the premises – the open kitchen is huge and you can see exactly what’s going on. Its reputation obviously precedes it, as it was very, very busy even with early closing on Christmas Eve.
The food was amazingly delicious – so much so that it was snaffled away before anything could be captured for posterity!
We absolutely loved our short, but sweet, visit to Salts Mill. There’s so much more to see than we experienced and so we will, on our next visit up north, take the opportunity to stop and get to know this wonderful place a little bit more.
