Vintage floors from Italy

For part of my recent vacation, some friends and I rented a villa in Sorrento. The villa sat on a cliff overlooking the Bay of Naples and was a glorious structure. It had been built originally by a German baron in the mid-19th century and still had most of its original floors. I specify floors all the time and it was interesting to spend some time living with Italian originals. Most of what was in the Villa Terraza was glazed terra cotta, although the marble herringbone pattern in the living room is one I'll be using in an upcoming project, count on it.

I'm back

I'm back from my sojourn in Southern Italy. Oh the places I've gone and the things I've seen. I spent a fair amount of time combing through 1st Century Roman ruins in Stabia, Herculaneum and Pompeii. Although I didn't do any actual work while I was gone, I did take a lot of notes that will play heavily into my designs from this point on.

Below is a photo of the kitchen in the Villa San Marco. The Villa San Marco was the home of a wealthy Roman family and it was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. At the time of its destruction, the villa is thought to have been 150 years old and there is ample evidence of its periodic renovations over those 150 years. Walking through it is mind bending, let me tell you. Be warned though, the next person who asks me about a "Mediterranean" kitchen is going to end up with something that looks like this. Hah!