Renovating an house in Italy is never without its surprises, but this year has been a doozy. But be might finally finish the renovation of The Lucca pad this summer. I can't believe it. In April last year, when we signed the initial act, I was sure we would seal the deal in August, work on the house all through fall, go away in our van in winter and start to rent it out in March.
Plans. Am I right?!
The renovation took a bit of a turn. There was a lot more to do than we initially thought. And I had the bright idea to add a bathroom. All new electrical, heating, air conditioning, you get the deal. And then the house was almost ready, only no doors or windows, and COVID happened.
We were not allowed to visit the house, even if we live in the same region, so I kept hoping no animals or entire families would move in. No, I was scared of water damage. Lucca, in winter, is a bit damp. But fortunately, none of that happened.
If you haven't followed the story, we bought a ground floor apartment, in the old town center in Lucca. It is right behind the main square; the location is more than ideal. It had hardwood floors, but they sustained a lot of water damage. So, unfortunately, we ripped them out in the main living area and will salvage them in the bedrooms.
I am in love with the new floors, a mix of grey/beige large stoneware, and terrazzo. We are now installing a kitchen and painting. Then we will have to add closets, as for no, there is none, and then I can finally decorate.


When we first saw the house, one of the living room's closets had a lovely stained glass panel. When we bought the house, they had taken out the door. At first, I was disappointed. But it might have been for the best. Now the closets both have new plaster; it's clear they will be a feature. They set the style of the house, minimalistic, clean, warm, natural.
It felt sacrilegious ripping out the chevron floor. But it was never a good idea to install real wood on a ground floor apartment in an Italian house. And we still have the two bedrooms, where the wood was in good condition.


I don't even think I have a picture of the original kitchen and bathroom. When we first visited the house after buying it , Marlon and I looked at each other, standing in the kitchen with horror. Not good/what have we done horror.
It is not a big apartment, and one bathroom would have been enough. Buy seeing that we had space for it; we added another. Marlon still isn't convinced we need it, but I think it;'s the best decision. This house will be rented out. Air conditioning, a lovely patio, and two bathrooms are requirements that make you stand out in Lucca. And I had twice the fun designing.
One bathroom will be a little more practical, with the washer-dryer combo. The other one is more whimsical with Terrazzo tiles going almost all way around.

Lana's favorite room. The work in the bedrooms is mostly cosmetic.

One of the best designing decisions I made is to use the same terrazzo tiles, on the dining book floor. It is charming and goes beautifully with the large grey Cotto d'Este tiles in the rest of the house. The kitchen will be light wood. The backsplash and top will be light and bright to offset the darkness. I am sure this will nook will be my favorite place to sit to have breakfast, under the arch, looking out on the sunny patio.


I have included a new category if you want to follow along while we get our pad ready for our first guests, look for it under The Lucca Pad.