For the last 14 years or so I have been trying to transform our typical California ranch home into a Tuscan Villa. A girl can dream can't she? My poor husband braces himself every time I start a sentence with "honey, I was just thinking..." While it is true that a sow's ear will never be a silk purse, I think we have managed to incorporate a little bit of La Bella Italia to our happy home. The funny thing is that I never connected the dots that all of my decorating choices seemed to lean towards tumbled marble, terra cotta, warm earthy colors, glazed walls, and Deruta pottery. Duh! I say my decorating choices because my husband does not usually have an opinion on such matters. His opinions are usually expressed early on in the project such as "we can't afford it, or what's wrong with the one we already have? Silly man...
Our current project is an outdoor loggia with arched open windows, a dining area, beautiful soft lighting and are you ready for this - a wood fired pizza oven! I could not be more excited. My family was in the restaurant and pizza business so I know my pizza. plus I was born in Naples -the birthplace of the pizza! A truly authentic pizza must be cooked in a wood fired oven at a blistering 800 degrees. That's just all there is to it. Our friends keep asking "is it done yet?"
As I am sitting here typing I am still wearing my "painting clothes" and picking little bits of dried paint out of my hair. This weekend we will be tiling. Well Rome wasn't built in a day either...
