Me & Writing & Design Blogs

I am a writer!
At least once in a while, when I am blogging or when I am writing for a magazine like tbjhome. It is a free monthly English lifestyle and interior design magazine that is distributed together with That's Beijing, the essential monthly guide for life in Beijing. It was fun working with the editor and with the bloggers Danielle, Grace and Jennifer (see details below).
Thank you for the cooperation!
I loved to work from home, anytime, best time for me is nighttime.

Here is the article, two pages - click on the pic to enlarge:


I came up with the idea to introduce some creative design blogs to the readers of the magazine instead of design books. They liked the idea, and gave me even two pages. However the editor said they only want design blogs that have their own domain name because blogspot is blocked in China (censorship).

So I choose from my favorites:
the style files by Danielle de Lange, The Netherlands
design*sponge by Grace Bonney, New York U.S.
and
The Peak of Chic by Jennifer Dwyer, Atlanta U.S.

At the end the editor decided to at least mention three more of my favorite design blogs that are on blogspot (if anybody in China faces access difficulties, go via pkblogs.com!):
Absolutely Beautiful Things by Anna Spiro, Brisbane Australia
Decor8 by Holly Becker, Boston U.S.
and
Designers' Block by Di Overton
National Park Northumberland U.K.

As thinking green is important for our environment, I was looking for a green blog and found inhabitat. This blog, founded by Jill Fehrenbacher, New York is entirely devoted to green design.

Two more inspiring blogs were suggested by the editor:
Core77 - the industrial design super site
and
NOTCOT - a visual filtration of ideas + aesthetics + amusement

And what does this have to do with our Palazzo?
Well, it is mentioned in the magazine as well, sort of, shortly, in my bio.
As I know lots of other bloggers from pictures, I feel like I owe you a picture of me. And as it is published in this Beijing magazine anyway, why not publish it on my blog?
Here it is:
Okay, my name is Susanne. Some friends call me Susi. My sister and father used to call me Susi. My mum didn't like it and so my family calls me Su. French people call me Suzanne or Suzie. American people call me Susan or Susi. My uncle and aunt calls me Sanni (like Sunny). My dear grandma did too. I choose Susi as alias and spell it with 'z' like 'Suzie Wong' as I am living in China and started my Beijing blog first. Oh, by the way, this is all about my middle name only. My first name is Ella.

Bye for now.

9.82 %

We are so lucky that Angelo is in Pizzo and supervising the work and work process closly! Grazie Angelo!!!

Yesterday I got his email saying that 9.82% of the work has been done! ("Attualmente il valore dell'avanzamento lavori calcolato è pari al 9,82%.")

Can you guess what Angelo's profession is? Ideal for our project!

So far almost every day there is a small decisions to make. A change at the roof, another wall here and no wall there, no door here and a door there... My husband and I get the emails from Angelo with photos and drawings attached together with his suggestions and we send back our opinion. I have my mother in law together with her sister in law visiting us in China. They are involved in the discussions as well as they know the house. Although I wish I could see the progress myself - it couldn't be better handled as it is now by Angelo.

Of course Angelo is not the only one we are depending on. Thanks to the young architect and his team we are having a great project. I heard that il giovane architetto does not mind to have his name published on my blog. It is signore Pino Pitt - not related to the American actor who is interested in architecture, but not less charming. It is also him who provided me with new drawings of the house that I posted some weeks ago.

Also I want to thank another talented family member, the cousin of my mother in law, who made a very detailed plan, better to say planS, for all electricity related issues by each floor. It is an amazing work and we still have to study it carefully. Grazie Giorgio! Hope to see you, your wife (one of my loyal readers, I posted her thoughts about Calabrian holidays) and son soon again for summer holiday in bella Calabria.

-------------------------
Remark: thank you Suzy from Studio Anetta in Hong Kong who helped me to post a comment to let you know I have difficulties to access my blogs in Beijing (the Great Firewall of China is blocking blogger, blogspot and others). I just found a way around thanks to pkblogs.com.

ta ta ta taaaaaa - Fanfare !!!

"Al piano terra i muri sono tutti demoliti.

Stanno portando via le macerie
ciao Angelo"

 

Today I got an email from Angelo, my father-in-law, who is on site in Pizzo since a couple of days. Since Monday we have the permission! The GO! And the workers started right away. They took down the walls in the piano terra , the ground floor. The first picture is taken from the living room showing the dining area and the new large space of the kitchen. The old bathroom is gone, the bathtub is out. And the former bathroom window will be part of the new kitchen. It is great for me to see the new space. Even if it's just from that photo. I try to "feel" it. Sounds funny. But being so far away, I have no other option. I am looking at this picture and try to imagine how we will prepare breakfast or lunch - in order to find out how to arrange the kitchen.

Ah, and the second picture shows the dumping of the debris. But not only that. You can see the first furniture we 'inherited' with the palazzo: a pink plastic chair. And you see our  quiet narrow alley. No truck will make it through here...

Grazie Angelo. I am looking forward to more pictures soon.

PS: I learned that the spots on picture number 1 are not spots on Angelo's lens, they are ORBS! A sign for good vibs, good energy! And it is so true, this room feels fantastic!