A Moving Experience

[bixaorellana]

I moved from Xoxo, a town stuck on to the city of Oaxaca with a more rural feel, to downtown Oaxaca less than two weeks ago. It's been years since I lived downtown and I am absolutely delighted.

Y'all wanna see my house?

This is very much a work in progress, so I'll show the moving-in part & the parts that get pulled-together & decorated as I go along, if there is interest in the subject. Please feel free to ask questions.

The property was originally a single-family dwelling that went all the way through to the street behind it. When the last set of grandparents died, it got divided up with some bits being sold out of the family & the back section being lost. It's still huge, though, with parts of the original family occupying various apartments. They've banded together to share & maintain their garden sections, although the other residents have their own patios.

My apartment was once the kitchen, which had been allowed to fall into ruin before the present owners bought it & turned it into a dwelling. It has immensely thick walls & arches everywhere, plus the massive hood over what was once a cooking hearth, I imagine. I need to get a date on when the original house was built.

Anyway, the front of the building ~




The wooden door at extreme right middle is my kitchen door ~
                                           

Moving-in day, entering through the kitchen ~


through the short, wide hall ~


to the living room ~


The door on the right in the previous picture leads to the bedroom ~


The ceiling of the bedroom is the floor of the loft ~


Loft ~

~ More to come! ~

[Deleted]

Totally and absolutely fabulous! I've been waiting for this report.

[bixaorellana]

Thanks! I am in love with the place, but don't you think it has the world's ugliest hanging lamp?

[Deleted]

It's not ugly -- it is just of an inappropriate size for the dwelling, as well as probably not being a really efficient light source. I might consider bypassing the inner workings and wrapping some small halogen type spotlights around the exterior to illuminate what I want.

Clearly the mezzanine was created afterwards, or else I have led a sheltered life in which kitchens with mezzanines were hidden from me.

[mossie]

WOW A Palace ;D, plenty of work for you Bixa

[bixaorellana]

Hmmm ~~ I really like the idea of reworking the hanging beast for more light. What I'd really like to to is to paint it enamel white, for which I assume I'd need permission.

Yeah, I'm sure the mezzanine was added later. The landlady said this was mostly an empty space & a neighbor from the original family is the one who told me it had been allowed to fall into ruin.

One thing I love is that there are tons of skylights & windows.

It is a teensy little palace, Mossie, & you're right it needs work!

[bjd]

It looks great, Bixa. Does this mean you won't have a garden anymore?

Do all the courtyard areas seen through the wrought iron door belong to the house?

[lagatta]

Very classy place.

The courtyard inside looks like it goes a long way back - not what I think of as a typical patio, unless it is a palatial one. Patios are an ancient Mediterranean form, found in the Greek and Arab worlds, and they ensured privacy for the household (especially the female members) and access to light and air. This one seems shared among several households - was that originally the case, or is this as the result of subdivision of a grand house?

The mezzanine looks much newer than the house itself, despite its classic style. (Are anyporters in a queue for first dibs on the little guest bed? Careful, bixa, if you host an active young couple up there, you won't get any sleep - bedframe looks squeaky.

Have you found a friendly nearby café and a place to get simple meals while you are moving in? Presume los perritos haven't arrived yet...

[mich64]

Absolutely love it Bixa! and can hardly wait for more photos!

As I was scrolling down and read the comment about the light, I quickly scrolled back up to see and thought hmmmm... I wonder if she could paint that white? When I scrolled back down I read on and then I began to laugh. I thought it would blend it into the room and make it look smaller, otherwise, I quite like it.

The thickness of the beams and railings are fabulous. The stone and brick arches are beautiful. I also really like the blue tiles in the kitchen. The current trend here is smaller and placed in a subway pattern, I much prefer what you have and will have to remember this when we renovate our kitchen. We did a stacked tiled marble floor in our en-suite bathroom.

I can just make out those arched windows in your living room, what does that look out too? I hope you do have a patio for some outdoor plants of your own, but the gardens that are already there look lovely.

You have so much natural light coming in towards the mezzanine that I can imagine a dresser there with plants lined on top, would be beautiful from above and below.

[htmb]

Stunning place, bixa! I love the combination of wood, stone, and tile. This wonderful apartment is oozing with character and charm. I'm looking forward to following your progress as you settle yourself in and make it your very own space. I can't wait to see more!

[bixaorellana]

Thank you so much, Htmb ~~ and everyone else, too, for the kind words & votes of confidence. Don't worry, I'll probably bore you all with excess details.

Mar 28, 2013 20:27:09 GMT bjd said:

Do all the courtyard areas seen through the wrought iron door belong to the house?

Mar 28, 2013 21:51:53 GMT lagatta said:

The courtyard inside looks like it goes a long way back - not what I think of as a typical patio, unless it is a palatial one. ... This one seems shared among several households - was that originally the case, or is this as the result of subdivision of a grand house?

Answer:

Mar 28, 2013 17:47:03 GMT bixaorellana said:

The property was originally a single-family dwelling that went all the way through to the street behind it. When the last set of grandparents died, it got divided up with some bits being sold out of the family & the back section being lost. It's still huge, though, with parts of the original family occupying various apartments. They've banded together to share & maintain their garden sections, although the other residents have their own patios.

Mar 28, 2013 22:03:42 GMT mich64 said:

As I was scrolling down and read the comment about the light, I quickly scrolled back up to see and thought hmmmm... I wonder if she could paint that white?

;D Great minds, Mich, great minds!

Mar 28, 2013 22:03:42 GMT mich64 said:

I can just make out those arched windows in your living room, what does that look out too? I hope you do have a patio for some outdoor plants of your own, but the gardens that are already there look lovely.

Yes, those are two narrow arched windows that go almost all the way to the floor. What's great is that there's a space in the wrought iron "burglar bars" for the dogs to go in & out, so no need for a doggy door.
In answer to you & to Bjd,

Mar 28, 2013 20:27:09 GMT bjd said:

It looks great, Bixa. Does this mean you won't have a garden anymore?

~~ I have a patio with some space to also plant in the ground, although it needs a good bit of work. Here's a picture of it taken from the kitchen door. The sliver of door you see just past the open kitchen door is to the living room & the big arches with the wrought iron are the living room windows. The open door is to the bedroom. All the doors are double, meaning each has a wooden door that opens out & a wood-framed glass door that opens in.
The arch with the white notice on the door is to an office -- yay, no immediate real neighbors! The big arch to the right of that is the door to the street.

Mar 28, 2013 21:51:53 GMT lagatta said:

Have you found a friendly nearby café and a place to get simple meals while you are moving in? Presume los perritos haven't arrived yet...

Restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, & street stands galore around here, although I was so happy when I finally got to make my first meal in the new place.
And about the perritos ~~ they are fine & really happy here. Oliver was here the first night I slept here & Harley and Darla came the next day. They love being city kids!

[fumobici]

I love it. Looks almost Italian inside. And the lamp is fine, just different.

[htmb]

Could the light fixture be original to the house, or was it added as part of the renovation?

[mich64]

Your puppies look so happy! I think they adapt better than we do. Excellent doggie door situation.

Are any of those potted plants out front yours from your old place?

[bixaorellana]

Thanks, Fumobici. I'm going to go with your interpretation. Also, good call -- the present owner's husband, now deceased, was greatly involved in the renovation. He was from Bologna.

I suspect it was added, Htmb. Probably only the arches in the living room and bedroom section of the house are original. In the kitchen/hall/bathroom part, there might be more things left. I'll take pics of floors & ceilings later & maybe someone can figure it out.

If I could get the lamp clean (need a taller ladder), that would help.

[bixaorellana]

Mar 29, 2013 3:38:55 GMT mich64 said:

Your puppies look so happy! I think they adapt better than we do. Excellent doggie door situation.

Are any of those potted plants out front yours from your old place?

Thanks, Mich! Sorry, I guess we simul-posted, as I didn't see yours when I answered Fumobici & Htmb.

Yes, all the potted plants are mine except for the great big pot there in the back middle of the picture.

Well, you've seen almost all the house by now, except for the bathroom. I have to say, the girl living here (daughter of owner), didn't take very good care of this place, nor leave it very nice. The very first time I saw the place, she was out on the patio attempting to glue together 50+ pieces of broken toilet tank cover. Not surprisingly, that didn't work. You'll see her solution to that problem. (hint: she didn't go get a new one)

The house did come equipped with space & hook-ups for my washing machine, which is a big plus ~


Pink wool held on by a million staples to an inadequate piece of wood. I've also had to replace the toilet seat. Made for a larger, oval toilet, it stuck out 5" into the narrow space in front of the toilet ~


I've finally made a first pass at decorating, beginning with the living room. It still needs work in terms of picture hanging, item placement, & the addition of some electrical sockets. Still, getting it even partway done made me feel as though I'm home ~


The throw on the sofa is temporary, but it looks better than the current upholstery. That's in good shape, but is really drab next to my gorgeous >>new cushions<< for the Barcelona chairs ~


You can see I have a stash of pictures there leaning against the wall, waiting for their perfect spots ~


The blue lampshade has been replaced with a nice shantung one in a sort of buff shade.


Still lots to be done, as witness the arch by the computer table. I have a large locally made sunburst mirror that will probably go under that arch.


Another look at upstairs, which doesn't really look like this as it's full of all kinds of overflow stuff right now ~


Some of you have already seen my bed in the Weavers Workshop thread. I'll post pictures of the bedroom when it's more pulled together.

Meanwhile, a couple of outside shots.
Standing in the street directly in front of the house & looking east to Sto. Domingo ~


Going east to the corner & looking north ~


Same corner, but across the street & looking south ~


Well, that's it for now. No decorating tomorrow as I'm going out with my picture-taking buddy on the hunt for good Lenten photo-ops.

[bjd]

It looks like a great place to live, Bixa.

I don't think the cover on the couch looks drab -- rather it's restful compared to the colours of the chairs (I really like them!) and the rug on the floor. More colours on the couch would be too much.

Has your taste in decoration been very much influenced by living in Mexico? I mean, do you use a lot more colour now?

[mich64]

Yes, do take a break and enjoy the festivities. You are doing a great job getting settled in Bixa. Excellent that you have a washing machine.

What is the style name of the original home? I have seen homes likes this on house hunter shows and my husband and just can not seem to remember it.

I love Barcelona chairs they just look so comfortable. Nice to see your office area, can imagine you sitting there posting on APIAS!

[htmb]

Oh, mich, I've seen househunter shows with that style, too.

[nautiker]

congrats to your new home, from me too!

I cannot recall having ever seen such fabrics on a Barcelona chair

and even though I don't like the colour itself and the dimensions don't seem too fit much, that pink wool/board in the bath has some strange appeal...

[Deleted]

This place is looking better and better. The "view from above" gives an excellent view of what can be done in a relatively small space. Speaking of space, you will love it when you finally get a flat screen monitor -- I got mine less than a year ago and I no longer understand how I put up with the big tube device for so long (other than being used to it).

As for the outside views, the area looks lovely, but I must get on my traditional cheval de bataille (battle horse) and ask if there are parts of Oaxaca where the electrical wires have been buried. I know it is not really a major deal, but I can't keep my eyes off all the wires whenever I see a place that has them. (One good thing when the wires are all buried is that you never again have power outages due to something so simple as a big storm.)

[lagatta]

What I can't understand is why on earth they aren't all buried here in Montréal!!! Sure, we aren't the richest part of North America, but far from the poorest either. I have electric and telephone wires in front of my triplex; they are hideous, moreover the trees have to be mutilated every few years to prevent them causing problems with the wires.

I second the flatscreen opinion; it really is worth the money and they are no longer very expensive. Especially good for us old farts because we can set the screen well back - I don't need to wear glasses if I do that. Nowadays I'm mostly working on my new MacBook, and it is on a stand that sets it up high; I'm typing on a cheap keyboard sold by one of those little generic computer ware places (usually run by people from the Maghreb or Middle East hereabouts). Keyboard cost 15$, so it is not such a tragedy if I spill coffee on it.

But my older Mac has a flatscreen and I still have it, until I've switched all the data I need over into this one or onto a USB key or other place to save it.

The house is definitely of some kind of neo-Spanish Colonial style, though I'm not familiar with all the possible variations throughout the Americas and elsewhere (Philippines?)

I find the perrito (¿perrita?) sunning self also makes the place feel much more like a home. My aged cat is doing the same right now, in the window.

[bixaorellana]

Mar 29, 2013 15:40:51 GMT mich64 said:

What is the style name of the original home?

I see that LaGatta wagered a guess. I was just outside talking to the wife of one of the original family members. She said that the place is only 86 years old! Apparently the family was living further downtown during an earthquake that destroyed their home, so they bought this property & built it up. She also said that many Spaniards also came to Mexico around that time. They worked at menial jobs & saved, bought property, & prospered. This was their preferred style as well.

Mar 29, 2013 16:14:29 GMT nautiker said:

I cannot recall having ever seen such fabrics on a Barcelona chair

and even though I don't like the colour itself and the dimensions don't seem too fit much, that pink wool/board in the bath has some strange appeal...

I'm pretty sure Barcelona chairs are always covered in leather in basic brown, black, or white.
So have you replaced your toilet tank cover yet?

Mar 29, 2013 18:20:28 GMT kerouac2 said:

The "view from above" gives an excellent view of what can be done in a relatively small space.

It's all the door & window openings that create a real challenge, plus it is a small space. Getting rid of the coffee table & giving each seat a side table solved a bunch of problems at one time.

Mar 29, 2013 19:12:08 GMT lagatta said:

I find the perrito (¿perrita?) sunning self also makes the place feel much more like a home.

So true. That's Harley looking so fetching in the sunshine.

Mar 29, 2013 8:20:10 GMT bjd said:

It looks like a great place to live, Bixa.

I don't think the cover on the couch looks drab -- rather it's restful compared to the colours of the chairs (I really like them!) and the rug on the floor. More colours on the couch would be too much.

Has your taste in decoration been very much influenced by living in Mexico? I mean, do you use a lot more colour now?

Thanks, Bjd. To answer your question, I always liked a great deal of color, as long as the effect is not too busy.
I took this picture for you to see the couch upholstery. Keep in mind that I can get it recovered for @100 bucks, so getting what I want is tempting.


I put the throw on it so that I could contemplate how a lighter beige or perhaps a complementary color might look with the chairs & everything else. At the moment, I'm thinking something like the light blue/sage color from this design on the throw ...


... as it would pick up the related color from the chairs nicely. The upholstery guy said he'd come over with fabric samples whenever I'm ready.

[lagatta]

You are right; it would go both with the chairs and the blues in the carpet. A really light beige or off-white would show dirt too much - no matter how much you sweep and vacuum, you do have 3 perritos, and one is black.

[nautiker]

Mar 31, 2013 4:42:53 GMT bixaorellana said:

I'm pretty sure Barcelona chairs are always covered in leather in basic brown, black, or white.
So have you replaced your toilet tank cover yet?

sorry, I must admit I don't get your remark about the Barcelona chairs - language barrier? let's agree that it's refreshing to see something else than leather on them.

as regards the tank cover: alas ours is integrated in the (stud) wall, so there's no chance unless I tape some wool to the tiles ;D

[bixaorellana]

Nautiker, the Barcelona sentence is what it is -- no extra meaning in it.     And thanks for the thumbs up on the fabric choice.

Yeah, taping wool to the walls is the way to go. I'm sure your wife will be delighted!

Thanks, Lagatta -- I'm thinking something in that blueish shade with no pattern but some subtle texture.

The dogs aren't allowed on the furniture, but the "hollín" here deposits a dark film on everything.

You can see where I took down a wooden bas relief that was left here ~


And here is where I tried out "Mr. Musculo" meant for cleaning scale, mold, & mildew. It worked like a charm -- no scrubbing needed ~

[Deleted]

Bixa, now that you are living inside the city, could you post a map of Oaxaca showing your approximate location compared to all of stunning features of the city that you have shown us? Naturally, you should not show your exact location because we know how many pervs are on this site.

At the same time, I think that all of us who have made threads about where we live should do the same sort of thing (map posting) so that we can have an idea of your personal wonderland. I will look for a map and resurrect my old thread called "where I live in Paris" or some such.

[Jazz]

Beautiful. One of my design thoughts is 'quality versus quantity 'and your new home is a jewel box. Each part of it. The gracious entryway to the building itself, then the walls, the stunning archways, the beams, the great ceiling, lines and skylight of the kitchen, and your fabulous courtyard!(love the tile floor) The prancing doggies obviously love their newest home.

The richness of your color palette is perfect, especially for the culture that you live in. But, I’m not a minimalist and am bored by the beige/taupe/gray/white/ivory idea of décor---could not live with it. It is unusual to see Barcelona chairs with patterned fabric, but the pattern is great. The hanging lamp is not ugly, I like it. Does it have a biography?

I’m overwhelmed by the character and special elements of your home. Another of my design thoughts is to simply take your time. What I wanted to do when I first bought
my house, then my condo, was not at all what I did 2-3 years later, when I had more available money. You need to just ‘be’ there and creative ideas on all levels will naturally suggest themselves through daily living.

Really, there almost nothing that you 'need' to do. If it were me, at this moment, I would only add some artwork over time and enhance the patio with plants that I love and special lighting. Hanging lanterns in the patio for evening?

Enjoy your new home, Bixa, c’est fantastique!

[bjd]

Hi Jazz! Long time no see!

Bixa, I agree with Jazz. You don't need to do everything at once -- unless you plan to move again in 2 years. Some things we want to do right away on moving in turn out to be less urgent after a while.

I must admit I rather like your hanging lamp. It's a conversation piece!

[Deleted]

... or perhaps a deadly menace during earthquake season!