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ATouch of Tuscany
My kitchen celebrates the harvest and the blessings of family and friends.
By Patty Dzbynski
Owings, MD
Someday, I’ll visit the lovely countryside of northern Italy—the farmlands so vividly described in Under the Tuscan Sun. Until then, though, I enjoy a little bit of Tuscany right here in my kitchen.
My husband, John, and I live in a rural area about 35 miles southeast of the nation’s capital. The Patuxent River is visible from our back windows. Our house sits on a former tobacco farm, and there’s a small, family-run winery just down the road. So my kitchen’s grape and grapevine theme fits as well here as it would in Italy.
As a retired interior designer, I took real satisfaction in doing my own design, sewing and painting in this project. I even painted the island’s grape-bedecked pine corbels and other purchased “custom” touches on my cabinets.
John and I settled here 9 years ago, after a series of job-related moves. He’d worked in the automotive industry, but now is vice president of a local engineering and surveying company. With our two daughters grown, I’m able to be a little more adventurous in my cooking.
I love putting together new recipes—
especially Mediterranean ones—or adapting old ones.
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Changing Views
It’s such a pleasure spending time in my kitchen, even just watching the colors of the walls shift with the sun’s position. The secret behind their seemingly aged patina? I thinned latex paint with water and mixed in some pearl glaze, layering on five colors (terra-cotta, lavender, gold, lime green and silver) and swirling each on with a paintbrush. I worked a section at a time, using circular motions to add depth. Sometimes, painting a room can feel boring, but not this project!
I then painted grapevines winding around the room, and, just for fun, made the effect three-dimensional by mixing in silk plants. Very roughly translated, the Italian phrases in the banner murals I painted over each window ask God to protect and defend this home, and for an abundant harvest.
The colorful Tuscan tapestry of my window-toppers and stool backs was a remnant find, so I chose and sewed styles that fit the limited yardage. If you look closely at the window-toppers, you’ll
see I embellished them not with traditional tassels, but with wine corks.
John and I opted for terra-cotta tile countertops, with a twist. They’re actually floor tiles! I liked their sturdy, larger work surface and old-world feel. Having fewer grout lines didn’t hurt, either.
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| Grapevines wind across the walls and the “customized” Pfaltzgraff canisters. |
Farmhouse Memories
My favorite feature has to be the deep copper sink with its bronze finished Victorian faucets. I’d wanted something that felt old, and though we needed to side-mount the faucets for space reasons, the result really reminds me of the pump at my grandmother’s farmhouse kitchen sink. The installer had been concerned that I might tire quickly of it, but I still absolutely love it.
Another sentimental favorite is my canister set, a wedding gift 29 years ago from my parents. Over the years, as we’ve moved to different kitchens with different décor, I couldn’t bring myself to buy canisters to match. So I simply repainted the trusty ceramic Pfaltzgraff pieces.
When we settled here, John urged me to splurge on some Tuscan-themed canisters we’d seen in a catalog. But those cost much more than I felt comfortable spending, so I simply repainted ours once again. But I dressed them up a little more this time, by sculpting oven-dried clay from the craft store into grapes, vines and leaves, which I attached using construction glue.
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Most visitors’ eyes go right to the chandeliers over the island. I’d originally planned a pot rack there, but John said hanging pots and pans would get in his way, so chandeliers it was. They’re not pricey crystal, just simple glass, but I love the sparkle they bring to my rustic kitchen.
We have plenty of visitors, too, because we really love to entertain. This roomy kitchen makes it easy to prepare meals to share. Guests can chop along with us as we prepare to stir-fry, for instance, before we sit down together in the separate dining room.
John once commented that I seem to spend more time in this kitchen than any of the others I’ve cooked in over the years. Pure and simple, I said, having a touch of Tuscany just makes me happy.