The original kitchen was woefully inadequate. Gotta love the electric cooktop right next to the sink!  It was so small we converted this space into the breakfast room.

We desperately needed a new kitchen. Trying to add such a vital room to a 100+ year old home took some careful design and planning.  Thankfully we had a wonderful architect who understood how important it was to ensure the transition from the old to the new was seamless. I wanted the new kitchen to look like it was original to the house.

When designing the kitchen, I divided it up into working sections~~cooking, baking, prepping, cleaning, storage and dining.

The Cooking Section:

The cooking area is set off to the side in its own alcove.  The main focus is the 6 burner Dacor range. The two deep drawers below hold all the pots and pans I use on a regular basis.

One of my favorite parts of the cooking alcove is the pot filler.  It is so easy to fill stock pots vs. carrying them across the room from the nearest sink.

The two pull out drawers on either side of the Dacor 6 burner gas range as used for oils and seasonings.

Everything I need while cooking is close at hand. Utensils are kept in vintage crocks within easy reach. Being left handed, all this sits to the left of the range.

The spice drawer is filled with Tupperware spice containers that are labeled.  I do love matching labels but haven’t gotten around to making these look all the same.

I just read that narrow width, light flooring is back in style.  We matched the original floors using Canadian Beech.  See? If you wait long enough, everything comes back in style!

On a vintage pedestal stand, I keep the daily essentials~~salt, pepper, oils, sauces, vinegar out on the counter.  A roll of paper towel is very close to help with wipe ups and spills.

To the right of the range is our coffee/tea station.  To see more about this, click here.

The Cleaning Section:

The cleaning area supports 2 sinks with their own individual faucets.  I’ve never had a kitchen with 2 faucets (usually there is one faucet that both sinks share), but we use both sinks ALL the time.  The two sinks/faucets allows 2 people to do separate tasks without being in each other’s way.

The faucet pulls out and can be used as a sprayer.  Buttons on the faucet change the water from a stream to a spray.

Investing in good sinks is a must. These deep Franke sinks were well worth the money.  They still polish up nicely and provide enough space to wash the most difficult items.  When the children were little, they would sit in the water and play while I prepared meals.

Dishwashers are on either side of the sink.  There are 3 pullout trash containers-one for regular trash; one for composting and one for recycling.

The L shaped bank of casement windows overlook the backyard and terrace, providing an abundance of natural light and ventilation.  These were installed so I could keep an eye on the children playing in the backyard and pool. The latest harvest from the garden is often found on the windowsills.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my kitchen.  My next post will focus on the baking, storage and dining sections.

Architect: Cathy Hayes Architecture, Phoenix

Dacor range

KitchenAid dishwasher

Fisher Paykel dishwasher drawers

Marvin Windows

The Chicago Faucet Co.-potfiller

Waterworks tile

Franke sinks

Cabinetry-custom, Lacquer finish in Cottage White

Hardware-Restoration Hardware

Flooring-Wildwood Custom Flooring, Phoenix

Kitchen Faucets- Clyde Hardware, Phoenix.

The mudroom is perhaps the most used, and abused room in our home.  Here is a “before the restoration” picture:

And after:

This room was designed to withstand a steady stream of muddy feet, wet bathing suits, dogs, cats, and sometimes chickens (when one is ill).  Located at the back of the house, off the kitchen, it is a hub of activity.  I chose a stone floor, a blue slate, to withstand the traffic.  The diamond sisal rug is from Ballard Designs and still looks new.

The dutch door leads to the back porch/yard.  To the right, there is a broom closet which houses all the cleaning supplies, batteries, light bulbs, vacuum cleaner and tool box.

The kitchen is to the right of the hat rack.  Santa hats are still up but will be coming down this weekend.

Below is command central.  All the brains/technology to the house are located in the top 3 cabinets.  The doors have metal screens for ventilation.

Below there is the gift wrapping area and numerous drawers for miscellaneous items-scissors, tape, glue gun, ribbon pieces, etc.

This also serves as the laundry folding area or a place to wrap gifts. The drawer pulls out when needed and provides a nice, large flat work surface.

The narrow upper cabinet is where various rolls of ribbon are stored.  Notice the old wall color~~a golden rod (what was I thinking????).  I can happily report the entire room has been recently painted white.  What a difference!

To the right of command central, is the back staircase.  This will be a 2018 project.  Since this staircase is used more than the front one, the sisal rug is in need of replacement.  It will be my third rug in 15 years..

We had some fun in designing the railing.  Grizzly Iron, Inc. in Phoenix made a wrought iron snake that winds it way up the stairs. His rattle is at the end. All the custom iron work at Bella Terra was done by Rodger LaBrash and his company.  I highly recommend them.

Behind the pocket door is our “smaller than I would like” laundry room and half bath.  A long story for another time.

I didn’t realize before writing this post, but this small room has LOTS of doors-5 in total!  The one between the laundry and my workspace is to the library.

Next to the entrance to the library is a wall mounted hidden ironing board, which is convenient to the laundry room.

The long countertop and cabinets make up my office/workspace.

As you can see, I often have helpers…

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season!  Any New Year’s resolutions you’d like to share???

* designed by freepik.com

I understand some of the country is having extremely cold weather.  But here in Phoenix, we are experiencing ideal fall temperatures.  The air conditioners are officially off and windows are open.  It’s time to remove the outdoor furniture covers and spend time outside for the next several months.

One of the entertaining spaces at Bella Terra is the back terrace. This was added during our extensive historical renovation, replacing a small landing and steps down to the pool.

Connected to the new kitchen addition, the back terrace can be accessed from the interior of the house through the kitchen, library and family room.  It’s the perfect place for entertaining under cover.

The area is split into two functions.  There is seating around the fireplace.  All upholstery is Sunbrella fabric. The furniture was purchased several years ago from Crate and Barrel.  We cover the furniture during the summer months and it has held up nicely over time.

The outdoor rugs are a relatively new purchase from the Rug Studio.  These indoor/outdoor rugs are so affordable and can be cleaned with a garden hose. I love the pop of color and whimsy they add to the space.

The other half of the terrace is home to a large table with 10 chairs.  The BBQ and sink is nearby.

The back terrace overlooks the pool.   Space heaters were added to the ceiling and are used frequently during the winter months.

The repeating arches is an abundant architectural feature of our 1910 historical home.

I gathered some flower clippings from the yard and used my favorite faux bois outdoor containers from the Painted Fox.

Of course, what is a photo shoot without my faithful companions.Sox is curled up on a chair below and Cooper, our Anatolian shepherd is in a few of the photos above.

I hope you are enjoying the cooler temperatures and I look forward to the start of our entertaining season!

I’ve had a few requests to share pictures of the guest cottage interior.

To read about the restoration of the guest cottage, you can visit my Terra Tour section of this website or click here for the Guest Cottage overview.

The guest cottage sits on the secluded and quiet northwest corner of our property.

The guest cottage is approximately 576 square feet. Below is the living room done in neutral tones with soft blue accents.

The peonies are from The Enchanted Home.  Sofa, loveseat and side chair are all upholstered in Sumbrella fabric.

The coffee table was a $35 find at a 2nd hand store. All the accent pillows are from Pottery Barn.

The bedroom headboard is from an 1897 Victorian house I owned in Alameda, California.  The previous owner left it in one of the bedrooms and it has moved with me ever since.  Lampshades and pillowcases are from Pottery Barn.  The matelasse coverlet and sheets are from J.C. Penney.

The full bathroom has a stackable washer/dryer and plenty of storage. The mirror over the sink is from an old dresser and the wall lamps were added to the frame.

The kitchen is fully equipped with a gas stove, refrigerator, dishes, pots and pans and silverware.

The journey to the guest cottage is a bit magical as the walkway is through an arch of vines. Not only do our guests enjoy their privacy, but we do as well.

I hope you’ve enjoyed peeking into the guest cottage!

The well tower is a unique fixture on our property. Originally designed to pump and house the equipment for the well, it was in a deteriorated state when we purchased our property back in 1999. But over time we did restore it and it serves multiple purposes now in 2021. It becomes a topic of conversation because the first floor is the potting shed, which is pertinent to my fall gardening.

I found some original pictures of our well tower during a recent cleaning and organizing spree.  The well tower was built to do just that~~using a pulley system to draw water up from the well back in 1912, long before there was city-wide water availability.

When we bought our home in 1999, the well tower was dilapidated and quite the eyesore. When I look back on these early photos, I am always astounded about its poor and decayed condition.

The building has been restored and with the permission of the City of Phoenix’s Historical department, we were able to put in 2 additional floors and adjust the architecture to allow for a viewing area at the top. These are connected by way of two circular staircases. I added the fireman pole at the back of the 2nd floor as an alternative escape method.  A new well was added and provides all the water for our 2+acres.

The first floor functions as my potting shed, where I store my garden tools, seeds, soil, and pots. 

This great old double porcelain sink is actually from the original house kitchen and is being repurposed in the well tower.

A large tub is installed at counter height as a convenient way to wash the dogs.  We used leftover Waterworks tile for the countertop.

My favorite go-to place is Whitfill Nursery for my flowers, vegetables and herbs.  I plan to return for more flowers as they were getting a larger selection in a week. 

But I have good start on kale, lettuces, broccoli, cauliflower, a variety of tomatoes, and many herbs. Happily, these new plants are sitting in our own homemade composted soil. For more information on Whitfill Nursery, click here.

I’ve neglected my flower garden last year, but am hoping to abundantly plant so I have cutting flowers available. The flower garden is located next to the vegetable garden.  Here’s a picture of it 2 years ago when it was full of flowers and colors.  I’m hoping to achieve that again.

Here’s a glimpse of my first group of flowers purchased from my favorite nursery!

As soon as the flower garden is fully planted, I will snap some photos for you.

Happy Fall and happy planting!

A year ago today, I sent my first blog post of Life at Bella Terra.  It was an intimidating moment, because I thought “who would ever want to read this?”  I don’t consider myself a very good writer and I’m really trying to improve upon that.  But your words of encouragement have brought me back to the computer to post again and again.  If it wasn’t for your kindness and support, it would have been easy to just quit.  Thank you for your loyalty and feedback and comments. Truly. From the bottom of my heart.

Each time I send out an email letting you know I’ve created a new post, I am praying you find it interesting, enlightening or even motivating.  I try to share a small piece of loveliness in hopes that I can brighten your day. As I look out into the world, I believe we each need to find sources of joy and create our own beauty.  Whether it be feeling the warmth from a freshly picked tomato, or the scent of a homegrown flower, these moments of perfection can only help feed the soul.

Blogging for me, is a chance to stop and capture a sliver of time, an exquisite photo or a recipe that bursts with flavor. Plus it is forcing me to attack those cluttered corners of the house or undone projects while showing you my progress. But I can honestly say, I am still a long way from feeling confident about creatively illustrating that to you. But I will keep trying.

So here is a look back at the year and some of my favorite photos and posts.

My very first blog post was about the New York Times Bestselling author, Rhys Bowen and the fundraising English tea we had here at Bella Terra.

And other events we happily hosted here…..

Recipes shared…..

My Renovations and Restorations….

Travel and leisure…..

Decorating and Design…

The holidays….

Cleaning, Organizing, and Updating…

Sharing our home and yard….

My attempt at art….

Flower arranging..

Our pets…

And a few DIYs….

My online store….

There is still so much to learn, especially better photography, writing and getting my watermarks the same size on every photo.  So thank you again for following me and sharing my blog with others.

PLEASE send in your comments~~What area of interest would you like for me to expand? What are your favorite topics? How often should I post (trying to do a maximum of twice per week)? What can I do to be better for you?  My goals for the next year are to do a contest or giveaway and conduct a real survey into your likes and interests.

Here’s to one year and onto the next!! I couldn’t have done it without you.

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