My Houzz: A Limited Budget Makes Creativity Shine
Homemade pieces like a floor lamp made from an olive branch add a special touch to this labor of love in Italy
In 2015, Valentina Zampini and Andrea Favetti bought a small two-story house in the Italian village of Sarteano from Favetti’s grandmother. Although it dates from the late 1500s, they planned to “just freshen it up a little, nothing more.” Along the way, however, they got inspired and came up with lots of renovating and furnishing ideas. They started to appreciate the home’s great potential and challenged themselves to create the nest they had always dreamed of, on a budget of about $18,350 (15,000 euros). The project shows that a limited budget doesn’t have to be a barrier, but instead can serve as a push toward creative, unexpected and personalized solutions. It was also a great test of the young couple’s teamwork.
When Zampini and Favetti welcome you to their home, which they renovated and furnished a bit over budget at about $24,350 (20,000 euros), you feel as if you’re there for coffee and a chat. They smile, laugh and tease each other. The openness and liveliness with which they tell their story leaves you hanging on every word.
Every detail in their home links back to their experiences, their lives together, and the many ideas born out of their boundless energy and the strength of their relationship.
The couple’s limited budget meant that they reused many items and prudently shopped for furniture online. Favetti is an expert craftsman, so he also made a lot of it himself. He handled much of the 16-month-long renovation work as well, aided by a cheerful team of friends and colleagues: a plumber, an electrician and a tiler. They especially helped with aspects of the renovation that Favetti didn’t have the expertise to carry out himself.
Every detail in their home links back to their experiences, their lives together, and the many ideas born out of their boundless energy and the strength of their relationship.
The couple’s limited budget meant that they reused many items and prudently shopped for furniture online. Favetti is an expert craftsman, so he also made a lot of it himself. He handled much of the 16-month-long renovation work as well, aided by a cheerful team of friends and colleagues: a plumber, an electrician and a tiler. They especially helped with aspects of the renovation that Favetti didn’t have the expertise to carry out himself.
“Before” photos by Zampini and Favetti
Before. Since the ceiling beams and terra-cotta bricks had been painted, one of the most demanding tasks was to bring them back to their original condition. A fireplace took up the entire wall between the bedroom and the open space, so the beams and bricks also were blackened with years’ worth of soot.
Favetti sandblasted the bricks to bring back the original color as much as possible. The couple created partitioning walls and niches out of plasterboard to optimize the space. They used plasterboard for the shelves in the niche next to the central stove and for dividing the bedroom from the walk-in closet. They also used it for the wall that partitions the kitchen and for the bathroom walls.
Before. Since the ceiling beams and terra-cotta bricks had been painted, one of the most demanding tasks was to bring them back to their original condition. A fireplace took up the entire wall between the bedroom and the open space, so the beams and bricks also were blackened with years’ worth of soot.
Favetti sandblasted the bricks to bring back the original color as much as possible. The couple created partitioning walls and niches out of plasterboard to optimize the space. They used plasterboard for the shelves in the niche next to the central stove and for dividing the bedroom from the walk-in closet. They also used it for the wall that partitions the kitchen and for the bathroom walls.
In the first phase of the renovation, Favetti painted the side wall black. “Then one morning, he woke up and changed his mind,” Zampini says, smiling. “The black absorbed too much light. He immediately got up and got to work and created this wall, which I call his masterpiece because it lent a touch of personality and brilliance to the space.”
Favetti used water-repellent paint for the bright areas and water-based enamel for the dark ones.
Favetti used water-repellent paint for the bright areas and water-based enamel for the dark ones.
Before. Although Zampini loves to define herself as “the brains” and Favetti as “the brawn” of the project, this photo that she kindly pulled out of her renovation archives tells a different story.
There was no overarching logic to the changes in the house or which elements were bought and which were made from scratch.
“In terms of furnishings and style, we must say that it was indecision that led us to this result. We have used a lot of recovered items, and blended Shabby Chic and contemporary styles. We like many different styles, and since we failed to find one overarching style, we decided to decorate each room differently. We looked for inspiration in magazines, on our travels and on the web. Houzz was a valuable tool,” Zampini says.
The stairs next to the kitchen lead to the ground floor, which houses the bathroom and the laundry.
Kitchen: Cucine Lube
“In terms of furnishings and style, we must say that it was indecision that led us to this result. We have used a lot of recovered items, and blended Shabby Chic and contemporary styles. We like many different styles, and since we failed to find one overarching style, we decided to decorate each room differently. We looked for inspiration in magazines, on our travels and on the web. Houzz was a valuable tool,” Zampini says.
The stairs next to the kitchen lead to the ground floor, which houses the bathroom and the laundry.
Kitchen: Cucine Lube
Favetti made the holder for bottles and glasses out of an iron plate.
The chandelier is also homemade. Favetti put it together quickly on a whim. “I welded four iron tubes to form a rectangle, passed the cables through and attached the bulb holders to them,” he says.
Favetti also designed and made the kitchen stools. “I bought raw iron and wood, and shaped the structure with tube-bending equipment and a welding machine. Then I cut the wood and assembled the pieces with screws and angle brackets,” he says.
The floor throughout the house is porcelain stoneware. The pellet stove provides the heat for the entire heating system. The niche for the stove was made when the walls were torn down.
The nearly invisible door next to the stove hides a closet that doubles as a pantry.
Pellet stove: MCZ
The floor throughout the house is porcelain stoneware. The pellet stove provides the heat for the entire heating system. The niche for the stove was made when the walls were torn down.
The nearly invisible door next to the stove hides a closet that doubles as a pantry.
Pellet stove: MCZ
The bedroom and bathroom doors came from Favetti’s grandmother’s second house.
The floor lamp is another one of Favetti’s creations. He took a dried-out olive tree that soon would have become firewood and gave it new life. He polished it with sandpaper and strung lights through it.
The couple got the idea for the stripes on the bedroom wall from a bar in Ravello, on the Amalfi Coast. The stripes seemed to be a romantic fit for the headboard they had made.
The headboard and bedside tables are made of wood that also came from Favetti’s grandmother’s second house.
The headboard and bedside tables are made of wood that also came from Favetti’s grandmother’s second house.
“We chose to create this headboard because we think that we, and our story, are represented in its simplicity,” Zampini says.
Favetti dreamed of having a spacious bathroom with a large shower. The vanity is made from salvaged wood. The couple designed the lighting system in the shower to make the atmosphere even more relaxing.
Bathroom fixtures and shower: Sanlingo
How to Bring the Beauty of Reclaimed Wood to the Bath
Bathroom fixtures and shower: Sanlingo
How to Bring the Beauty of Reclaimed Wood to the Bath
Favetti cut the three mirrors out of one larger one and then applied an LED strip behind each.
The exterior of the little house is colorful and cheerful. The building overlooks the alley that leads to Sarteano’s castle and is very close to the town wall.
“In spring and summer, this must be one of the most photographed spots in the village,” says Zampini with another laugh. “Every time I leave or come back home, I find some tourists taking pictures among the pots and flowers!”
“In spring and summer, this must be one of the most photographed spots in the village,” says Zampini with another laugh. “Every time I leave or come back home, I find some tourists taking pictures among the pots and flowers!”
But this doesn’t bother them. The door to their little home with a big heart is always open.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
Who lives here: Nurse Valentina Zampini and craftsman Andrea Favetti
Location: Sarteano, Italy
Size: 624 square feet (58 square meters) over two levels