We spent a small fortune on the cast iron metalwork, and it was worth every cent. I was a little worried about these elements... It was hard to imagine what they would look like installed. We spent a lot of money, and I was scared that I would be disappointed, but it came out better then I could have hoped! Long time readers of this blog may remember when when we found the foundry that could cast these pieces (see here and here). They really did fantastic work, and it's also nice to have a local story to tell!
The flooring in the bar area is paved in traditional hydraulic tiles, locally produced using the traditional method. The checkered tiles are identical to the tiles that had been used in the kitchen of the original house. We had wanted to keep the old tiles, but it was not possible to pull them up without breaking them, and the floor had to be remade. Fortunately, there is a manufacturer that still produces them called Azulima. They do fantastic work, but don't call them if you are on a tight schedule.
In the lower area (and on the mezinine level) the floor is made from reclaimed french oak:
We also got the kitchen equipment delivered. Most of this stuff will be virtually invisible to the clients, but having it designed right will insure that the we can serve at a high level of quality and efficiency. I hope we got it right, it's our first time designing a bar/kitchen.
Outside, the garden is done (at least the construction phase). To those who were wondering about the peppers, that's them in pots (we put them in the ground today).
So what's left to be done? Quite a lot! We just finalized the design of the bar which will be wood with a copper top. Most of the furniture has been sorted out, but we are still sourcing a few things. Painting and decoration will also take some time. We are working to get the utilities connected so we can test the oven and finalize the menu. Then we have to stock, hire staff and work out operating procedures.
It's going to take a few months (at least) and we will be very busy, but at least now our dependence on the fantastically slow contractor is coming to a close.
