Belgium.....Beer, Chocolate and Tiles!

Unfortunately, we weren't having much luck in Burgundy finding some tiles to use in the kitchen backsplash, so we decided that we would try and continue our search once we got back to the states via the internet.  We decided to make a quick trip to Belgium before heading to Paris and flying home.  I must say the Belgian countryside is absolutely beautiful this time of year and we stumbled across some amazing little towns!

We had plenty of delicious Belgian beer, waffles and chocolate and had completely forgotten about finding tiles.  In Leuven we came across a small antique shop and as soon as we walked in the door there was an old box of tiles sitting on the floor!  We looked around the shop and he had some great items and a ton more tiles.  Mainly Delft style, which is beautiful, but we were really drawn to the old box of tiles at the front.  We picked through them and found the ones we liked and they even threw in a couple for free!  I can't wait to see them behind our range!  I've done quite a bit of research on them and they date back to 1781 and came from the town of Liege in Belgium.  Ironically, we were trying to find tiles from Burgundy to go behind our stove from Burgundy and we ended up with tiles from Liege which was largely destroyed buy Burgundy in 1468.  Burgundy range + Tiles from Liege = International Peace!

Les "Pianos Gastronomes"

Since we love to cook so much, we decided that we wanted a French range in the house.  Not only are they beautiful, but they are amazing pianos.  French chefs refer to their cooking ranges as "pianos".  So, we set out to research all the different ranges.  The one that most people are familiar with is likely Le Cornue.  While we loved the french version of the Le Cornue, we weren't crazy about the U.S. version for various reasons that we won't rant about!  We discovered another french range named LaCanche.  We're pretty much sold on it, but to seal the deal, decided to take a trip to LaCanche, France and tour the factory....plus we're always looking for an excuse to go to Europe!

The Burgundy region of France is absolutely beautiful and Blandine at LaCanche couldn't have been more friendly.  She gave us a wonderful tour of the showroom and factory, color samples to take home, and an apron to cook our first meal on our very one LaCanche!  She also recommended an amazing place for lunch in the next town!  She followed up with us later that day to recommend some great parks to take Carter to and also gave us the name of another LaCanche owner in the area who has been very helpful in finding us some tiles from the region!  We want to find some tiles from the area to use in the backsplash behind the range.

We will keep you posted as we order our very own "piano gastronomes" and it's journey from La Canche, France to our home!  Please visit their website to learn more about this amazing piano made entirely by hand!

http://www.frenchranges.com
http://www.lacanche.com/index_en.php

Breaking Ground!

We officially broke ground today!!!  We've been delayed quite a bit due to rain, but the skies have finally cleared and allowed work to progress.  Unfortunately it happens to be the same day that we are hopping on a plane to France, but I was able to get our builder to send me some pics!  You're probably wondering what all the fences are for?!?!?  Well....they are to protect the trees throughout the build!  Since we went through all the trouble to design around them, we definitely don't want to kill them in the build process!

Our Windows Have Arrived!

I drove to Round Top today to pick up the windows we bought from Carlos in Belgium!  The Belgian antique exporter that transported them to Texas told me which market to meet him at to pick them up.  This just happens to be one of 2 market weeks that take place in Round Top every year, so it is absolutely madness!  I asked him how I would find him at the market because there are a ton of different booths.....he said, just ask for Bart!  Really?!?!?  Well, that's what I did!  I was wondering around from booth to booth asking for Bart and sure enough, he is well known, and everyone pointed me in the right direction!  He is such a great guy and I was tempted to buy a few other things from his booth.  But....I made myself focus and stay on track!

The window frames came from an orangery on the grounds of a ruined castle in Belgium right on the French border.  They are cast iron and weigh about 250 lbs each!  I purchased 6 of them and we'll add new glass to them once they are installed.

Bart found 2 guys to help load them in my truck and as they were loading them, I made the comment that I had been looking for them forever and they are so beautiful!  One of the guys said to me....."well, I guess I have absolutely no design sense, because I would never pay money for these.  Someone would have to pay me to take them!"  Hilarious!!!  I guess beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder!  I can't wait to see them installed in the house!

Aside from this, we are making slow progress.  They broke ground, but due to quite a bit of rain and other jobs, they haven't been able to complete the grading of the lot.  Must have patience.......