Home is What You Make it: The House Update

Our home: La Torre, was built in 1901 by a wealthy fish merchant as multi floor flats to rent to fishermen in the the booming port village of Sitges, Spain. The original, protective town wall encircled and focused its power to the cliffs and Mediterranean Sea (less than a few hundred feet away) and still has remaining parts of it adjacent to us. At the Seaside is the King's Palace and the incredible Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla Cathedral. The palace, Palau Marciel, and neighboring historic buildings are now museums and form the Paseo that is the exquisite, must-see-most-Instagramable spots in Sitges. This preserved area, Casc Antic, is the oldest part of the Old Town, and the oldest part of that old part is Calle d'en Bosc that dates back to the early 1400s. THAT is where we live. 

In the 1970s La Torre was renovated to be a single family home and while it has had updates, the eccentric mix of styles over more than a century is obvious. The exterior blends perfectly with the stone walls of the rest of the ancient road, but as it climbs into the sky, you can see the formations shift to reflect the traditional windows and shadow balcony popular at the turn of the 20th century. Inside, the irregular shaped rooms and central column staircase reflect the past as well. The bottom floor is an entry and large bedroom with full ensuite, we are using it as an office currently. Up the tiled stairs to the 1st floor you find 2 very strangely shaped bedrooms and 2 seperate full bathrooms. This floor is probably the easiest to imagine as fishermen flats a very very long time ago. Up another flight and we have our living spaces: living room with fireplace, small balcony with French doors, and large kitchen. Modern amenities in the kitchen include a dishwasher, and semi up to date appliances. It is bright and sunny with an open concept rarely found in Spain and one of the reasons I simply had to have this rental. Up the stairs to the final floor you find a glorious rooftop terrace and a utility shed that houses a mini refrigerator and clothes washer. I mention the mini fridge specifically because this terrace is absolutely where you want to be at all times and you simply must have chilled white wine waiting for you. 

Things I absolutely LOVE about this place are many, and some often surprise me. Having grown up with my dad owning a construction business specializing in custom homes, I rely on a room being square (as in proper angles to ensure walls don't lean, not that the room has to be a square in shape). I grew up that if a room isn't "square", there is a major problem with the construction. Not one single room in this house is "square", or a shape you could name. Even the kitchen was pieced into a space in a way that doesn't quite make sense. It opens wide and funnels in toward the sink at the far end reminding me of the haul of a boat, a hint at the history of the house that I can't help but love. This narrowing also allows for a natural focal point being the incredible view out the big windows over the sink that gaze out at red tiled roofs on ancient buildings and just on the other side, the top of the cathedral with its peaceful bell that tolls on the hour. I love the antique chandelier and the exposed wood rafters in the living room. I love that flinging open the heavy windows and shutters gives you a fat stone perch to sit on and watch the festivities below when Sitges turns on its charm for one of its many, many fiestas. I love the cobblestone streets I walk to get home, I love the orangey glow of the city lights as you watch the sunset from the terrace. I love the giddy feeling everytime I open the heavy front door and step inside, and I am surprised to love hanging my laundry on the line for the hot breeze to dry. And... I admit I love that they retrofitted the house to have AC on each floor. 

So that was all the basic info about the house, but what have we done to make it ours? Well, it has come slowly. We are poorer now than we have been in a very long time, since we first opened the winery tasting room 23 years ago actually. Thankfully wine is cheap, food is fresh and plentiful and we don't need much to make Spain feel like heaven on earth. The other thing that has helped our adjustment is that the family that is renting La Torre to us, has done so with such love and trust. Upon meeting La Señora, she took a keen interest in how we reacted to each element in the house. She relished that we noticed small quirky things, asked about the history, and squealed with delight around every corner. Having passed the not so hidden foreigners moving to the area test, we were invited to rent long term from her. It felt as special then as we have learned it really is to have found this rare gem of a place. Making the place feel like us will take time, but it instantly felt like home because of this.

The entire house had been half decorated with antiques with modern inserts layered on top and due to the configuration of the house and stairs, those items are here to stay... forever. I hate the sofa, it has clearly been around for decades and likes to have the cushions slide forward when you sit on them. I fantasize about cutting it up into pieces with a chainsaw and throwing it out one of the big windows. I'm pretty sure La Señora would thank me for it. We did get a sofa cover, cranberry red velvet, that helped the look of it and have supplemental throw pillows, in varying shades of green velvet, but it is still not very comfortable. I took down all the paintings of country scenes that had some charm in making it feel like we lived in a castle, but simply were not our style and made it feel like we were only here for a short stay, not a long term lease. Our walls are still a bit stark, but slowly they are coming to be filled with black and white vintage photography and modern scenes of Sitges made by a local artist that we've fallen in love with. 

Bedrooms got mattress toppers and new sheets immediately; fun florals with a modern vibe. Bedside lamp shades have been swapped out and the same combo of art upstairs is hanging in our bedrooms. Little things like shelving for the bathroom, towels, and electronics aren't really exciting, but obviously necessary. And who am I kidding? I was tickled pink placing the wood stackable shelves in the bathroom! I had measured it to perfection so that when I put it together, it slide into the closet and was exactly what the space needed. Also the towels were a little exciting too... I had to order new towels because I listened to a boy about buying the first round, which sucked as much as I thought they might, and later had to order the ones I wanted in the first place. Of course this is after said boy complained about how much he hated the towels for over a month. The new towels are really great. We talk about them a lot LOL!

The biggest impact has been the rooftop terrace. Jesse has turned the place into an Eden with a lemon tree, cherry tree, lime tree and tons of planters filled with succulents and flowering bushes. My amazing mom made sure we had a table and chairs and a giant umbrella (thank you mom! Those housewarming gifts really made it a home!) and I put up a string of tea lights for the perfect evening vibe. Living in a city, much less Spain, having an outdoor space is pure gold and we are hyper aware of just how lucky we are. Also our new friends, a collection of locals and expats from various countries, tell us on repeat. 

Our home is a 2 minute walk down hill to San Sebastian Beach, or a 5 minute walk up over the crest of the cobblestone street lined cliff, next to the church, and down to the main line up of Sitges beaches. The incredible, and famous, Promenade stretches out from the base of the church staircase, along the beaches and in front of the many shops and cafes beckoning you to stroll there nearly daily. The charming alley down hill takes you to a restaurant/ bar with window service so people are always collected in the shade of the white buildings sipping fabulous local wines or a glass of beer. Just past that, across the 5 way intersection of twisting streets, is our favorite little market selling some of the most gorgeous fruit you've ever seen. Across from the little grocer is a carniceria showcasing Iberico in the windows, it is all so picture perfect it almost seems unreal. Jesse's casteller group practices right next door to us in the very special space of Palau Rei Moro, there is a wine shop next door the other direction, and past the coffee shop at the end of the road is the Town Hall meaning every single important event is only a few steps away, and yet the street is quiet and peaceful.

The most interesting updates to our home have happened to us internally, but are represented by small things around us. Our Carnival masks sit in the glass case of the antique armour, our bedazzled merman statue sits next to the TV delightfully reminding of how in Sitges every single day is a celebration, Film Festival fan items are scattered around the house, and a gigantic poster of the Roussillon wine region (a gift from my recent media trip to the area) hangs in our kitchen reminding us that Catalonia is so much more than an area in Spain. And the most important updates we have had are due to the unbelievable love we have been enfolded with by the locals. I could not have dreamt up this reality, this place, this home, this feeling, but it is remarkable. Often we simply look at each other and marvel that we live here, that we are so luck as to call this home.