Clearing the Air

One really easy way to make a house seem bigger and more open is to let fresh air in. “Cambiare l’aria in casa,” literally: changing out the house’s air, is a daily ritual in Italy. Ladies fling open their shutters, pull the linens off the bed, smack the pillows together outside the window (no screens makes this easier – see picture above) with gusto, as if to say to their neighbors, “No must in my house! Not on my watch!” It’s almost like an air transfusion – all the stale air must go, only clean air can be let in.There are entire discussions devoted to how long to air / when / what do in winter. Serious business. Italy’s fairly temperate climate helps, I’m sure, but I’d say the cool American air only make the process faster 🙂  My husband and I are house hunting these days, so we’ve been to a ton of open houses, and you can just tell when a house’s air has been woefully neglected. It weighs it down, and makes it seem smaller. So switch out the air in your home and feel it expand.

Emilia

Photo used under a CC license.