Kevan and Maureen have created the most amazing farmhouse accommodation at La Balconata, their beautiful stone house in Granaiola. I saw the house before the renovation and what they have achieved is nothing short of miraculous.
From a crumbling stone building has emerged a delightfully rustic home in the best sense of the word. Furniture and cupboards have been lovingly created from old timber and found objects. Ancient tiles were retrieved, cleaned and laid by hand in great style. Curtains and soft furnishing have been created by Maureen and her beautiful sculptures are dotted throughout the rooms along with Kevan’s creative photography.
Here is the living room and reading rooms.
The bedrooms, 2 doubles and a twin.
The upstairs hallway.
The bathrooms…I love the colours and the little touches. Maureen made the bowls and soap dishes.
The kitchen. Kevan made all the cupboards and benches.
The museum wall in the kitchen.
Look at this amazing door that Kevan built.
The old floor tiles and the new ones Maureen made for the entrance.
Maureen’s sculptures…there are lots more in her own house, but that will be the subject of another post.
…and then there is the view and the garden.
…and the table set for lunch.
It would be difficult to find a more relaxing and peaceful way to spend time in our little part of Tuscany. Kevan and Maureen want their guests to feel at home and enjoy the beautiful space they have created.
Go to www.labalconata.com for more information.
Bella Bagni di Lucca 
This place looks absolutely amazing. I’m going to start following your blog. Please post more pictures soon!! Have a safe trip!!
Thank you for following my blog, there is another, Bagni di Lucca and Beyond. I post regularly.
Debra, I absolutely love it. I always appreciate hand made creations and these 2 people excel at that. Your photos are stunning.
It is an amazing house. I love all the details.
This is indeed a very special house and full marks go to Maureen and Kevan for making it so special
There has been a lot of hard work and dedication put into this house.
What a beautiful home!! Every room a work of art. Congratulations to Kevan and Maureen in creating such a wonderful place and garden, stamped with their personal touches. I would imagine happy visitors turning up at their front door. Gorgeous photos as usual, Debra. Where exactly is Granaiola?
Granaiola is the village above Ponte a Serraglio. You can see it when you stand on the bridge and look up.
Absolutely love the look of this place as they have similar taste to me! I wonder if could you stay there without a car?
You could stay there without a car. There are a couple of buses down the mountain every day and you could walk if you were fit. If you wanted to explore the area a car would be an advantage.
A lovely place, and love the garden and bread too.
There are som many delights to be discovered all over the house and the garden.
What an exceptional place. It’s always extra special when you can see the ‘before’ as well as the after.
There has been an incredible amount of work to get this house to this stage.
Well it looks very much worth the effort. I hope they do really well!
There are little treasures all over the house.
This home has been a true work of love. I knew the before and can’t wait to see the finished product with all of the beautiful, little touches. We have a home just a bit more up the mountain. Granaiola is the town before reaching Pieve and Monti di Villa, above Bagni di Lucca. There is always taxi service when the need to leave strikes. There is also a bus that goes up and down to Bagni di Lucca once or twice a day. That said, I could easily imagine staying at Kevan and Maureen’s for a week or two as a get away retreat without having to leave the mountain, especially since a fabulous family restaurant, Il Biribisso, is right there.
It would certainly be a great place to just sit and relax and enjoy the setting.
It is always nice when someone takes a building and restores it with love. You can see that they are indeed talented.
I think they have done a wonderful job on the house…so much attention to detail.
che bellezza!!!
Very beautiful indeed.
Full marks for a lovely job. Close proximity to the restaurant should help Maureen and Kevan, (and similarly Il Biribisso) too!
It is great that there is such a good restaurant in Granaiola.
A beautiful renovation!
They have done a fabulous job on the house, I wish them every success.
What a wonderful place. Would love to stay at a place like that.
Just exploring the garden would keep you busy for days.
Wonderful reading about Kevan and Maureen´s magical place which reflects plenty of great handcraft and history from the surroundings accompanied by local genuine cooking.
They have done an incredible job with their house.
Just woke up in la balconata for the 1st of 9 days in this stunning house 😃
I hope you have a great holiday in Granaiola.
I’m sure we will Debra perhaps we could me meet up for a glass of vino
I am at Il Monaco in Ponte a Serraglio for coffee most mornings and sometimes at Bar Italia for aperitivo in the evenings.
We had an amazing holiday here it is a wonderful place to visit. If you love home made bread each morning then your love it here.
I’m pleased you enjoyed your stay.
We are a group of 4 and have sent an inquiry re: renting this place in May. Kevan just responded with a quote. What is the reference to the fresh baked bread in the blog here? I didn’t think food was provided? This place looks spectacular.
Kevin and Maureen are friends and I was invited for lunch. Food would not be provided but I’m sure you will love La Balconata. The views are spectacular and the setting is lovely. Granaiola is a lovely village. It has a good restaurant. I hope you have a great stay.