How To Bring Tuscany Home

How To Bring Tuscany Home

Ciao!

One of the biggest questions that we get from our visitors is,

“How can I bring a bit of Tuscany into my home?”

Perhaps you are wondering the same thing! The great thing about Tuscan decorating is that you don’t have to take on a complete home design project in one big chunk. I recommend that you start small and build out… Start from the basics… Learn a little about the history of Tuscan design—discover where colors derive from—as well as how original materials are used in Italian architecture. This way you’ll have a clear idea of what effect you’ll want to create in your own home, because you’ll understand the design history and building processes of Tuscany farmhouses.

Tuscan design is inspired from the natural elements of Tuscany.

a. Stone
b. Water
c. Light
d. Earth
e. Wood

So, with this in mind, you’re going to realize more and more as you are (re)designing your space, that the key to Tuscan design is to continue to revisit the natural elements and incorporate them into each part of your design project—

Your Colors: Your color palette certainly comes from the natural elements of Tuscany. You’re going to find the rust reds, terracotta, warm yellows, muted gold, ochre, olive green, sage… more warm cream and whites… and even some azure blue—water… The Mediterranean Sea!

Your Flooring: Do you want to go with hardwood? What kind? Chestnut, oak or pine? How about tile? Terracotta? Ceramic porcelain? Brick?

Your Furniture: Tuscan furniture typically is made of hard wood… Large wooden farmhouse tables and chairs… Multiple free standing furniture pieces that are mismatched in the space… Often used as storage areas.

Your Lighting: How can you create a space that enables natural light to shine through, and illuminate off the walls, in the daytime? What are the proper hues that you can use to get that sunny, warm and inviting look and feel in a smaller room? Your light fixtures… Ornate, scrolled wrought iron is common in a Tuscan home. Think metal. Nothing shiny… Go for tarnished.

Your Wall Treatments: Tuscan farmhouses are known for having aged walls. In the 1960’s, farmers moved out of the homes on the Tuscany hillsides, to relocate to cities where they could find more work to support their families. The Tuscan farmhouses were pretty much left abandoned—neglected. Over time the walls (which were commonly made of large stones and bricks, and grouted with lime, stone and water) broke down. Today, when we restore farmhouses in Italy, it’s an incredible process. We have options. We can opt to keep the aged effect in the homes, while building it up to be structurally sound.

In our homes outside of Italy, the U.S. and beyond, we choose to incorporate this look of crumbled, aged Tuscan walls in our spaces by adding texture to come as close as we can to recreating the ambiance of Tuscany in our abodes. We use techniques to weather the surfaces, and create some texture to stay true to its original look.
And how about the paint color on your walls? Like all the other areas of your design project, Tuscan paint colors reflect those natural pigments.

To create a dramatic effect in your space, start with color. Create an ambiance of Tuscany in your home by painting some color on your walls. When you are choosing your color palette, you can’t go wrong when you consider the sun-drenched colors and muted tones that make the Tuscany countryside so breathtaking.

Keep a look out for my next post, I’ll teach you how to get started quick and simple with your Tuscan design project! Oh, how your friends will envy you!!

To your decorating success,

signature

Patrice Walker

Close