Decorating in the Tuscan Style

If you love warm sunny colors and traditional styling, you may want to look at decorating Tuscan style.

What does Tuscan decorating mean?

It means bringing the warmth and style of sunny Italy into your home.

The Tuscany region of Italy is renowned for rolling green hills, fields of bright sunflowers, grape vines and distinctive pottery designs.

Many people are attracted to the subtle elegance of this Italian country design, which uses a palette of rich earth tones to bring the outdoors inside. Utilizing the right distinctive materials and techniques brings this home decorating idea to life.

If you decide on a Tuscan decorating style for part (or all) of your home, you will want to look at having a variety of textures in your rooms. Stone or tile flooring is customary in Tuscany. Textured plaster often adorns the walls and helps create that genuine Tuscan feel. Natural brick can work too. Tables are often made of stone or even tile mosaics in rich blues, reds and yellows.

You may not want to add textured plaster to your walls, but incorporating elements that reflect the same feeling will do the trick. A mosaic tile back splash in the kitchen, or a small stone or tiled side table in the kitchen, family room or sunroom will add to that distinctive Tuscan home decor look and feel.

A natural stone or textured plaster look around your cooking area works well. The curved arch over the stove (as shown in the image above) is a distinctively old world look that works with our decorating style. The metal prep sink and oiled bronze faucets also add to that old world country look that is Tuscan style.

Any home decorating ideas that focus on nature incorporate wood and the Tuscan style is no different. For example you will often see exposed wooden support beams in the ceilings. This can be a great look for your kitchen, dining area or family room. The goal is to make it looked natural and aged in appearance.

Color and accessories play a huge role in the Tuscan decorating style and you can create quite an authentic look with a very modest budget.

The predominant colors used in Tuscan home decor are rich, warm shades of yellow, red, terra cotta and blue. Using this color scheme in draperies tie backs, back splashes and accent pieces will quickly and easily bring your room to life.

An easy way to create a uniquely Tuscan room is through the use of ceramics. Tuscan ceramics are very distinctive in their look. They are particularly beautiful in a kitchen or dining area and quickly identify the them of your room as being from that region of Italy.

Large vases, serving bowls or oil and vinegar cruets add a colorful and authentic look to your home decor. Copper pots are also heavily used in the area, so hanging your copper ware on the kitchen wall or from a traditional style pot rack really adds to your overall look. Silver candlesticks and picture frames and warm colors work in the dining room.

Another idea that quickly adds an air of authenticity to your Tuscan style kitchen is having large decorative glass jars filled with olives, red peppers and marinated vegetables. You can buy these ready made and just place them on the kitchen counter for a colorful and distinctively Tuscan style.

Terra cotta pots and vases are also prevalent in Tuscan home decor, so adding those to a kitchen, family room or sunroom is a great and inexpensive decorating idea that will evoke thoughts of Tuscany.

With a few great home decorating ideas like these you can easily bring the look of the Italian countryside to your home, even on a modest budget.