Thursday, February 26, 2009

Decorate A Home With A Tuscany Theme

Create the look of Tuscany with warm tones and natural materials.


Tuscan-themed decor is centered on rustic elegance. Warm colors and natural elements are used to recreate the Old World charm of the sprawling Italian countryside. This style incorporates wrought iron, terracotta and natural wood pieces, coupled with fabrics and wall colors that evoke the feeling of being in nature. This style is warm, welcoming, family friendly and functional. Before decorating, think about the materials you will need to incorporate into different rooms of your home to successfully create a Tuscan-themed decor. Does this Spark an idea?


Instructions


1. Choose paint colors for your Tuscan-themed home. The walls serve as the canvas for the rest of the room, so you'll want to pick colors that will call to mind the feeling of being in the Tuscan countryside. Warm, earthy hues, such as terracotta red, sunny yellow, olive green, and burnt orange are ideal choices for this design style. If you'd prefer more neutral walls, stay away from stark white and instead opt for ecru or beige.


2. Incorporate natural architectural elements into your home to give it a hand-crafted look. Frame walls and ceilings with wide-planked, natural wood timber. Apply stucco to the walls before painting them to give them a textured look. Use terracotta, hand-painted tiles, or travertine tiles for the backsplash, floors or countertops in a bathroom or kitchen.


3. Furnish the rooms with worn pieces made of natural materials. Gently tap pine furniture with a hammer to give it a distressed look. Use a reclaimed wooden barn door as a coffee table. A glass-topped dining table set upon a wrought-iron frame works well in a kitchen or dining room. In a bedroom, frame the bed with a wrought iron or carved wood headboard. Choose mismatched pieces to give your home a worn in and welcoming look.


4. Accessorize with natural elements. Place wicker baskets on the walls and on top of the cabinets in a kitchen. Provide lighting with amber glass sconces and wrought iron lamps and chandeliers. Display terracotta pots and copper canisters on countertops and wall shelves. Cover windows with jute or linen draperies. Add warmth to tile or wood floors with woven rugs. Frame paintings of the Tuscan landscape in large wooden frames and hang them on a focal wall.

Tags: wrought iron, your home, colors that, feeling being, natural elements, natural materials, natural wood