Tuscany includes beautiful cities like Florence as well as pastoral vistas.
The region of Tuscany, Italy, encompasses more than the rural region commonly associated with Tuscany. Located along the coastline northwest of Rome between the Apennine Mountains and the Tyrrhenian Sea, Tuscany includes the cities of Florence, Sienna, Pisa and numerous others. If you embrace the entire Tuscan region for design inspiration, you can expand your definition of Tuscan styles beyond the rural countryside. Does this Spark an idea?
Architectural Renaissance
Repeat arched shapes for elements of Tuscan style.
The cities of Florence, Pisa and Sienna embody the architecture of the Renaissance. Base your Tuscan style on architectural details such as arched windows, doorways and colonnades, along with the repetition of shapes. You can incorporate the classic stone and brick architecture of Tuscany into a room renovation, an outdoor space, a painted wall mural or a stone surface treatment. Consider the concepts of arches and repetition for use in arched window cornices complemented by furniture pieces with arched elements.
Countryside Chic Outdoors
A topiary can mimic the shape of these Tuscan cedar trees.
Whether in the city or countryside, Tuscany has stone retaining walls, tall straight cedars and climbing vines. Bring these elements into your outdoor living space for Tuscan outdoor chic. Don't forget to add fruit trees, hedges and wrought-iron pieces. You can surround your garden with wrought-iron fencing or use a wrought-iron arbor and tall gates to complement stone construction. For a focal point, consider a stone fountain or a wrought-iron cupola perched on top of stone columns.
Artistic Inspiration
Paint into wet plaster for frescoed walls.
Many of the great artists of the Renaissance came from Tuscany. In the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the work of Italian masters such as Botticelli, Michelangelo or Lorenzo Ghiberti can inspire a fresh direction in a Tuscan-style room. Both Botticelli and Michelangelo worked in fresco, and the idea of painting in wet plaster would adapt well for a living room accent wall, a panel in a den or to restore an old plaster wall in a vintage home. Lorenzo Ghiberti made stained glass windows, and you can bring the colors of the Tyrrhenian Sea into your home by hanging a stained glass panel in shades of blue and green.
Tastes of Tuscany
Spice up your kitchen decor with inspiration from Tuscan cuisine.
Use the tastes of Tuscan cuisine to design a kitchen that satiates the senses like a hearty country dinner. Enjoy your meal with family and friends around a solid rustic table surrounded by chairs painted the color of baked red peppers. Grab a pot from a wrought-iron pot rack and serve braised rabbit on brightly colored majolica dinnerware painted with fruit motifs. Prepare the meal on a counter top the color of crispy bread crust, and serve coffee in toasted-cheese colored mugs. Season your kitchen with a sprinkling of spinach green accent pieces.
Tags: Botticelli Michelangelo, cities Florence, into your, Lorenzo Ghiberti, stained glass, Tuscan cuisine, Tuscan style
