Exposed brick denotes traditional Tuscan style.
Texas-Tuscan style draws from the old-world look of Italian vineyards, villas and farmhouses but adds the drama and scale for which the state of Texas is known. Decorating in this hybrid aesthetic does not have to involve renovating your entire home. Instead, use samples of favorite features in the rustic design tradition and combine them with a bold, earthy aesthetic. Texas-Tuscan decor blends well with primitive, western, lodge, bohemian modern, farmhouse, southwestern, Mexican hacienda and country decorating schemes. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Set the tone with large-scale architectural elements. For a full Texas-Tuscan redesign, consider a colonnade or iron gate at the entry and columns and arches surrounding the front door or interior doors. Patios, courtyards and garden architecture blend indoor and outdoor spaces.
2. Keep natural materials unpolished and unpainted for an earthy look. A stone wall, exposed brick, wooden wall posts or ceiling beams looks more old-world Tuscan with a natural finish. Hardwood floors or terracotta tile treatments lend rooms warmth and texture. Subtly brighten surfaces without smoothing over their rough textures with a thin coat of milk paint in cream, pale yellow, stone gray or a faded earth tone.
3. Integrate bits of shine and glam for a Texas accent. Bottle green or cobalt glass tile, wall murals of landscape scenes or fresco-like faux finishes on interior walls add a touch of showmanship to a traditional Tuscan interior.
4. Invest in focal-point furnishings on a large scale. In the kitchen or dining area, a large wooden table in dark or weathered gray wood defines the space. A mosaic mural on a coffee table and a bookshelf with wrought-iron supports would give your living room artisan touches. Go rococo in the bedroom with a four-poster or canopy bed.
5. Accessorize with prominent pieces and natural elements. Continue the theme of blending indoors and outdoors by framing windows and doors with hanging plants, window boxes or vases filled with wildflowers. Large woolen rugs in reds, browns, oranges and deep blues bridge the palettes of the traditional west and Tuscany. Large oil paintings of the Italian landscape or still lifes of olives, fruits and flowers can serve as focal points.
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