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So Your Style Is: Tuscan
Bring the vitality and warmth of the Italian countryside to your home with Tuscan textures, colors and materials
Houzz Contributor. Fresh out of journalism school, I fell into decorating media and immediately discovered a new passion. An Atlanta native, I spent several years as an editor for Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine before making the leap to national publications and websites such as Houzz, Better Homes and Gardens and Southern Accents. I live in Birmingham, Alabama, with my husband and son, who’ve gotten used to coming home and finding the furniture rearranged. When I'm not dragging case goods across the floor, I enjoy good food and wine, college football, music of all kinds, and traveling.
Houzz Contributor. Fresh out of journalism school, I fell into decorating... More »
What it is: Tuscan style evokes the spirit of the Italian countryside: inky cypress trees, weathered farmhouses, vineyards backlit by amber sun. Built on rural traditions and indigenous materials, it whispers of heart, history and homeyness.
Why it works: The Tuscan approach has risen in popularity in recent years because of its unpretentious air, robust warmth and emphasis on comfort — and perhaps because of a little book called Under the Tuscan Sun. It gives us an enticing a taste of a lifestyle that few of us will ever live but all of us can dream about.
You'll love it if ... Sunflowers have captured your heart. You dragged your spouse on an Italian farm stay. You can identify every shape of pasta in the culinary canon. You never miss a Fellini film showing. You want to be Frances Mayes in your next life.
Why it works: The Tuscan approach has risen in popularity in recent years because of its unpretentious air, robust warmth and emphasis on comfort — and perhaps because of a little book called Under the Tuscan Sun. It gives us an enticing a taste of a lifestyle that few of us will ever live but all of us can dream about.
You'll love it if ... Sunflowers have captured your heart. You dragged your spouse on an Italian farm stay. You can identify every shape of pasta in the culinary canon. You never miss a Fellini film showing. You want to be Frances Mayes in your next life.
by Don Ziebell
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Style Secret: Outdoor Spaces
Having an al fresco spot to take the sun, sip a cappuccino or tend a pot of basil is an essential part of the Tuscan approach to living. If you're building a Tuscan-style home from scratch, don't neglect to include such a space in the plans. If you're retrofitting, though, remember that it doesn't have to be a lengthy loggia or magnificent portico — even a small patio out back, cloaked in stone or stucco and laden with pottery urns and creeping vines, creates the same effect.
Bella Tuscany: Water, usually in the form of a small fountain, makes a natural partner for Tuscan style. The trough along the main stone wall of this courtyard serves a similar purpose and forms a focal point amid the richly textured surfaces.
Having an al fresco spot to take the sun, sip a cappuccino or tend a pot of basil is an essential part of the Tuscan approach to living. If you're building a Tuscan-style home from scratch, don't neglect to include such a space in the plans. If you're retrofitting, though, remember that it doesn't have to be a lengthy loggia or magnificent portico — even a small patio out back, cloaked in stone or stucco and laden with pottery urns and creeping vines, creates the same effect.
Bella Tuscany: Water, usually in the form of a small fountain, makes a natural partner for Tuscan style. The trough along the main stone wall of this courtyard serves a similar purpose and forms a focal point amid the richly textured surfaces.
| Style Secret: Shuttered Windows You won't commonly find curtains or shades in a Tuscan home. Instead, install wooden shutters that you can throw wide to let natural light and breezes flood in. Leave the wood natural for a rustic look, or paint and distress it in a sun-washed shade for a bit of subtle color. If you do use draperies, stick to simple panels and be sure that you can pull them widely enough apart that they won't obscure the panes. Bella Tuscany: Add to the airy feel with simple casement-style windows that open and shut at will. Bonus points if you have a view like the one shown here, but if not, consider a trellis with climbing vines or a row of tall cypress trees to fake a rural landscape. |
| Style Secret: Balconies Technically, Romeo and Juliet were in un-Tuscan Verona when they steamed up the balcony. But this architectural element is a pitch-perfect piece of Tuscan style as well. And it's not just for the exterior — it's a lovely crowning touch in an atrium, a foyer or another space with a soaring ceiling. Bella Tuscany: Like many Mediterranean countries, Italy is noted for its use of wrought iron ornamentation. Cordon off a balcony with a decorative railing, perhaps bearing a curlicue or filigree design, to create a look that's ready for your own "Wherefore art thou?" moment. |
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| Style Secret: Textural Walls Sandstone, stucco, plaster — tactile wall treatments instantly convey the impression of a farmhouse that's stood intact on the land for centuries. Let the beauty of natural stone shine through, but stucco and plaster come alive with a little paintbrush sleight of hand. Choose several shades of a warm, neutral color, such as ochre, tan, faded apricot or cream, to layer onto the walls for visual interest. Bella Tuscany: Complement textured surfaces with equally textural — but still simple — fabrics. Natural fibers such as linen, cotton and muslin are on point. Eschew heavy layers of pattern, which can feel too formal and fussy for this look. |
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Style Secret: Handmade Pottery
Tuscany is known for its ceramics cottage industry, from dishware to enormous garden planters and sculptural vases. Opt for ceramic pieces that share a similar look and feel, and mass them in the most appropriate spot: a patio, an open shelf, a mantelpiece. In the kitchen, they look just right when they're stuffed with wooden spoons and cooking utensils; in the bedroom, use them to hold fresh wildflowers.
Bella Tuscany: Accessories such as this can give a room a Tuscan spin even if its bones are less obviously Italian. Pottery in this kitchen hutch, which has a basic, clean design, glows against the dusky green and infuses a Tuscan aura.
Tuscany is known for its ceramics cottage industry, from dishware to enormous garden planters and sculptural vases. Opt for ceramic pieces that share a similar look and feel, and mass them in the most appropriate spot: a patio, an open shelf, a mantelpiece. In the kitchen, they look just right when they're stuffed with wooden spoons and cooking utensils; in the bedroom, use them to hold fresh wildflowers.
Bella Tuscany: Accessories such as this can give a room a Tuscan spin even if its bones are less obviously Italian. Pottery in this kitchen hutch, which has a basic, clean design, glows against the dusky green and infuses a Tuscan aura.
by RTA Studio
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Style Secret: Wooden Beams
Rough-hewn wooden beams crisscross the ceilings of traditional Tuscan homes, lending not only structural support but also a graceful architectural element. Leave them unfinished to weather gradually, or stain them in a medium or dark shade that still lets the natural wood grain show through.
Bella Tuscany: The signature colors of Tuscan style amplify the warm undertones in wood and make it look doubly dramatic. The red notes in the beams and woodwork in this space pick up the orangey gold of the wall color for an unrestrained glow.
Rough-hewn wooden beams crisscross the ceilings of traditional Tuscan homes, lending not only structural support but also a graceful architectural element. Leave them unfinished to weather gradually, or stain them in a medium or dark shade that still lets the natural wood grain show through.
Bella Tuscany: The signature colors of Tuscan style amplify the warm undertones in wood and make it look doubly dramatic. The red notes in the beams and woodwork in this space pick up the orangey gold of the wall color for an unrestrained glow.
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| Style Secret: Gentle Colors The Tuscan palette draws upon land and sky: dusty green hills, brick-red earth, blue skies, golden sunlight. Choose shades of terra-cotta, tawny yellow, soft gray-green and faded blue. Colors should look as though they've faded gracefully in the hot sun; paint gains a pleasing patina and depth from a little chipping or cracking. Bella Tuscany: Earthy tones cloak this kitchen and add an irresistible layer of invitation. The terra-cotta flooring mirrors the hues of the ceiling brick so the whole space feels wrapped in coziness. |
| Style Secret: Capacious Kitchen and Dining Tables The kitchen is the heart of the home, we've all heard — but nowhere does that hold truer than in Italy. Family meals provide the pulse of household life. Even if you're a party of two or three, add a long farm-style kitchen or dining table that looks as though it can hold several generations. Bella Tuscany: Tuscan spaces tend to be uncluttered, and this one is no exception. The owners let the simple furnishings make their own quiet statement without feeling the need to overfill the space with bric-a-brac. |
Ideabook published on May 28, 2012.
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Thanks again Lisa...
Marie Meko
http://info.cooritalia.com/blog/bid/151233/Terracotta-Celing-Tiles
You have to keep in mind that terracotta was the cheapest way of making ceilings and it has wonderful thermal properties keeping rooms warm in winter and cool in summer.