Tuscan Design: Before-After

Tuscan Design

The main colors used in Tuscan decorating are  earthy tones like terracotta, olive green, deep browns as well as blues and gold for bright sunny days under clear skies and the rich farm lands.  Tuscan style is the use of natural colors in the basic decorating schemes.  They are much more bold in their ceramic pieces.  In Tuscany, the kitchen is one of the most important parts of the home.   I think that's true with any Italian family home.  When visiting with Italian relatives or friends, we'd eat, drink and talk around the dining table for hours into the wee hours of the morning.  Everyone enjoys the ambiance of friends, family, some music and food. There's always plenty of everything to go around!

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One can find wooden tables of all sizes and shapes, or the traditional country chairs with the woven straw eats, or the cabinets used to store tableware or collections of porcelain, iron headboards for beds continue to be produced, as are stone and iron tables, or iron chairs with soft cushions covered with natural fabrics. The floor material that is most used are terracotta tiles. 


Above right is a very large wrought iron decorative grape cluster I saw on the Tuscan winery we toured.

I'm featuring these villas and room makeovers because at first site, they don't look that in need of a makeover.  However, once they've been transformed, it's truly amazing how rich and beautiful they appear. The Designer is quite the Euro inspired artist...Linda Applewhite

 More modern kitchen styling that we Americans love. However, true Italian kitchens are more rustic or simplistic looking.

 Kitchen before and after             Bedroom before and after (also on magazine cover below)

 Exterior areas

See this Tuscan inspired cucina and villa on another post here

                  House and Garden Thailand Magazine named it the best house of the year

A favorite makeover--a former winery in San Jose, now a private villa.