Devine Decorating Results for Your Interior

 You appreciate the simple things in life: fresh produce, cocktails and the pop of bright colors. You love having fun outdoors, from playing in the ocean to planting flowers in the garden. You have a down-to-earth elegance that puts everyone at ease.

 

And then FineLiving.com  included these great photo examples & further descriptions of the style…

If you’ve seen the movie Under the Tuscan Sun, you can probably picture a Mediterranean-style space: rustic furnishings, open windows, flowy drapes and a natural palette. Inspired by historical seaside and country homes in Italy and Spain, the casual, carefree style is popular with those who enjoy entertaining, traveling and seamless indoor-outdoor spaces.

Key ElementsThese are some classic characteristics of the style:

• Blended indoor and outdoor spaces. “It’s so comfortable most of the year that there’s no distinction between the indoor and outdoor spaces,” says Ammie Kim, an interior designer based in Beverly Hills, Calif.
• Heavy columns and beams. Large columns and hefty wooden support beams, like the ones in this kitchen designed by Chris Barrett, adorn high Mediterranean ceilings.
• Thick, textured walls. Walls are often covered in Venetian plaster or stucco to absorb the day’s heat and release it into the home on cool nights.
• Limited ornamentation. Ornamentation is typically limited to interior passageways, arches or entryways. More elaborate homes might feature intricate stone or tile work.
• Natural inspiration. The style’s rich, warm colors are drawn from the fields, sea and plant life in the region.

 

Furniture 

Mediterranean furniture is hefty and rough-hewn, with a definite Old World look. Four-poster beds with twisted wooden or wrought-iron posts, like the one in the bedroom designed by Jackie Glisson, above, are perfect for a Mediterranean bedroom. Chairs with twisted legs and feet with heavy, burnished hardware are common in living and dining spaces. Furniture is detailed but not too formal. 

Much of the furnishings reflect the warm atmosphere and community of the Mediterranean. Rough-cut dining tables are often big enough to seat eight to 12 people, since dinner guests are common. 

Because the style draws from antiquity, you’ll find many Mediterranean pieces in antique, vintage, thrift or import stores. Kim also frequents Ebanista.com, which sells lots of furnishings that fit well in Mediterranean-style space. 

ColorsMediterranean style draws its vibrant, earthy palette from natural surroundings: yellows, oranges and deep reds that mirror the sunset, shades of green to emulate the countryside and blues that reflect the color of the sea. Bright colors, like the blue cabinets in the kitchen designed by Jill Hertz, pictured above, are balanced by warm neutrals.Colorist Victoria Stuart Burke recommends a dusty-blue shade, like Sherwin Williams Cloudburst (#SW-6487), to evoke the Mediterranean style. “This would be a perfect exterior window and trim color for a stucco and earth-toned yellow villa — excellent with an antique clay-tiled roof,” she says.