Tuscan Kitchen Decor

Historical Influences

The beauty of old world Tuscany dates back into the 15th century, when decorating styles were an eclectic mix of many southern European cultures. Mediterranean influences grew as furniture and accessories were traded between France, Italy, and Spain. Warm colors, rich tapestries, scrolled ironwork, beautiful tiles, and elegant marble were just some of the materials and textures used in the beautiful villages of the past, and they are echoed in homes throughout the world today.

Tuscan Kitchen Décor

Adding Tuscan kitchen décor to your home, invites feelings of warmth as you paint a visual picture of an era time has not forgotten. An array of colors take their inspiration from nature—reds, oranges, terra cotta, yellows, olive greens, turquoise, browns, burgundy, and ivory. Creating a kitchen like those found in Tuscany starts with color. Once you've chosen your wall and accent colors, you can move on to accessories.

Using Color

Deciding on a wall color for your kitchen is the first step.

• Find inspiration in pictures from magazines, home decorating books, and Internet sites.
• Visit open houses, or attend a decorating tour of homes for more ideas.
• Pick up color chips at your local home improvement or paint store, and tape them throughout the room. Give yourself a couple of days to decide which colors will work best.
• Consider using a paint glaze or a faux finish to add warmth and texture to your primary color.

Cabinets

Once you've decided on a wall color, you may want to tackle the job of painting your kitchen cabinets. If you already have wood cabinets, then consider leaving them as they are, but maybe changing their hardware. For cabinets that need a new look, however, choose a contrasting color, that will create more warmth. For example, if you used a yellow on your walls, consider using a tomato red on the cabinets. If you selected an olive green, then use a terra cotta red. A Tuscan kitchen décor plays up the many colors associated with Tuscany, and in order to create a kitchen with this style, you don't need to be afraid of using color!

Flooring

If replacing your old flooring just isn't in your budget right now, you can save that project for later. You could add a room size rug for extra pop. However, if you want to complete the look, wood or ceramic floors can work wonders for a room. Again, think about nature as you choose your colors. If you've already used color in the walls and cabinets, then you may want to back off on color and look toward more earth tones. However, if you love the look of color, there are many beautiful ceramic tile designs and colors to choose from.

Accessories

Old world Europe featured rich pottery, classic wrought iron, brilliant ceramic dishes and tiles, and pewter and copper pieces. You can find these same accessories in home decorating stores and online as well. Wine bottles, bottles of spices, wicker baskets, fruit, nuts, and candles are inexpensive accessories that can really add texture to a room as well. Wrought iron wall art has made a huge impact on the decorating world, and stores such as Kirklands and Tuesday Morning typically have a large selection of these and other Tuscany styled designs at affordable prices. Other stores featured online include the following:

• Accents of Salado
• Tuscan Décor
• Unique Surroundings
• The Tuscan Kitchen

Finally, as you create a kitchen fit for Tuscany, have fun. Choose colors that you love, and don't feel as if you have to make all of the changes at once. Your kitchen will soon be a beautiful oasis for you and your family and friends to enjoy.