Italian Interior Design

Italy is taking over the design world according to my friend, Al. He himself lives in a 3-floor condo that is designed with much that is Italian. The arches in the living room, the stark design of the furniture, the bright colors, the stucco type walls, are all inspired by the Italian style of home décor.

Go to lifeinitaly.com. There are some pictures that will give you the idea. The style is casual and very artsy. The basics, like the walls and furniture, are usually very simple and functional, although they may have bold purples, reds and golds for the colors. Accents, however, and artwork may be anything from intricate and ornate to modern and geometric. Still there will be a lot of different colors involved.

Many people are starting with stucco style walls. You can paint your wall in a cream to gold-ish tone and then use sponges to add highlights of one or two other colors. My friend, Cindy, an interior designer by trade, likes to do the walls herself. She has sponged on anything from red to purple on gold-toned walls. She likes to include accent walls that are brick red or some other dark color. This isn’t for every wall, just one or two in the room.

Then the furniture can be chosen to match. Red chairs, purple chairs, a pedestal dining table with an ornate base and a glass top. Typically, the floors are simple, often stone tiles or hardwood. In Italy, they are preserving old terra cotta floors with hand made tiles. They were fitted by hand so they will vary in shape and the truly antique tiles will have chips and wear that give the floor its authentic character.

Definitely do some browsing and shopping to find the combination of styles and colors that suit you best. Consult with an interior designer if you like and get recommendations from the vendors of the various pieces of the design you have in mind. Enjoy this new trend that blends casual and antique for a modern look!

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