Boise Homes

What makes people think ‘Mediterranean’? Olives and lemons, dolphins leaping through a dark-blue sea, white houses on a parched green hillside, grape-vines and fig-trees, sunshine, beaches crowded with tanned people in bright clothes, long warm evenings, Roman ruins, terracotta pots, sleeping through noon and eating late …

If you’re lucky enough to have lemons and figs already growing in your garden, your Mediterranean themed entertaining area is off to a good start. But in fact anyone can bring a little Old World magic into their homes.

Mediterranean living areas generally have to deal with bright, hot sunlight and plenty of dust so they are often simply laid out. Floors might be tiled or wooden and scattered with small rugs; walls are painted in plain white or a rich warm pastel, perhaps lightly textured. If you have a high ceiling, you might consider filling some wall-space with a large picture or a tapestry of a Mediterranean scene, Renaissance painting or similar to help set the theme. Think traditional, simple, good-quality materials: carved wooden frames and wooden furniture, woven baskets and earthenware, cotton and wool rugs and furnishings. For a modern twist, consider rattan furniture in a classic design.

Colors are generally solid, strong and contrasting, or have a sun-bleached look. Warm earth colors such as terracotta, umber and raw sienna sound Mediterranean already – they originated in Italy and still carry Italian names! Dark rich reds, brilliant blues and cool, silvery greens work well too.

Traditional metals, including copper, pewter and wrought iron, are often used in Mediterranean-themed decorating for details or features such as candle-holders, light fixtures, planters, vases, mirror-frames etc. Mosaic is commonly found in small table-tops, coasters etc. Urns, amphorae and other artefacts can be positioned sparingly to help generate the right impression but you may be even better off by displaying a large earthenware bowl filled with lemons, or draped with grapes.

Tags: outdoor furniture, rattan furniture

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 9:14 am and is filed under Home Furniture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.