Italian Or Tuscan Kitchen Design?
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at
10:07 pm
I’m looking for some inspirations for my new apartment’s kitchen. I want to go with an italian look. So far all I can think of it some grapes and wine bottles. Any idea’s or links would be great!
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Look at this sitehttp://www.countrytuscany.com/eng/defaul…
paint kitchen walls a soft yellow (if possible) and pick areas to go over in a darker shade of the same color. what i did was to buy a gallon of dark gold paint…then i mixed a small amount of the gold into a gallon of white (white was the same brand, with about 2 cups removed & reserved) and painted the kitchen. then i used the dark gold and watered it down a little and rubbed it in some areas. then i went over the same ares with the dark gold not watered down.(kinda like layering on blush or eye shadow. lol) then i used a little bit of the white an rubbed it in small patches randomly. the overall effect was that the walls had aged and mellowed over time.
against the soft mellowed tones of old wood (your table perhaps?) and the aged look of the walls add red or royal blue…while using black accents -candle holders, wine racks, etc. go for plain and simple as to much of the black will overwhelm rather than enhance.
green plants are good. thyme or ivy would be great growing in the window or on the counter top. old shutters hung in the windows are a natural for the tuscan look.
have open display shelves. colorful majolica peices work well, as does colored glass (in jars or bottles). use lots of terracotta. display various pastas in jars, a braid of garlic or oninons, jars of olives, and fresh flowers on the table. display some copper pieces or baskets and hang a wonderful ‘old world’ type of picture framed in black.
if you have a wall that is just right – write something on it! in the kitchen ‘bon appetite’ or ‘Vino vecchio, olio nuovo’
- old wine and new oil or ‘Non si vive di solo pane’ -
one does not live by bread alone.
and finally here is a link you might be interested in; http://www.homeimprovementtips.net/tusca…
sure wish i could see it when you are finished. i know it will be outstanding!
hope this helps.
One important thing to remember about Tuscan kitchens is that they are very simple and country-like (and I don’t mean roosters everywhere, although some Italians use a rooster or galletto theme but not like Americans). Instead of focusing on a wine and grape theme, look more at the raw materials. Venetian plaster on the walls with maybe a teracotta hue. (Home Depot sells venetian plaster with instructions-very simple, you can’t really make a mistake!) Stone tile flooring if the landlord allows it, along with granite or ceramic tile countertops. Copper cookware seems to be used often. Don’t look at Italian-themed restaurants because a true Italian kitchen doesn’t really resemble them at all. Remember to keep it simple, for some people seem to over-decorate the theme and push “Italy” in your face with ornate items. Research with books about Italy and it’s countryside not books with kitchen design because odds are you can’t change the design of your kitchen in an apartment. Many people come up with elaborate and expensive themed kitchens with their finished product looking like the Olive Garden. After the raw materials form your foundation, look to rustic furniture – dark wood is often used. Okay now you can add wine and grapes – but make it real wine bottles and real grapes. One website I can think of offhand is lifeinitaly.com, go to interior design, then articles. Good luck and have fun.
I’ve always loved the look of the restaurant The Macaroni Grill! My sister-in-law is going to do her kitchen based on it. The colors are so warm.
Old copper pans. How about putting Tuscan in e-bay and see what they have for inspiration? Wrought iron would work, too. Lots of terra cotta.
My cousin has a Tuscan style kitchen and I look for stuff for her at http://www.touchofclass.com and http://www.paragongifts.com. They have a really unique selection.