Get Artistic with Tuscan Style

Tuscany, known as the birthplace of the Renaissance and of masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Dante Alighieri, is awake to art in the forms of architecture, painting, and sculpture. It's a place that ancient Romans escaped to from the city to embrace the beauty of intoxicating hillsides and nature. It's a place to relax from busy lives. With a history and beauty such as this, how could you not be attracted to the rustic, warm, and inviting flavor of Tuscan style?

If you choose to make Tuscan Style decor your sanctuary, here are a few things you will want to remember.

• Use natural materials like sandstone, limestone, and marble in your flooring, arches, and pillars.
• Create rough plaster walls with rustic beamed ceilings and leave windows bare, letting in the beautiful natural influences of the villas and sunsets of the countryside.
• Outdoor spaces are important, making the popularity of outdoor rooms very practical in this style.
• Water elements fit this style very well. Let water fountains, potted plants, marble statues, and terra cotta pathways grace a central courtyard.

Tuscan colors reflect the colors of the land.

• Imagine golden pears, turquoise lakes, orange and red hibiscus flowers, ripe green olives, aged stucco walls, and burgundy red wine in crystal glasses.
• Use luscious shades of gold and orange, ranging from burnt terracotta to rusty darker shades of ironwork in your floors and furnishings.
• Accent colors of tomato red, cobalt blue, olive green, and golden sunflower yellow are the colors for ceramic works of art and tiles.

Your furniture will consist of straight, simple lines made of a combination of heavy hardwoods and mostly dark, leather upholstery. Accessorize with cupboards, armoires, and chests for dishes, linens, and clothes. Use tile, wrought iron, and marble for wall hangings, sconces, and other light fixtures. Have fun with statuettes and bright colored vases. With the warmth and welcoming atmosphere this style has to offer, you can make Tuscan style your sanctuary from a hard day's work and bring the beauty of Renaissance art to your life.