Now I was sorting out photos on a computer and found a lot of photos of the home interiors of my Italian acquaintances and friends. So the idea came up to talk about an Italian house that is different from a Russian one.
The first impression of an Italian house is that it is a cold house, in the physical sense of the word. All houses in Italy are made of stone; there are no massive buildings made of wooden panels, as in America. Wallpaper in houses is almost never used, the walls are plastered and remain white, such walls “cool” in hot weather, but in winter they seem uncomfortable and not warm enough. Parquet for the floor is mainly used in the private part of the house, basically all the floors are covered with tiles, it, like the plastered walls, cools in the summer. In summer, people walk barefoot at home, but it seems to me that in winter the tiles are downright icy, it’s not only impossible to walk on it, but it’s impossible to step on it ...
There are practically no corridors in Italian houses, it is believed that the corridor is a waste of square meters, so when you enter the house, you immediately find yourself in a large room.
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Always in the living room or in the hall (the same as the living room, but much larger) there is a large dining table with chairs. A composition of flowers, candles, dried twigs and all sorts of other things, made with taste and love, is displayed on the table.
Often. even in urban apartments, the main source of heat is a fireplace, both traditional and various types of modern glass-covered thermofireplaces. The fireplace is the center of the house, around which the whole family gathers in the hearth in winter. 
On the windows in all houses in Italy - shutters, this is a typical sign of Italy. I remember the first time I arrived in Italy in the summer at ten o'clock in the evening, and when I was driving through the streets, it was already dark, and it struck me that all the windows were dark: either everyone was already sleeping, or everyone had left the house at the same time .. It turned out that everything is much simpler: protecting themselves from the heat, the Italians always close the shutters. There is a lot of sun in Italy, so the Italians do not appreciate it, the shutters close at night - and you sleep in complete darkness. When you wake up, you never see the light, it is believed that sleep in the dark without light is stronger, and the early rays of the sun can disturb it. There are often no curtains on the windows at all. I didn’t see that people were very fond of curtains, perhaps the reason is that sewing curtains in Italy costs 1-2 thousand euros, so they don’t philosophize much, they just assemble the rags beautifully and throw them in random order on the curtains. 
Another thing that catches the eye (at least in my pride), something unthinkable in any Russian city - glass front doors. When I saw it for the first time, I was shocked. It looks like this. 
Particular attention and attention is paid to table setting, even when only the family gathers or in the morning, when there is usually no time. This is how I found the table laid for breakfast, I woke up in the morning with my friends, they left for work in the morning, and I discovered this miracle of design skill. I could not help but take a photo. 
The Italians are very fond of decorating the walls with paintings: these can be directly paintings, reproductions or simply clippings from magazines framed. Fish, fruits, vegetables, animals, etc. Perfect for home decoration..
Letters are also hung on the walls (if a person no longer works in this area, otherwise letters and diplomas hang in a frame at work), special congratulations on the occasion of various anniversaries.
Houses are often finished in stone, both outside and inside. This gives warmth to the home. 
There is nothing superfluous in the bedrooms: a bed, a wardrobe, bedside tables and a mirror, all this is designed in accordance with the possibilities and imagination. 
What strikes the imagination in any Italian home is the variety of ideas and materials in the design of toilets and bathrooms. There is always a bidet next to the toilet. , and in a separate house there can be three or five bathrooms, according to the number of bedrooms. Rustic-style or antique-style ones are very popular. It is immediately obvious that there have never been problems with building materials. Some bathrooms, after design processing, remind me of toilets in communal apartments, mid-50s 
Special love is also enjoyed by various sources of low light: table lamps, sconces, floor lamps and a variety of candles. without which it is simply impossible to imagine a festive table.
Since apartments and houses in Italy are expensive, everything is done to maintain this price or, if possible, increase it. Any changes in the architecture of a house or apartment must be coordinated with the commune or with the comdominium. If you bought an apartment because the view from your window makes even the most unromantic people marvel, and then the owner of the house next door decided to add a few floors to himself and there was nothing left of the view, then it is clear that your apartment will cost less. In order to prevent financial losses, any fundamental changes (from painting the house or glazing the balcony to building a swimming pool in your own garden) must be coordinated. For the same reason, the view from the window always improves, the area around the house is sometimes more carefully arranged than inside the house. A beautiful view from a window can increase the value of a home by up to 50%. If you are a super designer and decided that your house would look better “in black”, then you are unlikely to prove to the architect of the commune that a black house against a background of yellow or orange will bring picturesque colors to the overall color scheme. If you are a patriot of America and decide to paint your house in the colors of the American flag, then you will be offered to hang the flag on the house, but no more. If you want to set up a small swimming pool for your children in your own garden, surrounded by trees so that no one can see it, you still need permission from the commune. 
Italy has always been considered a trendsetter in many areas, so its principles and products are especially popular. All connoisseurs of luxury, chic and unprecedented comfort in the house pay attention to the Italian (aka Tuscan, aka Mediterranean) style. For this reason, the Italian style in the interior is rapidly spreading around the world. In this article we will look at the main features of this style.
Anyone who has visited the Mediterranean at least once will always remember the white houses descending to the blue sea. A typical Mediterranean house is a house of simple sandstone shapes, covered with plaster and painted white on top, with a tiled or white flat roof and small windows. A small living room-kitchen-hallway, a small bedroom - all the windows of the houses are small in size, with shutters. If we are talking about a house in the countryside, it is usually surrounded by olive or fruit trees, and if the house is in the city, it always has a small balcony with flowers.
A typical Italian house usually has a patio (patio) and a terrace. Many people wonder why Italian houses are so small. The answer is simple: with the exception of a few large cities, the Mediterranean region has always been a poor agricultural region. Most of the houses are so-called farmhouses - houses attached to small farms. The small windows of houses are due to the fact that they let in less wind and dampness, and the small size of houses is justified by the simple fact that they are easier to heat in winter. The owners spend the whole summer at work in the field, so they don’t need large rooms.
Color scheme in the Italian interior
The calm color scheme in the Italian interior can be explained by the fact that the Mediterranean house is surrounded by a riot of colors: blue, emerald, azure shades of the sea plus gray and yellow sandstone in the shade of rich greenery, silvery foliage, yellow and orange citruses ...
In such a color environment, a person is fed up with bright colors and does not feel the need for a bright interior decor. For example, look at how restrained the authentic interior of the Tuscan bedroom is.
At first glance, the interiors of Italy are dominated by white, which has penetrated everywhere. The interiors of poor Italian houses can be called ascetic, and the decor is very restrained, this restraint is observed in everything, including the choice of colors for decoration. Still, natural warm tones are the basis of the style, and white is only part of the wide selection of options. So, it is worth noting the light beige shade, which is regularly used in bedrooms and living rooms. It complements perfectly Tuscan style in the interior making it memorable and interesting. In the photo below you can see the Italian-style interior of the house of a wealthy Italian.
As a result, the Italian interior style implies a small amount of color, but due to the abundance of contrast with the surrounding nature, Mediterranean-style houses are perceived as bright. The fact is that historically Italy still remained a country where antiquity reigns. In those distant times, frescoes and mosaics were the main feature of luxurious houses, which is why designers use them today to create interiors. For example, mosaic ceramic tiles with bright contrasting shades are a wonderful addition to the bathroom. She will emphasize the surrounding beauty, attracting the attention of incoming people.
Decoration Materials
When choosing materials, you will also have to work hard. The Italians have always preferred wood and stone, without which no house can do. Everywhere there were open powerful beams and stone floors, which were a reflection of the wealth in the family. Because of this, when creating such an interior, you will have to abandon many of the usual finishing materials.
It is best to combine plaster and artificial stone in the interior shading it with wood. Yes, it is not easy to perform such work, but the result will exceed all expectations of people. The natural surrounding space will emphasize chic, especially since such projects are rare in modern times.
Mediterranean style walls, doors and windows
By creating mediterranean style in the interior, designers use simple techniques that everyone understands. The main point is the importance of sunlight and fresh air, so curtains and open terraces seem to be the best choice. Of course, you should expand the windows so that they provide the flow of sunlight, as well as take interior doors more seriously.
In fact, the latter can simply be removed to make arched openings in italian style. All of them will perfectly fit the environment, eliminating unnecessary obstacles in the way of people. Of course, only some people like this approach, but you should not immediately abandon it. After completing a full range of works, a magnificent luxurious room appears before the family, which can rightly be called home.
Decor in an Italian house
The last pleasant feature of the room is its decorative decoration. With its help, it is possible to complete the interior, making it truly attractive. What are the requirements of the Italian style?
If you are inclined to create beauty in your summer cottage, then take a closer look at the Italian-style garden. Perhaps you will like this style and you can use individual elements or techniques in your garden, or maybe even create your own, full-fledged southern garden.
General characteristics
An Italian garden is usually a terraced landscape and is well suited for owners of sloping plots. If you like the use of evergreen trees (arborvitae, cypresses), white stone paving, ladders and beautiful white railings, classical-style sculptures, and flowers in tubs, then you should definitely take a closer look at this garden.
The layout of the Italian garden is a regular garden with straight paths and geometric flower beds and lawns.
Mandatory for such a garden and a reservoir - usually round or square, it can be a fountain or a small pool. Since Italian gardens are usually located on a mountainous landscape, a pond with cascades may also be present.
It will be more than appropriate in an Italian garden - you can learn how to organize it from the corresponding article on the site.
Creating a carpet bed involves planting plants in accordance with the scheme of the flower garden so that flowering plants make up some kind of pattern.
It is very good to support the general spirit of the Italian garden and planting plants, flowers or small trees in tubs. In order to do this correctly, you should familiarize yourself with.
You can use white or terracotta tubs for trees or flowers, this way you can maintain the overall Italian style of the garden.
Often trees are cut in the form of a ball, pyramid, cube. Plants in tubs are usually placed in key places in the layout - at the steps of the stairs, near the intersections of paths, at the corners of square flower beds or patios, at the fence, balustrade.
Sculptures are another integral part of the Italian style garden. Sculptures are usually used with a touch of antiquity.
You can artificially age them a little to create a certain atmosphere. But try not to overdo it with this - if your sculpture stands in our climate for at least a year or two, then it will age itself in a completely natural way.
It is better to put the sculpture in a place that is visible from various points of the garden - in the center of a paved area, in a pond, in the middle of a flower garden.
In sloping or mountainous terrain, this is a common practice for Italians. If your garden is on a slope, you can also use this terracing technique. When arranging terraces, it becomes necessary to install stairs connecting platforms located at different levels.
You can follow the basic techniques of the Italian garden, or you can close your eyes to some of them and use only those that you like. Make your garden the way your sense of beauty tells you.
So, the methods of organizing an Italian garden are as follows:
1 - obligatory symmetry in the layout of paths and flower beds (although personally I would sacrifice this for the sake of diversity).
2 - architecture in design (a lot of stone, concrete, paving, sculptures, small architectural forms, stairs), frequent use of ponds and fountains (this is as much as the wallet allows).
3 - topiary techniques (decorative cutting of shrubs and trees).
Planting, home and patio styling
In the design of modern gardens, only individual elements of the Italian style of gardening are often used, due to its laboriousness and the difficulty of maintaining it in Central Russia.
Creating a real Italian garden requires material costs for its creation and maintenance. If you still sympathize with this style, you can create a modern garden for relaxation on the patio (this is the name of the recreation area came from Italy), or by the pond, surrounded by southern tub plants. Cypresses, hydrangeas, olives, boxwoods - these are the plants that are often found in the Italian garden.
Of course, not all of them will grow in our harsh climate. You can cheat and replace the southern heat-loving plants with our relatives - for example, the pale green foliage of olives has in common with the foliage of sea buckthorn, instead of cypresses, you can plant arborvitae adapted to our climate, etc.
The colors of the Italian garden are a mix of yellow, red, orange and blue. The walls of the buildings must be white, in covering the roof of the house - a mandatory tile.
Terracotta tubs, antique-style plaster sculptures, aged ceramics. The inclusion of terracing in the layout of the garden makes it more interesting in the perception of volume (although this only applies to sloping plots).
Finishing the facade of the house should match the style of the garden. You will have to paint the walls in light shades - white or cream. To cover the roof, use tiles in natural terracotta brown colors.
The Italian style will be supported by a white limestone fence, as well as retaining walls made of this material. With the help of decorative retaining walls, you can make an imitation of terraces.
Break up the lawn, which organically include parterre flower beds with plants of bright and juicy color. Try to use flowers with yellow, red, blue color.
The image of an Italian garden - stone walls, rocks in paving, the aroma of plants - this is how a garden in the courtyard of a Mediterranean villa can appear before your eyes. Vases with flowers, antique motifs in small architectural forms, fountains - all this will fill your garden with an Italian spirit.
One of the inexpensive tricks to maintain the Italian spirit in such a garden is to backfill areas and paths with chipped red brick.
Hide the “fragments” of ancient columns in the thickets of bushes - this will be a good find while walking in the garden. Let girlish grapes or ivy curl along the stone walls - this will also give your garden a more southern character.
Trellis and pergolas with climbing plants are also a great way to decorate an Italian-style garden. Climbing rose and clematis will perfectly support the Mediterranean spirit of your garden.
A hedge is another element that will harmoniously participate in the overall ensemble. You can plant boxwood in tubs and cut trees in the shape of a ball or cube.
A patio in an Italian garden is necessarily a round, rectangular or square paved area. In planning, avoid irregular and smooth shapes - strict geometry and straight lines should prevail in everything.
You can decorate the patio with the same plants in tubs, flowers in flowerpots, elegant wrought-iron furniture and sculptures, and a small decorative fountain.
Suitable for you: begonia, marigolds, kampsis, hydrangea, clematis, sunflowers, climbing rose, fuchsia, lilies, succulents, citrus, young, fescue.
Hope you don't have any unanswered questions now! Try, create, create comfort and beauty in your dacha! Even if not a whole garden, at least a corner 🙂 Always your Natalia!
Strict geometry and an abundance of various mechanical devices and architectural elements are the visiting card of an Italian-style garden. In the Baroque era, such gardens filled. Europe, reflecting the spirit of enlightenment and development of sciences. One of the distinguishing features of Italian gardens is the presence of a large number of relatively isolated "green rooms" from each other.
Location of the house and garden
The house is the center and dominant of the garden composition. It is located in accordance with the rules of symmetry - strictly along the axis, often in the center. Alleys diverge from the house, forming regular shapes. Later Italianate designs allow the house to be set aside and even in the corner of the garden. With this placement of the main building, massive architectural forms are used, and the house rises above the trees. If there is an elevation or a small hill on the site, then this place is perfect for building a country house.
The late Italian style makes it possible to abandon the enfilade of green rooms and give preference to open alleys and a system of paths connecting accentuated decorative groups and recreation areas. However, the rigor and geometric clarity should be preserved.
Another "trick" of the late period of the development of Italian garden design is the duplication of scenery through reflection. To obtain the effect of symmetry, sculptural groups and structures are placed directly next to a reservoir or pool so that the decorative elements are reflected on the surface of the water. You can duplicate almost anything in this way.
Flower beds and plants for the garden in Italian design
The arrangement of flower beds in the Italian style involves the widespread use of form. Alleys and paths are complemented by flower borders. Flowerbeds and rabatka decorate the space around the house. The lawn ennobles open spaces and areas, decorated with a sculpture or a fountain.
Italy is a wonderful holiday country that amazes tourists with exquisite Tuscan architecture, high-quality classic furnishings and incomparable textiles, which are great for decorating any home or apartment.
In today's article, we'll show you some unique ways to transform your apartment with these amazing products.
1. Textile. The fabric used in the decoration of this chair is called Fortuny. It was named after the famous local designer Mariano Fortuny, who was born in Granada but moved to Venice and stayed there until his death in 1949.The master created stunning images of fabric with delightful ornaments, which are still widely used among connoisseurs of beauty today.
Dining room by Cecilie Starin Design Inc.
2. Vintage furniture. This antique Florentine chest of drawers with gold leaf finish will fit perfectly into a classic apartment. This style was common in the 1940s and 50s.You can use similar mirrors, picture frames and other unusual pieces of furniture for decoration.
Hallway by Linda McDougald Design
3. Rustic accessories. Transform your kitchen space with mesmerizing and magnetic rustic decorations and decorative items that can fill the atmosphere with incredible invitingness and warmth.
Kitchen by Peter Vitale Photography
4. Exquisite table setting. Complete the interior of the dining room with a stunning furniture set, a magnificent tablecloth with a colorful ornament, and a flower arrangement in a glass vase.
Canteen by Branca, Inc.
5. Outdoor dining area. Place a small table and laconic chairs on the terrace in front of your dream home. This cozy place is perfect for breakfast or lunch.
Mediterranean patio by Tiffany Farha Design
6. Loggia. The open veranda is a great addition to the bedroom or dining room. In the next photo, the loggia is accentuated with vaulted ceilings and hanging lamps, creating a sense of being in Italy and filling the atmosphere with calm and comfort.
Yard by Giffin & Crane General Contractors, Inc.
7. Gravel driveways. With this affordable and unpretentious building material, available in many shades, you can easily give your cottage an Italian architectural style.
Facade by Giffin & Crane General Contractors, Inc.
8. External stone walls. These engineering elements are widespread in the villages of this country. They create a feeling of rural everyday life.
Courtyard by Don Ziebell
9. Olive trees. Complement your patio landscaping with these amazing plants that will remind you of a Mediterranean holiday. In combination with basil, they will fill the atmosphere with a pleasant spicy aroma.
Landscape by Kikuchi + Kankel Design Group
10. Farm tables. Massive wooden pieces of furniture set are magnificent elements of decoration that can transform the atmosphere of any apartment.
Dining room by Stephmodo
11. Reclaimed doors. With the use of reclaimed raw materials, you can easily bring to life the rustic style of Italian architecture. A door leaf with faded paint and rusty fittings will look interesting and unusual in modern apartments.
