Decorate Ideas

Maybe it’s the fresh spring breezes wafting through the air, but I’ve had rustic decor ideas bouncing around in my head for the past few weeks. When, I open up my windows the air smells like spring and I keep dreaming of the Italian countryside.
Bring it on in, I say!

I’ve been collecting and experimenting with some new rustic Tuscan ideas in my own kitchen, I think the kitchen is the best room to start incorporating elements of this style of design. I blame it on my mother who always stopped to collect pine cones, leaves, grape vines and other natural materials to use in her home decor when we were kids, but I just love to bring natural things from the outdoors in.

I like to add things like a bunch of lavender tied with a silk ribbon as a wall decoration and of course my plants in little aged terra cotta pots are equally happy on the inside window sill or outdoors in the front garden. I’ve found some wonderful new lines of rustic animal figurines (roosters, hens, nesting hens and even a large country dog to guard
your garden gate or hearth). They add such a nice touch in a corner cabinet or on a dining hutch or sideboard.

Another of my favorite quick ways to add a bit of rusticana are terra cotta candles. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, I’ve gilded the rims on some of them with antique
gold paint (and left a bit of the aged green colored terra cotta peeking out underneath).
If you’re like me, you love to arrange and rearrange objects, so these are great to move around as your mood changes. You can light them for a romantic dinner, although I think they’re a bit too pretty to burn.

I also love to hang a Tuscan or Italian inspired plate above the stove, they look beautiful against terra cotta or rough Italian tiles. You can use pretty much anything with colors that complement your decor. As always with artwork, select something that is meaningful to you, something that is calming or speaks to you - you’ll be looking at it every day!

Another great thing about rustic decor is that it doesn’t have to be expensive. Even if you can’t afford authentic Tuscan furniture, which can get quite pricey, you can still get a great look by adding in authentic touches. The Tuscan style homes we often see are actually restored farmhouses, the style originated from the needs of working farms (and often the home is a restored granaio or grain house!) How fun to add in some rustic wood beams, (I remember my Mom actually found some for her kitchen years ago and “aged” it and made it look worn by adding marks with a hammer and other tools. Then she stained them a dark color and they sure added a great touch to the kitchen). Even if you don’t want to go to that extreme, you can work with your existing furniture and add in some nice touches, like Italian ceramics or interesting placemats and small decor items.

I’ve found some lovely kitchen signs that say “Cucina Paradiso”, you can look for them in our Villa Marketplace section. They are made from resin and have marks in them so they look antique. I think they add a nice whimsical touch and look great against a wood background. When I cook, I look at that sign and smile thinking of my Nonna and the wonderful things that came out of her kitchen. No wonder I think of the kitchen as a paradise! So, here’s to creating your own version of Cucina Paradiso, hope this inspires you!!

Laura M. Zaki is the owner of Villa Paradiso Home, an e-commerce & catalog shop specializing in Italian & Tuscan home decor http://www.villaparadisohome.com
To view our webpage on Rustic Tuscan decor

http://www.villaparadisohome.com/rustictuscan.html

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I like decorating my kitchen with a cozy, warm, inviting, homey feeling to it. Usually I’m fighting for all the space I can get in my kitchen too. If you’d like to try this style yourself, you need additional space, or if you simply want to create a different look and feel to your current kitchen decorating style: here are a few tips for you to try.

1. Hang your pots and pans on the wall. This works whether you have a matching set of pots and pans, or whether it’s an eclectic collection gathered over the years. Simply put hooks in the wall, then hang the pots by their handles with the bottom facing outwards. This is particularly useful for space saving and organization too. My favorite location to hang the pots and pans is on the wall right above the stove. If you have the room, this puts the pots on display nicely while keeping them right on hand for cooking.

2. Hang your potholders and hotpads on the wall. If your pans are too heavy to hang safely, or you simply don’t want them on display, or you’d like to add other embellishments to your hanging pots arrangement - potholders work quite well as kitchen wall decorations too!

3. Hang your trivets on the wall. Another great way to decorate while saving space and keeping useful kitchen essentials right on hand, is to hang your trivets on the wall. A collection of antique trivets makes an especially nice kitchen wall arrangement, but modern ones work really well too. Use solid colors or patterns to match the rest of your kitchen decor, or choose trivets that have pictures on them so your kitchen wall will have pictures on it when the trivets aren’t in use.

Other things I like to hang in the kitchen for both space saving purposes, decorative accents, and to have on easy hand at all times include: a manual can opener, measuring cups and spoons, serving utensils, and coffee mugs. These items usualy hang under my cabinets because they don’t work well on the walls.

So there you have it. Use what you already have hidden away in the kitchen to create a cozy, warm, inviting and decorative kitchen atmosphere!

For more home decorating tips, advice, articles and supplies, visit The Do It Yourself Home Decorating Network @DIYHomeDecorating.com.

© 2005, Kathy Burns-Millyard

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