Mediterranean Interior Design Style Guide

Thinking of changing up your living room interior decor a little? The Mediterranean interior design style might be perfect for a new look. Filled with Mediterranean elements like rugs, pottery, tiles, arches, pillars, and plants, this look is full of culture and offers a unique style. The rich, bold contrast between warm earth hues, flamboyant yellow, cool coastal blues, and crisp white makes for a bright, cheery living room to return to at the end of a tiring day. Refreshing and full of life, the increasingly popular Mediterranean interior design style might be perfect for the next time you redecorate your living room.

 

1. How to Choose the Right Colors

To evoke the colorful, airy Mediterranean feel of your home, it's important to choose the right colors. Rich earthy tones recall the beauty of nature in the sunny, Mediterranean region while crisp whites, creamy beiges, and sparkling blues reflect the tranquility of the Mediterranean coast. Bright, brilliant orange, yellow and warm accents can add some character to your design.

Tips:

• Walls: For the most traditional Mediterranean look. go for plain painted white walls, possibly textured to add extra detail to your design. Otherwise, off-white paint or a bolder choice of colorful tile inlays will brighten up your space with a vivid range of hues. Rough, light stonework in warm hues is also great for adding an accent wall near the mantle. The Mediterranean style includes many architectural features including the very distinctive arches and pillars.
• Floor: Adding colorful, patterned tiles to your floor is perfect to fit with the Mediterranean vibe. You can choose to have one pattern throughout or multiple different patterns, alternating between plainer and more intricate patterns to balance out the impression of your floor and walls.
• Accents: The primary way to add accents is through tiles, which can come in a myriad of colors from bright electric blue to terra cotta or bright orange. Olive green, dark magenta, and other colors are also possible. Just choose around three and stick to them throughout your design.

2. How to Choose the Right Patterns and Textures

Patterns and textures are essential to the Mediterranean look, which is characterized by its unique style of patterns from the region and a blend of natural textures.

Suggestions:

• Patterns: Include patterns through tiles, fabrics, rugs, and curtains. Brightly colored patterns are perfect for this style as long as the colors go well together and you pay attention to keep the style from becoming overly loud. Use simpler patterned items to break up more intricate patterns, which can serve as eye catching accents.
• Textures: Be sure to include a wide variety of natural textures! Layering different textures through textiles, rattan, macrame, knotted hammocks, and other materials creates the richly detailed feel of the Mediterranean style.

3. How to Choose the Right Furniture

For the Mediterranean look, choosing the right furniture is important to make sure your design is coherent. Choose single-color or simply patterned fabric furniture to match the style. Avoid overly boxy or square designs of furniture.

Tips:

• Design: Rounded, curved designs will match the flowing style of the Mediterranean look. Small embellishments like buttons or creases are great, but avoid overly baroque or intricate details.
• Frames: Wooden frames are best, keeping with the natural feel of the look. Avoid plastic or metal elements which may come off as more artificial. Wooden tables with an outdoors-y feel are ideal for this style.
• Wicker basket chairs, hammocks: Wicker basket chairs and hammocks are perfect additions to your living room, matching the Mediterranean style emphasis on bringing nature and the outdoors into your home. Both comfortable and reminiscent of the style, these furniture pieces will make your living room even more practical.

4. How to Choose the Right Accessories

Given the fuller, more detailed look for the Mediterranean style living room, choosing accessories is an important part of the design process. However, making sure that your many accessories do not clash is also equally vital. Here's how:

Suggestions:

• Pictures: Keeping your art and photos Mediterranean-themed is important to create a cohesive style. Choose brightly colored art pieces in similar colors to the rest of the living room, depicting nature. Alternatively, go for photos of the scenic Mediterranean coast or bustling open markets.
• Vases: Tying into Mediterranean culture and history, beautiful, older-style pottery and vases add another dimension to your design. Whether simple, handmade terracotta-hued pottery or intricately painted vases with Mediterranean designs, vases make a great accessory. Anything from large sized pots on the floor to smaller decorative items for table centerpieces can be perfect.
• Throws and Cushions: Throws and cushions make your living room feel more like home while keeping with the cozy feel of the Mediterranean style.
• Shelves: Simple wood shelf panels are the best for this design. Place against tiled walls for a colorful backdrop.

5. Add Mediterranean Inspired Elements

Some Mediterranean-themed items that you can use to get the filled, cozy home look of the Mediterranean interior design style include potted trees and fresh greenery or flowers. Nature is very important to the Mediterranean interior decor style so these will fit right in. Don't forget the terra cotta pots for trees and vases!

Ideas:

• Potted Trees: Potted trees are a common decor item for the Mediterranean style to bring life to your design. Olives and other Mediterranean species are best for matching the theme. Placing these plants throughout your design adds visual interest and are essential to getting the natural theme across.
• Fresh Greenery/Flowers: Arranged in vases or hung from the mantelpiece, fresh herbs or flowers add a pleasant scent to your living room and a beautiful, natural accent, capturing the quaint, down-to-earth feel of the Mediterranean style. 

6. Choose the Right Lighting

Since the Mediterranean style places such an emphasis on the outdoors, sunlight is the most important source of lighting. Large windows, glass sliding doors, and skylights are needed to let in the sunlight. Go for simple, thin, sheer curtains to avoid blocking out the natural light. Of course, for practicality, other lights are needed for night time and cloudy days. When choosing interior lights, remember to use warm, orange-ish lights where possible.

Options:

• Lamps: Table lamps with ceramic bases are common in this style, going well with the pottery elements in the design. Tall, arching lamps (avoid overly square or straight designs) with natural lampshades (made of rattan for example) are also a great fit for this style. 
• Simple lighting fixtures: Simple light fixtures can be hung from the ceiling. Choosing natural elements (such as wooden frames or rattan shades) can help light fixtures to appear cohesive with the rest of the style.

Conclusion:

All in all, if you're looking to bring a bit of the breezy, sea-side nature and sunny days into your home, the Mediterranean interior design style is perfect for you. Beautiful Mediterranean details like terra cotta pots, vases, tiles, pillars, arches, richly detailed patterns, and plants really bring the Mediterranean into your home so that you can feel refreshed and comfortable at home. The contrast between warm, earthy tones and vibrant greens and clear, dazzling blue and white make for a lively, bold interior decor style. Pictures of the Mediterranean bring those foreign lands closer to home and let you experience the Mediterranean lifestyle everyday! 

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