Mediterranean Style In The Interior: A Relaxing Atmosphere In Your Home

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Mediterranean Style In The Interior: A Relaxing Atmosphere In Your Home
Mediterranean Style In The Interior: A Relaxing Atmosphere In Your Home

Video: Mediterranean Style In The Interior: A Relaxing Atmosphere In Your Home

Video: Mediterranean Style In The Interior: A Relaxing Atmosphere In Your Home
Video: Interior design | Mediterranean Interior design style 2024, March
Anonim
  • A bit of history
  • Key features
  • Colour
  • Finishing
  • Furniture
  • Textiles and decor elements
  • Related Videos
Mediterranean style in the interior
Mediterranean style in the interior

It is not in vain that the Mediterranean Sea is called the "cradle of civilization" - it was on its shores that the famous city-states of Greece appeared, ancient culture arose, and large trade cities of Italy developed. It is not surprising that it is this sea, located between the south of Europe, north of Africa and west of Asia, that gave the name to one of the most popular styles in interior design.

What are the features of the Mediterranean style? What are the key points in this interior design can be identified? And finally, how to create a Mediterranean-style interior in an ordinary city apartment at no special cost?

Mediterranean style bedroom
Mediterranean style bedroom

Bright, extraordinarily cozy Mediterranean style bedroom

A bit of history

Before starting a story about the main features of the Mediterranean style, I would like to pay a little attention to its history. To understand how this style of interior design was formed, it is necessary to remember that many countries are located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea: Tunisia, Algeria, France, Croatia, Spain, Greece, Lebanon, Slovenia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Albania and others, only 22 state.

The formation of the Mediterranean style, of course, was influenced by the East, in particular, the Moroccan style, and the design directions that dominated the Spanish and French Riviera, however, this style owes its appearance to Italy and Greece, which have become real “trendsetters in this region.

The Mediterranean style in the interior arose after the Second World War, when the inhabitants of Italian villages in search of work were forced to move to cities and brought certain elements of their village style to ordinary city apartments. The Tuscan style is considered the ancestor of the Mediterranean style, which appeared in the 40s in the region of the same name in Italy.

Mediterranean style house interior
Mediterranean style house interior

Of course, more often houses are decorated in the Mediterranean style, but there is no reason to abandon this direction when choosing the design of an ordinary city apartment.

In turn, the townspeople, coming to villages on the coast of Greece and Italy, also brought urban novelties into the rural life and furnished the interior to their liking. It is thanks to this mixture of urban and rural design trends that the Mediterranean style emerged, which has been popular in many countries of the world for over 60 years.

Key features

If you try to describe the Mediterranean style in the interior in a nutshell, then “archaic simplicity” is best suited. In such an interior there is nothing pretentious, pretentious, no deliberate luxury - only practicality, functionality, a lot of light and lightness. The Mediterranean style is alien to being overloaded with design and furniture items, decorative elements and textiles are used minimally and in this respect it is very similar to the very simple, “rustic” country style so popular in America. However, the country music is more colorful, bright, the Mediterranean interior is calmer and more peaceful.

Mediterranean style kitchen
Mediterranean style kitchen

All the countries of the Mediterranean region are characterized by hospitality and the cult of delicious food. Suffice it to recall at least Italy with its traditional crowded family dinners with pasta and pizza, the French Riviera, where a feast can last for several hours with a tasting of exquisite dishes and noble wines, the states of North Africa, where it is customary to treat a dear guest first, and only then ask about business … They also love to relax in the Mediterranean; siesta in these hot countries is not a luxury or a whim, but a necessity.

This attitude towards food and relaxation has led to the fact that the dining room, kitchen, living room and bedroom have become the dominant zones in the Mediterranean interior.

That is, those places in the house where you can first sit, chatting with friends, are. In this regard, the Mediterranean style is most often used to decorate the kitchen, living room and dining room. By the way, in country houses, whose interior is designed in this style, all these three rooms are often combined into a single space, which becomes a place of attraction for the whole family and the main room of the home.

Combined Mediterranean style kitchen, dining and living room
Combined Mediterranean style kitchen, dining and living room

Combined Mediterranean style kitchen, dining and living room

Another difference between the Mediterranean style is maximum convenience and comfort for all inhabitants of a house or apartment. If the chair is soft and it is obligatory by the fireplace or wine cabinet, so that everything is at hand, if the sofa, then a low sofa with an abundance of pillows, if the decoration of the windows is then blinds and light air curtains, if the bed is a huge bed with snow-white blanket.

Such an interior is not an exhibition of designer novelties, it is intended to serve for life: here they dine, receive guests, swear and make peace. Mediterranean style allows you to create in the room a unique atmosphere of a real Home with a capital letter, cozy, dear and hospitable.

Colour

Since the Mediterranean is a hot region, the color scheme in this design direction is intended to soften the hot rays of the sun, to make the interior "cooler", at least visually.

It is worth noting that in terms of colors, the Mediterranean interior is usually divided into Greek and Italian directions. So, for the Greek variety of this style, blue, blue, white, lemon-yellow, emerald, blue-green have become traditional shades. All these shades can be called "cold", "sea".

Blue and white living room in Mediterranean style
Blue and white living room in Mediterranean style

The Italian interior is more saturated - cream, deep sun-yellow, terracotta, olive, ocher-yellow, brick, bottle-green shades dominate here.

However, the Greek and Italian colors can be perfectly mixed with each other, so it is often impossible to say which direction was chosen in a particular case.

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A riot of colors in this living room betrays the dominant position of the Italian trend

When it comes to lighting, it is customary in the Mediterranean style to make the most of natural light. Of course, in a private house it is easier to equip panoramic windows to the floor in order to provide free access to the sun's rays, however, in an ordinary apartment, light yellow, white, olive or blue walls themselves will make the room brighter and more spacious.

In addition, one of the main principles of the Mediterranean style is to provide comfort for residents, therefore the lighting system should be as convenient as possible - located above each separate zone, and switches should be at hand.

Finishing

In the Mediterranean interior, wallpapers are practically not used, the walls are simply painted in one of the selected shades: white, olive, blue, cream, almost any, located in the range from green-blue to yellow-orange. In this case, it is not at all necessary to achieve the ideal smoothness of the surface - deliberately rough, textured plaster, on the contrary, will give the room a special "rustic" flavor. Thanks to this feature, the Mediterranean style allows you to beat the natural unevenness of the walls, but open brickwork in such an interior is very rarely used - only for finishing the fireplace and small sections of the wall.

Mediterranean hotel interior
Mediterranean hotel interior

A vivid example of the use of various shades in the decoration of walls and ceilings - as a result, an original, very cozy interior was obtained

The ceiling is always light, often with rough beams, although you can also find modern options - a plasterboard cornice, complex lighting, and so on.

Ceiling beams for Mediterranean cuisine
Ceiling beams for Mediterranean cuisine

The beams on the ceiling of this attractive kitchen are purely decorative.

When choosing a floor covering, it should be borne in mind that the Mediterranean style presupposes a uniform floor design in all rooms. That is, it is not worth experimenting, highlighting individual areas of the room with the help of different floor coverings, creating podiums and thresholds is not worth it, it is better to choose one material, thanks to which the rooms will smoothly flow into each other, creating the visual integrity of the space.

The most traditional flooring material in Mediterranean interiors is ceramic, unglazed tiles.

If such a floor seems too cold for our climate, it is possible to install a warm floor, in any case, it is the tiles, be they ceramics, marble or tiles, that most often become a distinctive feature of this style.

A wooden floor also has a right to exist in a Mediterranean interior, but wood should not have a pronounced texture, dominate over other design elements.

Of the economical options, you can use both high-quality linoleum and laminate, it is optimal if such a floor covering has a texture in the form of the same ceramic tiles, creating the appearance of using a more expensive material.

Ceramic flooring in a Mediterranean kitchen
Ceramic flooring in a Mediterranean kitchen

The floor is traditional for the Mediterranean interior - ceramic tiles of the same color in all rooms, with a small, unobtrusive decor

By the way, in the Mediterranean style, tiles or mosaics are used quite widely - both in wall decoration, for example, to create picturesque panels in the living room and in the bathroom, and for cladding a kitchen apron, as well as facades of kitchen furniture and countertops.

Using ceramic tiles to decorate countertops and backsplash
Using ceramic tiles to decorate countertops and backsplash

Ceramic tiles, glazed or not, can also be used to decorate the backsplash and countertops

As for carpets, they are also quite appropriate in such an interior, but without bright patterns and ornaments, plain rugs, reed or seaweed mats, homespun stripes in stripes of colors traditional for the Italian or Greek direction will do.

Furniture

The Mediterranean style implies the use of a large number of natural materials - the more stone, wood, ceramics in the interior, the better, although overdoing in this respect is also risky.

Accordingly, it is better to choose wooden furniture too, for example, massive, squat sofas on a wooden base with light covers, tables on stable legs with a wooden tabletop that is not covered or decorated with tiles, classic wooden chairs, usually without upholstery at all.

Wicker furniture also often finds its place in Mediterranean interiors, and the Italian trend is characterized by sofas, tables and armchairs with wrought iron elements. Such furniture can be compared with a country or garden furniture, they are united by simplicity, closeness to nature and reliability.

Wrought iron bed in a Mediterranean interior
Wrought iron bed in a Mediterranean interior

A bed with a wrought-iron headboard and massive wooden racks will perfectly fit into the Mediterranean interior

If we talk about the furnishing of the rooms in general, then an important, central place will be taken by the table - how can you adequately receive guests without it and have a pleasant time with your family in the evening! The table can be truly huge if the size of the room allows, or it can be a small coffee table, but in any case it just has to be.

At the same time, the table top can be almost any - decorated with bright tiles, glass, made of artificially aged or painted wood.

Living room in Mediterranean style with wicker table
Living room in Mediterranean style with wicker table

A fairly large wicker table took the central place in this bright living room, became a real highlight of the interior

Another traditional piece of furniture for the Mediterranean interior is open shelves; it is not customary to hide dishes or souvenirs behind solid matte or glossy facades, on the contrary, ceramics is becoming one of the important elements of decor. Places for storage can be drywall niches on the walls, a massive sideboard with transparent glass doors, light open wooden shelves.

Bright living room in Mediterranean style
Bright living room in Mediterranean style

In this delicate, light living room, a prominent place is occupied by cabinets with open shelves, as well as an original table in the form of a chest of drawers, convenient and very simple

In general, any classic furniture with light carvings, as well as objects in the style of minimalism, will fit well into the Mediterranean interior, the main thing is that their parameters and colors are combined with the decoration of the room.

Textiles and decor elements

Textiles in the Mediterranean style of the interior do not play an aesthetic, but rather a functional role. Natural fabrics such as linen and cotton are commonly used, and they are most often used to decorate pillows, mattresses and bedspreads.

On the windows, blinds made of bamboo, matting or wood take their place, sometimes Roman blinds made of natural fabrics are used. Window openings are effectively framed by light, light curtains, chairs can be decorated with fabric covers, a table - a snow-white or cream embroidered tablecloth with lace.

Light and airy Mediterranean-style curtains
Light and airy Mediterranean-style curtains

In the Mediterranean style, you will not find bright, ornamental fabrics - only white, cream, ivory, light blue shades, with modest, somewhat naive embroidery or thin lace. There are no too lush lambrequins or canopies here, the main principle of using textiles in the Mediterranean interior is utilitarianism, no luxury or chic.

As for accessories, you can give an ordinary room in a city apartment a completely Mediterranean look with the help of Moroccan lamps, Spanish-style ceramic dishes, Italian wickerwork, as well as all kinds of marine paraphernalia, for example, seashells, sea pebbles, and so on. Also, any DIY accessories are welcome.

Moroccan lamps in the interior of the kitchen
Moroccan lamps in the interior of the kitchen

Moroccan lamps - openwork and unusual will be an excellent addition to the Mediterranean interior

And another very important nuance - a Mediterranean-style room cannot be imagined without fresh flowers. Palm trees, ficuses, citrus trees, yuccas - the choice depends only on the preferences of the owner of the house. It is better to plant plants in simple ceramic pots and tubs; banal and inappropriate plastic in such an interior should be avoided.

Plants in Mediterranean interiors
Plants in Mediterranean interiors

Houseplants are one of the characteristic features of the Mediterranean style

The Mediterranean style is an excellent option for those who would like to create a homely, but at the same time festive atmosphere in their house or apartment, decorate the room in a relaxed, light style, without pathos and chic.

To create a Mediterranean interior, you don't need to spend a lot - you just need to get rid of the wallpaper, paint the walls in a light shade, choose a matte white, gray or tile textured laminate, paint the cabinet with a worn effect, decorate the ceiling with decorative beams and sew light covers for upholstered furniture. Competently using inexpensive accessories, finishing materials and textiles, everyone can create a corner of the Mediterranean coast at home.

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