Italians are world leaders in contemporary design, bringing their signature pizzazz and sophistication to interiors with a soft yet elegant touch. Having perfected art, architecture and the much-valued lifestyle of la bella vita, the authentic Italian home manages to combine all three for a practical yet unashamedly beautiful living space.
From al fresco dining to wine cellars to artwork, here is our guide to bringing inspiration from your dreamy Italian trip to your home decor.
Photo Credit: pja7
The kitchen is where the heart is
As the stereotype goes, Italians love their food, making the kitchen the essential ingredient of the family home – the shrine, if you will. And if the kitchen is the shrine, the table is the altar. Think big when it comes to your dining table: farm-style tables with enough length to seat several generations suggest the lively expanse of an extended Italian family.
For Tuscan warmth, earthy colours and rough, vibrant textures (a brick ceiling or wooden beams, perhaps) add rustic ambience to your kitchen.
Dining al fresco
Dine al fresco on a daily basis by applying this much-loved facet of the Italian ethos to your own home. Think a humble courtyard – or even a small patio – with a textural backdrop of stone or stucco, and feature pieces of pottery urns and terracotta-bound pot plants. Where better to enjoy a morning cappuccino?
While we’re on the topic of the outdoors, the authentic Italian home demands a functional vegetable patch. Unleash your inner nonna and try your hand at whichever herbs, vegies or fruits take your fancy. To evoke the Mediterranean atmosphere of Sicily, the tangy odour of a lemon tree ought to do the trick.
Wine and dine
A well-stocked wine cellar is crucial to an authentically Italian home, especially given that with its long history of viticulture Italy still remains one of the world’s leading wine producers.
When it comes to sheltering your own collection, vertical storing shelves ensure that your prized bottles are stored properly – horizontally – to maximise the aging process. Another great idea is the addition of cubbies and alcoves to keep certain wines stored and chilled while focussing the eye on certain highlights of the collection on proud display.
The high point
A common motif of Italian design is the ornate adornment of a space that is typically neglected and left bare in other interior design styles: the ceiling. From rustic, rough-hewn wood beams to more elaborate Old World style detailing, Italians aren’t shy to make the ceiling the high point of the room. When styling your own ‘feature ceiling’, be inventive yet also considerate of the textures and palette adorning the room’s walls and furnishings. The sky is the, ahem, limit.
A renaissance of art
Art is one of Italy’s strongest attractions, and chances are you marvelled at a masterpiece or two on your last trip to the country.
Chosen well, feature paintings will not only a prestigious touch to your living room, but will serve also as a daily reminder of the skill and beauty attainable by mankind. Not a bad feat to mull over by the fireside, eh? Bonus points if you source a Renaissance style piece.
Sarah Trevor is a freelance writer from Sydney who is currently looking for a property to put all her Italian treasures in. Stockland’s community in Selandra Rise seems to have some exciting options.
