/Design/Mediterranean, Provence, Shabby chic, Country, Cafe, Traditional style/
On the one hand, the Mediterranean style is not the most suitable option for decorating a kitchen in a city apartment in our cold country, but on the other hand, the abundance of light, natural colors and materials, as well as Mediterranean asceticism in decoration and decor, if used correctly, can decorate even the most “northern” cuisine.
For those who are looking for successful solutions in finishing and decorating a Mediterranean-style kitchen, we have compiled a small list of tips, accompanied by a selection of inspiring photos.
Tip 3. We give preference to natural finishing materials or high-quality imitations
- For wall decoration, it is preferable to use: decorative plaster, brickwork (or very high-quality imitation), textured plain wallpaper or paintable wallpaper. Walls in the Greek style are most often white, in Spanish - beige, olive, orange, etc.
- In floor finishing: porcelain tiles imitating stone, for example, travertine, ceramic tiles also imitating stone or unpainted clay, as well as wooden parquet boards, natural wood, laminate.
Adviсe:
- It is desirable that the wood on the floor appears bleached and worn;
- Stone, porcelain stoneware and tiles should be insulated with a heating system, because while in hot countries these materials provide pleasant coolness, in northern latitudes they only bring discomfort.
- The following materials are suitable for finishing the ceiling: plaster, matte paint, suspended matte ceiling, ceiling made of wooden lining. For high ceilings, decorative beams as in the photo below are appropriate as an addition.
Apron
The hallmark of the style is the use of majolica and tiles in decoration. The latter are ceramic tiles, the origin of which goes back centuries.
Its surface can be smooth or textured. Majolica is one of the varieties of tiles and is typical of the Mediterranean region.
They have a rather active pattern, so you should not use it on large surfaces, such as the floor. These unusual types of finishes are best used to decorate an apron. It will turn out both beautiful and practical. Yes, and it will be difficult to overdo it in this case.
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Tip 4. The secret to comfort in the kitchen... is in textiles
Textiles play a big role in a Mediterranean-style kitchen. If the comfort and beauty of the interior is your priority, then you can decorate the kitchen not only with a tablecloth, curtains, napkins, placemats, but also sew covers for chairs and pillows.
Kitchen textiles should be made from bleached and unbleached linen, cotton and chintz with patterns, embroidery, ornaments, with plant motifs, in a Vichy check with images in a marine theme.
Bright carpets and rugs, for example, hand-sewn from scraps, would also be appropriate.
Adviсe:
- To find a compromise between practicality and beauty of fabrics, choose mixed materials that reliably imitate natural ones;
- Get a good dome hood and use it whenever you cook.
Ceiling finishing
The ceiling occupies a special place in this style. Most often it is decorated with wooden beams - simple or decorative. Think carefully about whether this solution is suitable for your kitchen - in rooms with low walls, the beams will look too heavy, which means they will simply kill it visually.
Ceiling beams look beautiful, but are not suitable for every kitchen.
However: It is not necessary to make the beams massive. Simple thin wooden slats are enough to create an atmosphere. This technique can be used even in the smallest kitchens.
Use plaster as a base - simple or decorative. It is very important to achieve a smooth, evenly painted surface - the appearance of the ceiling largely depends on this. Give preference to light, pastel shades.
Small dark accents are allowed, but the base should be light.
Hint 5. What should the curtains be like?
Suitable types of curtains in the Mediterranean style: wooden/bamboo blinds, soft roller or Roman blinds, or light curtains of a simple style made of tulle/chintz/linen.
Set
Original furniture made of bleached wood, roughly painted on top, blue or blue paint, forged parts, wicker elements - all this, along with a fair amount of asceticism, symbolizes Greece.
But for Italy and Spain, softer wood processing is closer. Even carving is allowed, but not complicated.
The modern Mediterranean style welcomes such deviations from traditional design as the presence of glass and metal surfaces, as well as chrome and gloss finishes.
Tip 6. Good color design – 50% success
Mediterranean style kitchen design color options:
- In a monochrome palette (more in line with Spanish and Italian kitchen design): a combination of warm natural colors close to each other - a variety of shades of beige, yellow, coral, orange and brown.
You can refresh such a “warm” interior using white, green, blue, light blue and turquoise.
- In a contrasting color scheme (more suitable for a Greek-style kitchen): the basis of the interior is white combined with contrasting blue and all its shades from turquoise to blue. The blue-white combination has played a special role in Greek culture since the times of Ancient Greece, and this color scheme also brings the necessary impulse of freshness and coolness to the interior of stuffy Greek cuisine. However, we, residents of a northern country, do not need extra coolness, so instead of cold blue, try to include more neutral shades in the interior - dusty blue or turquoise, and in addition to the blue and white palette, select the warm colors listed above.
What is majolica tile and how to use it in the interior - INMYROOM
Initially, majolica is any product made of baked clay, covered with glaze and paints. But most often, ceramic tiles made using the majolica technique are used to decorate buildings inside and outside - with a relief surface and unique color transitions. We have collected the most important information about this material. And we learned from designer Inessa Ternova how to decorate the interior with expensive tiles - and not go broke.
History of majolica
Tiles made using the majolica technique appeared several thousand years ago in Egypt, Babylon and Assyria - oriental tiles with colorful paintings entered Europe through the Spanish island of Majorca (Mallorca), from where they got their name. Europeans began to have their own tiles much later: at the end of the 16th century in the Dutch Delft they began to make white tiles with a hand-applied blue pattern - and the image was not ornamental, but subject-matter and even genre, with entire scenes from life.
In Russia, tiles also appeared in the Middle Ages; they were used to decorate facades and line stoves. And since the 18th century, we began to produce majolica industrially - at the Moscow Grebenshchikov plant, in the workshops of Gzhel and Yaroslavl. But Italy remained the largest European center for the production of majolica for a long time: in Florence and Naples, Siena, Urbino and Caltagirone, in addition to tiles, sculptures and bas-reliefs were made using the majolica technique. During the Renaissance and the beginning of the modern era, many artists used majolica to create primarily sculptural compositions.
How it's done
Majolica is rough ceramics; ordinary red clay is suitable for its production: white enamel and two layers of glaze are applied to the product: the first - under the drawing, the second - after painting. Majolica is also fired twice: first to secure the shape, and then the design, at a temperature of about 1000 °C. Paint for painting is made on the basis of glaze, with the addition of tin oxide.
Today, single-color tiles made using the majolica technique are popular - in this case, the entire surface of the tile is covered with paint and glaze over the enamel. When fired, the glaze and paint fuse, creating a unique surface relief and (sometimes) color nuances - no two identical tiles made using the majolica technique can be found. The tiles are usually square (except for borders), small in size - from 5 to 20 centimeters on the side.
Properties of majolica
Majolica, like all clay products, is an absolutely environmentally friendly material. In addition, majolica is the most durable ceramic tile. Since ancient times, tiles have been famous for their high thermal conductivity and take a long time to cool, so they are actively used to this day for lining stoves and fireplaces. Majolica holds fire well and does not accumulate static electricity.
How much does it cost
Majolica is traditionally an expensive pleasure. For single-color tiles, manufacturers ask from 1,000 to 7,000 rubles per square meter. Prices for painted tiles start from 10,000 rubles per square. You can save money if you buy separate elements of large tiled panels: since it is already problematic to assemble the design, they are discounted. However, such tiles also look good when cladding using the patchwork technique, glued at random.
Majolica in the interior
Majolica has a textured surface, uneven, with bulges and pits, due to which the glaze glares and casts light in all directions. Thanks to this, painted majolica looks good next to rough matte country materials - wood, plaster, stone. Plain tiles are good in minimalist spaces in eco-style. Monochrome relief tiles or tiles in the Delft majolica style are most often found in classical interiors.
Professional advice: how to use majolica in the interior
In any case, majolica attracts attention - which means you can use a minimum of material to create an impressive effect. We asked designer Inessa Ternovaya how to use such tiles in decorating an apartment or house on a budget, and received some professional advice.
Inessa Ternovaya is an interior designer and a teacher-psychologist by training. After graduating from the International School of Design, she opened her own business in 2007. Works in Russia and Italy. She uses her own unique “art-psychological” approach: the interior, according to Inessa, should reflect the inner world of customers and generate inspiration.
Mantel
Historically, tiles are, first of all, a stove. Therefore, the main place for using majolica in a modern interior is the same fireplace. If you are the owner of a country house, add majolica to the portal cladding: a few bright tiles on a white background or a frame along the contour of a niche are enough.
Residents of city apartments dream of fireplaces and even build portals without a chimney to place a bio-fireplace or ordinary candles in them. Majolica on such a fireplace will turn the imitation into an exquisite design pun.
Majolica for shower
Who said that the bathroom must be all tiled? It is enough to buy a couple of square meters of precious majolica to decorate the walls only in the shower area and above the sink. The remaining surfaces can be painted with moisture-resistant paint in a shade that matches the tiles.
Exterior motives for the hallway
Majolica can often be found right on the streets of ancient Mediterranean cities. Therefore, it will be great to decorate the hallway with it - exterior elements always look appropriate at the threshold of the apartment. Lay a beautiful frieze on top - it only requires a few tiles. You can also divide the wall using majolica with a horizontal border. Use porcelain stoneware and decorative plaster for other surfaces (at first glance, it is quite possible to make this expensive coating with your own hands from economical materials). The result will be a hallway reminiscent of a Neapolitan alley.
Platbands and slopes
Continuing the theme of exterior inclusions in the interior, we need to remember about doorways and windows. A majolica frame along the contour will give them incredible charm. Window slopes can also be successfully finished with patterned glazed tiles. To complete the impression, lay out the window sills with the same material - a Mediterranean flavor is guaranteed.
Mosaic steps
Designers suggest tiling the walls along the staircases. I used a more economical option in my own home: I laid out a majolica border along the stairs on the wall. The result is an openwork plinth, with which the steps look airy. But you can choose the most common option and decorate the risers with tiles - such stairs can be seen in Mediterranean cities.
Tiles for the kitchen
What should the owner of a typical small-sized car do, who does not have a ladder? Decorate the kitchen with majolica, as was done in the Middle Ages. For an apron or countertop, you will need a lot of material - but you can integrate colored tiles into the finish of a single-color tile. Decorate the base of an old dining table with majolica. Or cupboard doors: tiles are glued into the panels, and the outdated cabinet becomes the central object in the interior.
Product design
Majolica transforms even ordinary wooden trays - for example, from IKEA - into exclusive objects. Be careful: the design on majolica is often convex; after alteration, it is optimal to transport non-fragile items on such a tray: fruit, bread, cookies in or without unbreakable containers. Another common but effective idea is to frame a mirror with beautiful tiles. Just take a plywood base for it that is a little wider and higher, with an allowance for the tiles. And stick the mirror in the center, and the majolica around the perimeter.
If you are not afraid of uneven tabletops, use majolica to decorate your coffee table. You can also make the base yourself - for example, from pallets.
Majolica as an art object
Majolica is beautiful in itself. Make panels from the most beautiful tiles for your living room or bedroom - place them in a frame or simply stick them on the wall in the style of a collage. Add beautiful vases and majolica figurines to your interior: such accessories will decorate any living room. You can find them on your European travels or buy them from Russian artisans: world-class art ceramics are made in Gzhel and Yaroslavl.
www.inmyroom.ru
Tip 7. Choosing a lamp
A Mediterranean-style kitchen should have plenty of light. The best option for distributing its sources is as follows: 1-2 lamps hang directly above the dining table, the kitchen work area is equipped with furniture lighting, and the ceiling is equipped with turned spots.
As for the design of lamps, you can choose models in classic, country and Provence styles, but it is important that they are simple and made from natural materials: glass, wood, metal, fabric, bamboo, rattan, etc. Examples of such lamps are presented in the next collection of photos.
Photo gallery – Mediterranean style kitchen
Modern interiors in the southern style look not only fashionable and beautiful, but also reminiscent of sunny countries on the Mediterranean coast. Each country has its own, unique design style, which can be repeated with your own hands.
A light, elegant and functional interior will be a godsend for updating your kitchen renovation.
Create a bright atmosphere of Italy, Greece and Spain in your kitchen so that the southern sun can be with you at any time of the year.
Practical tips will help you design your interior as authentic, original and modern as possible.
Tip 8: Pay attention to detail
Mediterranean interior style, like any other, is formed by details. Pay special attention to the decor and try to choose high-quality items, otherwise they will look like cheap props. On the other hand, the Mediterranean interior style implies asceticism in decoration, so you shouldn’t overdo it with the number of accessories either.
- Decor options: wooden clocks, an abundance of indoor plants in clay and wicker pots (the more greenery, the better), thick-walled ceramic dishes, colored glass/ceramic vases, bottles, sachets and bundles of dried herbs, wine stands, wicker baskets.
- In decor and textiles, images of lemons, grapes, olive branches, as well as sea scenes, Greek ornaments and Mediterranean majolica patterns, prints - Vichy check and, of course, blue and white stripes are welcome.
Advice:
- When going on vacation to Greece, Cyprus, Spain and other Mediterranean countries, do not forget to bring souvenirs - sets of oils in bottles, spices in jars, plates painted with majolica and shells with which you can decorate the table as shown in the photo below or make decorative ones with your own hands crafts.
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Furniture
It is very important to choose the right pieces of furniture - otherwise all efforts to create a characteristic finish may be in vain. For Mediterranean interiors, we recommend choosing massive furniture made of natural wood. However, some elements may be metal. But it is better to avoid glass, plastic and other modern materials - they are not very suitable for this design.
Massive pieces of furniture are a must-have.
will suit you:
- Wooden sideboards with open shelves. The Mediterranean style is characterized by a large amount of open space, so it is better to avoid closed cabinets, at least in the upper part of the set.
- Wicker or forged chairs. Here you can move away from the overall massiveness - against the backdrop of bulky furniture, elegant chairs look very advantageous.
- Massive tables made of wood, round or rectangular.
- A wide variety of shelves on which you can place all the necessary kitchen utensils.
Special attention should be paid to the tabletop. It can be either simply stone or with an unusual mosaic pattern. The last option looks very attractive, but you need to understand that the design of the tabletop should be combined with the apron. Otherwise you'll end up with ridiculous kitsch.
You can smooth out the massiveness with color.
It is better to select household appliances in light colors, but if you wish, you can decorate them at your discretion. Decoupage, painting, various types of designs - all this will decorate your kitchen, making it more comfortable. However, in this case it is extremely important not to overdo it - the patterns should be light and airy.
You need to be careful when fitting appliances into the interior of such a kitchen.
Examples of modern interiors
Russian tiles Uralceramics, Majolica collection Example of tiling of a combined bathroom Standard kitchen Tiering of a non-standard bathroom
- alt=”Calculation of bathroom tiles without special programs: online calculator and instructions” width=”90″ height=”90″ />Calculation of bathroom tiles without special programs: online calculator and instructions
- alt=”Floor tiles in the corridor: subtleties of installation with your own hands” width=”90″ height=”90″ />Floor tiles in the corridor: subtleties of installation with your own hands
- Tile Magazines
How to replace majolica
In addition to real majolica, there are even cheaper tiles “under majolica” or “in majolica style”. It differs in that the design is not under the glaze, but is simply applied (by stamping) on top. Of course, such products will have lower performance characteristics. And the drawing will be erased over time.
Another way to save money is to go to a sale of leftover tiles in a specialized salon. Since it is no longer possible to assemble a single pattern from a small amount of majolica, they sell it cheaper. By collecting several of these types of tiles, you can decorate the walls of your home in an original way with patchwork-style patterns.
And the third way is to use high-quality majolica, purchased not on sale, but in small quantities. For example, framing a doorway or window with a row of tiles, embedding several colored tiles into a plain kitchen splashback, or making a beautiful frieze or majolica border in the hallway.
This video will tell you how to make majolica tiles or tiles yourself:
The most famous majolica
Italian majolicas are, as a rule, a variety of products made of red and pink (terracotta) clay, covered with enamel and painted in the Renaissance style: floral and geometric patterns, grotesques, etc.
Arabic and Turkish majolica are also red or yellowish-white clay shards, plus white enamel coating and their own paintings - again, ornaments, mostly geometric and rather specific floral ones, as well as various calligraphy.
Portuguese majolicas are, of course, azulejo - red or pink clay, still covered with white enamel and painted, as a rule, with white and blue baroque ornaments and various subject compositions.
Northern majolica - France, Germany, Great Britain, northern Italy - is mainly a white semi-faience or earthenware shard covered with white enamel, although at the dawn of their appearance, red clays were also used, as they were the most common on our planet. However, subsequently, most ceramists in these regions began to add kaolin and other additives to the clay mass, which made the shard creamy-white, which later received the name faience from the light hand of the craftsmen of the city of Faenza, who gave the name to this clay.
The background to the emergence of majolica is in attempts to copy white Chinese porcelain and its imitation. Hence the coating of ceramic products made from colored clays, available to the masters of the past, with white glaze. In Russia, majolica replaced the engobing technology, i.e. covering the red shard with “engobe” (liquid white clay), as easier from a technological point of view. Our ancestors did not try to imitate Chinese porcelain, but the white base brought out the colors brighter, which looked much better on a white background than on a red one.
In other articles on our website we write in some detail about the development of majolica in different regions of the world, and if you are interested in the issue, you can read them in this section.
Examples of modern interiors
Russian tiles Uralceramics, Majolica collection Example of tiling of a combined bathroom Standard kitchen Tiering of a non-standard bathroom
The firing method for the production of tiles began to be used in Ancient Egypt and Babylon 5 thousand years ago. The production technology became widely known thanks to Spanish traders, who discovered it and sold it to European countries. In the 11th century, a master from Italy, Luca della Robbia, and his students learned to make white glaze and cover the surface of the product with it, which began to be called majolica (as a derivative of the island of Mallorca, where the first samples were produced).
One of the components of the glaze is tin oxide, which must be tinted. To obtain blue color, cobalt was used, for green, copper was added, and purple color was obtained from the addition of manganese.
The majolica is fired twice: before applying the glaze, a low fire is used, and after coating with the glaze, a high fire is used. When Italian potters learned this secret, they began to use it en masse in production, putting it on stream. This is how a new area of production of faience with a glazed coating arose. The concept of faience became widespread thanks to the city of Faenza in Italy. There is the birthplace of world-famous clay products.
Majolica reached its maximum popularity in the 17th century. It was already known and in demand in Sweden, Germany, Holland, France and many other European countries.
The video explains in detail how the firing, glazing and artistic painting of tiles takes place:
The rise of Italian majolica. Popular decor motives
This technique reached its heyday in the 16th century, when many new regions of its production appeared: Venice, Gubbio, Urbino, Deruga, Castel Durante. Serious competition was observed between the masters of Urbino and Faenza, whom ceramists in other cities relied on. But despite this, the products of each region had their own characteristic features.
It should be noted that the painting of ceramics was greatly influenced by graphics and painting, which were well developed in that era. This contributed to the emergence of a new style of painting, when colorful narrative paintings were transferred directly to dishes. This technique was called istoriati. Products decorated in this way were much cheaper compared to ordinary easel paintings, which is why they were in great demand throughout Italy.
Another interesting and important motif is the design of the grotesque, which from monumental and rough turned into miniature and graceful creations thanks to the brush of Raphael. The author's works were so successful that other ceramists began to create, as it were, the first reproductions of his products, transferring the images onto their majolica.
In such compositions, the decor was placed according to one of two principles:
Bibliography
- Caiger-Smith, Alan, Tin Pottery in Europe and the Islamic World: A 1000-Year Tradition of Majolica, Faience and Earthenware
(Faber and Faber, 1973) ISBN 0-571-09349-3 - Cohen, David Harris and Hess, Catherine, A Guide to Italian Ceramics
(J. Paul Getty Museum in association with British Museum Press, 1993) - Cora, Galeazzo Storia della Maiolica di Firenze e del Contado.
Secoli XIV and XV (Florence: Sassoni) 1973 A standard monograph on the major early centers, published in an extravagant format that now brings in over $1,200 on the book market. - Faenza
. The magazine has been published since 1914 and is dedicated to majolica and glazed tableware. - Filipponi, Fernando, Aurelio Anselmo Grue: majolica en settecento by Fra Castelli e Atri
, Castelli, Verdone Editore, 2015, ISBN 978-88-96868-47-8. - Filipponi, Fernando, Souvenir d'Arcadia.
Ispirazione letteraria, classicismo and new models for decorative works of art Alla Corte di Clemente XI , Torino, Allemandi, 2022, ISBN. - Honey, W.B., European Ceramic Art
(Faber and Faber, 1952) - Liverani, G. La Majolica Italiana Sino alla Comparison della Porcellana Europa
Summary of a century of research based largely on surviving examples. - Mussachio, Jacqueline, Miracles of Majolica: Italian Renaissance Ceramics from the Corcoran Art Gallery
(Bunker Hill Publishing, 2004) - Osterman, Mathias, The New Majolica: Contemporary Approaches to Color and Technique
(A&C Black/University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999) ISBN 0-7136-4878-3 - Rackham, Bernard. Italian Majolica
(London: Faber and Faber Monographs) - Solon, Mark L., History and Description of Italian Majolica
(Cassell and Company Limited, London, 1907) - Wilson, Timothy, " The Ceramic Art of the Italian Renaissance
(London) 1987". Bibliography. - —, Maiolica: Italian Renaissance Ceramics at the Ashmolean Museum
(Ashmolean Handbooks, 1989) ISBN 0-907849-90-3 - Ferrari, Felice (2003). La ceramica di Lodi
[
The Ceramics of Lodi
] (in Italian). Azzano San Paolo: Bolis Edizioni. - Poole, Julia E. (1997). Italian majolica
. Fitzwilliam Museum Reference Books. Cambridge, New York, Melbourne: Cambridge University Press. ISBN.
Living room ideas
Since the modern style of Italy has become the embodiment of avant-garde thought, the trends that express it are also different. Let's try to highlight three particularly interesting approaches to this creativity, which are often used to decorate fashionable apartments and private houses. We divide them into three system categories:
- rustic (country);
- luxury;
- bold contemporary.
Small, classic living room
Although they are all very different from each other, the designs share a common theme: they are all influenced by the past while simultaneously influencing the modern design world. Let's take a closer look at each of these views to understand more.
Country style
Rustic, rustic Italian design uses raw surface materials in spaces as they combine different worlds – the new with the old. Although these two worlds may be different, they complement each other through contrast.
We can't all live in an Italian farmhouse with exposed old brick walls and beams, but the idea of using contrasting features between new and traditional is a concept that is regularly seen in projects like loft or industrial style.
Country style
Classic Luxury Modern
Italian luxury design attracts a balance between subtle elegance and timeless status. Pieces such as the dining table and chairs are used as an opportunity to be expressive and artistic while remaining within the bounds of good taste that exudes richness. Because of this, the style finds ways to evolve to maintain originality in its niche of the design industry. Ironically, the inspiration from the past constantly keeps the concept fresh and luxurious.
Luxury Modern
Glass contemporary
Glass work has been a constant source of inspiration for centuries, so today's designers are finding ways to push the boundaries between what glass can do and new designs. The traditional glasswork of the Italians has its roots in Venice and Minotti, where artistically blown glass became quite popular in Europe at various points in its history. Now the tradition of craftsmanship and quality glass workmanship is reflected in new designs in the same artistic manner, but to suit today's tastes.
Memvis style
Luxurious leather
Leather is another material for which Italy is recognized as the best in its production. Like glass, leather has a past rooted in the techniques of centuries-old workshops.
To this day, the best tanneries in Italy continue to maintain traditional dyeing and tanning methods. They give the product, made in Italy, the reputation of luxury leather. This leather makes armchairs, sofas or dining chairs special.
Bold Memphis style
The boldest side of Italian contemporary design takes a completely different aesthetic route compared to its more refined counterparts. Revolving around the concept of fun, color and clearly defined shapes, it's easy to see how this division can find its roots in the Italian Memphis movement. Challenging the idea of what “life should look like,” Memphis broke barriers of industry standards by centralizing design around colors and shapes to express creativity.
The boldest side of Italian design
Various brands, such as Kartell, take advantage of polyethylene and thermoplastic to create designs that focus on color and simplified form while serving function.
How new Italian design influences our homes can be seen through various aspects of its character. While one style may work with Old World roughness, another will find its inspiration in the world's crafts to use for a new luxury. And the third will make its way, focusing on the avant-garde.
Italian style
Luxurious furniture for exclusive interior
Stylishness, Comfort and Beauty (170+ Photos): interior in black and white colors (living room, bedroom, kitchen)
