Vibrant, informal and, above all, refreshingly simple. Mediterranean style is synonymous with easy living. From Tangiers to Tuscany, an imaginative sense of colour and pattern prevails, allied to a sensitive use of natural materials and local traditions. Floors are natural wood or terracotta tiled, ceilings have exposed beams, and the natural imperfections of brick and plaster walls might be highlighted through the lightest of distemper washes.
This is a world suffused with warmth, where the dividing line between indoor and outdoor living space is seamless. Marble, slate and ceramics keep walls and floors cool, screens and shutters at doors and windows offer privacy without shutting out the air, and furnishing relies more on a few unfussy and functional pieces than creating a space to cosy-up in.
With colours from the Kasbah to Crete so in vogue today, this book reveals the Mediterranean love of strong, sun-drenched hues – aquamarine, ochre, earthy red and olive-grove green- and the subtleties of Mediterranean patterning, found in Moorish mosaic detailing, ceramic tiles, kilim weaves and wrought ironwork.
Researched photography, of locations from Umbria to Marrakesh, combines with twelve specially commissioned projects to provide imaginative ideas for translating this look into the contemporary home. Simple, but original. decorating techniques include Italianate fretwork shutters. Provençal pebble flooring and Arabesque painted tea glasses, and make this book at once a source of ideas and a practical guide. Above all, however, Mediterranean Style is in tune with the current craving for eclectic simplicity, and will inspire the reader to create interiors to relax in, whether they live in a city apartment or a country home.