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You don’t have to live on the shores of the French Riviera to have a bit of the Mediterranean in your home. You could be looking at Coronado homes for sale in San Diego, or somewhere in the middle of Iowa. If you love that look you can incorporate it anywhere you live. There’s something that makes the Mediterranean-style architecture feel so inviting and comfortable that it makes sense to want to bring it home.
There are certain elements that make the architectural style what it is. If you get them right then your home will exude that same type of atmosphere that you’d get in a villa in Spain or Greece. When you miss the mark, you could end up spending a lot of money and feel let down. In this article, we will go over what it takes to make your home feel like a Mediterranean villa.
Use natural materials
When many of those homes that you love were being built, the locals would use what they had at hand to build, this means that they were forced to use the natural materials that they had available. To recreate the effect you will need to use a lot of natural material at least for the decorations.
You likely have a house built with lumber and drywall so you will need to try to use these materials for accents from the shutters to the furniture. Look for wood that is stained to highlight the natural colors and grain that will exude a warm atmosphere. This can be done with shelves and stairs for instance. If you have furniture made with mainly wood and some cushions over it then this will give an authentic effect.
Stone is also very prevalent in Mediterranean-style homes. You should try to incorporate it into the structure of the home where possible. If you have a step up through a doorway going into another room, then a flagstone step would make a nice impression, for example.
Negative space can be filled with natural items as well. Some terracotta vases for plants in a corner will go a long way to adding a natural element to the space.
Use the right colors
The color scheme in Mediterranean homes is also very natural and is important to get right. If you have the natural elements like stone and woodworking for the effect then adding the right colors will tie it all together.
Make it bright
Make sure that you have a lot of possibilities for natural light to shine into the home. Big windows facing south will allow lots of light to come in and give the home an airy feel. This is because, in the Mediterranean, it is important to have a lot of ways for the sea breezes to flow through the home and keep them cool.
Final words
You may not need to cool your house this way but the look will be achieved by widening your windows.
