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| Mediterranean Design, Home Interiors | Mediterranean Architecture, Home Style |
Mediterranean Home Decor, Design, Style |
At a time when European dwellings consisted of cold, unlit fortifications, lacking in bathing facilities and even running water, the Muslim Moors were building highly decorated mosques, luxury palaces, and functional bathhouses in the hills of Andalusia. Historical visitors to Al-Andalus from the upper territories of the continent could not help but depart with a profound sense of wonder, carrying back with them the knowledge of what was extraordinary and what was possible.
In the 8th century, the Moors arrived on the Spanish peninsula with all the safeguarded knowledge of Greek, Roman and Arab engineering. With a keenly applied interest in mathematical principles, they expanded upon this knowledge, introducing innovation in distinctive forms - the lobed, the pointed, and the horseshoe arch. The eight-sectioned ribbed dome and the square tower were also introduced. These forms are visible in the Alhambra, the General-life, the Great Mosque of Cordoba, and the Giralda Tower of Seville, among other Moorish constructions.
Inspired imitations of Moorish design elements appeared first in Europe, most remarkably in Gothic architecture, and most brilliantly in the palazzo structures facing out along Venice’s Grand Canal and in Brunelleschi’s Duomo in Florence during the Renaissance. In Spain itself, the Alcazar palace of Pedro the Cruel, built on Moorish ruins by Mudejar architects was a fantastic direct infusion of Moorish design principles. The palace featured carved Arabic inscriptions intermingled with Christian symbols, and remains one of the finest examples of the style. It was however neither the first nor the last of its kind.
While Mudejar refers to the culture of remaining Muslims after the Reconquest, Mozarabic refers to the inspired culture of Christians living within and alongside Moorish civilization. Both the Mozarabic and the Mudejar styles are blends of Christian and Moorish architecture. The best examples of Mudejar style can be found in Toledo, Zaragossa, Avila, Leon, Segovia, Guadalajara, and Seville.
| Mediterranean Style, Spanish Home Design | Mediterranean Decor, Interior Design | Mediterranean Travel, Tours, Vacation |
The Spanish home is a relaxed blend of many traditions. A simple low-lying construction in stucco or limestone brick, it is typically asymmetrical in shape, features a terracotta tiled roof, and perhaps a lovely arched entranceway with a heavy wooden door – one carved or pieced together with iron brackets and hand forged nails. Spiral columns stand at its entrance, alongside railings of cast iron detailing and iron-grated windows.
Characteristic of Moorish architecture are structures that allow a comfortable balance of light and shade to permeate. Andalusian craftsmen accomplished this in a number of ways, including the rendering of pierced lacy facades made of stone. Acting almost as screens, such elements diffuse the powerful Mediterranean sunlight while at the same time making light and shade apart of the décor. Slowing moving patterns cast in sunlight lend a dynamic, enchanting quality to architecture.
Water is a key element of design in Andalusian architecture. The creation of modes for its passage and containment takes primary consideration. Water decorates as it cools, reflecting the architecture and lending a sense of openness and comfort to a closed courtyard. In the time of Al-Andalus, wealthy merchant homes held an inner courtyard sheathed in white marble or paved in limestone and then embellished with tile mosaic. A sparkling, cascading fountain or reflecting pool stood at the center of the courtyard. As possible, and irrespective of the means of the owner, the Andalusian home was an attempt to bring the magnificence of mosque and palace architecture into the private dwelling.
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