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Spanish style interior |
Few of us can clearly remember a time when we awoke to the sun as a powerful shimmering aura outside our window. Perhaps we became just too busy to notice. Or perhaps the sun simply does not shine as brightly in our corner of the world. Over Andalusia, the sun shines so brightly in afternoon it will bleach walls a blinding white, or at sunset will burnish them a lovely shade of yellow, and sometimes, reddish ochre. Wonderfully excited by colored glass, known to dance across tabletops and tiled surfaces, and with a marvelous ability restore life to the oldest and most crumbling walls, sunlight is the key element to Spanish interior design.
In the Spanish home, art and artifact are hand crafted primarily from natural materials. Stone and ceramic tile, painted or left unfinished, pave floors and adorn walls. Rough-hewn stucco and lime washed surfaces lend unmistakable character to the living space - character equal to that of almost any other interior feature. Furniture pieces are of beautiful heavy woods. These may be stained or left natural, but are hand tooled using the time-honored techniques of the traditional carpenter. The simple aged chair and the antique frame of sofa or divan are cushion upholstered. Fabrics are an eclectic blend of linen, cotton, and perhaps animal hide, and are edged with wrought brass-nail detailing, perhaps rusted and later polished by use.
A spirited mix of the modern, the traditional, and the rustic, the Spanish home keeps complex appeal deciphered in details. Textures are distinctive throughout. The lines that draw the eye from room to room are curved, angular, or better, a mix of both. On ceilings, exposed wood beams interrupt white stucco planes, while on walls, splashes of orange, red, and blue interlace with black to conjure the spirit of a Picasso.
In the kitchen, hand-painted ceramic dishes rest on open shelves, and the dark-stained pine of cabinet and table sets off beautifully the colorful pottery and glassware. Wafting aromas from the oven – garlic, thyme, and olive oil – swirl with the scents of citrus and jasmine from the garden. The tiled patio is luminous as the sun sets over tapas and Talavera. Dinner is served.
Spanish style decor |
Spanish home design |
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.
Spanish style interior |
Spanish home |
