Spanish Interior Design
Spanish interior design, simply put, is all about energetic shades and bright-bold-beautiful patterns. A Spanish-style interior is resplendent with rich, textured and lively designs and finishes. Once you step into a Spanish-inspired home, you can sense the warmth, romance and serenity oozing out of the home settings, which is why Spanish décor is such a rage with the Americans. A Spanish style interior design is marked by distinct arched architecture that uses adobe bricks, stucco, terra cotta roofs and heavy, carved wood entry doors adorned with wrought iron handles coupled with a wrought iron fence and gate. Doing up your dream home a la the Spanish way will make your home a warm den and give it an unfeigned old world appeal. Initially, Spanish interior was heavily used to do up the villas and the farmhouses of the Mediterranean countries. However, over the years, the design has undergone many changes and now the modern Spanish interior mainly stands as a hodge-podge of Aztec, Mexican and traditional Spanish colonial designs. Here are some of the ways in which you can incorporate Spanish flair in your own homes and transform it into a timeless retreat.
Spanish Interior Design Ideas
Wall
Most Spanish-styled homes heavily bet on warm earthy tones to make a bold, beautiful statement and exude fun and warmth. Paint your walls in the warm hues of deep reds, oranges and yellows. You may also experiment with various shades of green and brown that are earthier in nature. You can also play with colors to texture your walls and combine shades of cream, pale yellow or gold to create rustic and the stucco look. Make sure you match the wall paints in your rooms with the texture paint designs to create the Spanish style interior. If you have trims, then you can paint it with bright colors of green and blue.
Floor
Since Spanish interiors is all about being warm and welcoming, pick up floor accessories like rugs and carpets and even your tiles and wooden floors in warm tones. The most traditional flooring choice in a Spanish-style home is hardwood. You can choose large, thick terra cotta tiles to recreate the feel and look of a historic Spanish home. For a contemporary look, choose plaster or metal, slate, heavy, matte-finished or ceramic tiles. Rather than just choosing a rug, go for woven throw rugs and avoid wall-to-wall carpeting. Have small rugs and carpets placed in every room, uniformly.
Furniture
Rustic furniture is a perfect match for your Spanish-influenced homes. Keep your choice of furniture simple and basic and avoid cluttering the space with heavy furnishings. Remember, the more the room space, the closer it is to the Spanish décor style. Dark color woods and wrought iron furniture are your best bet as they add elegance to your decor. You can choose from mahogany, walnut, ebony, butternut, teak and rosewood to create the perfect Spanish-style furnishings. You will easily find wrought iron furniture at antique stores. Team up the furniture with chandeliers, wall lights, wall sconces and candlesticks. If you have extra space, build a fireplace to recreate the feel of a perfect Spanish home. The home should have ample wicker or wood furniture that can be taken out to the patio or hallway for a crisp summer evening.
Décor
You can replace the glass shutter of your window with a wooden shutter to add texture and color. A Spanish home usually has several windows to allow enough light and air to flow in. Invest in tasteful artwork like paintings, antique frames, tapestries, wall art, urns, vases, planters and pots. Antique mirrors too occupy a great importance in Spanish homes. You can embellish your rooms with mirrors made of iron or wooden frames. Incorporate decorative pieces such as doorknockers, cabinetry and door hardware, wall sconces, chandeliers, headboards and fireplace covers for added appeal.
Fabric
Suede, leather, and bright colored fabrics with brilliant patterns are the most favored fabrics in Spanish styled homes. Light flowing curtains are a must-have if you wish to revamp your home from ordinary to Spanish. The fabrics of the sofas, the bedspreads, and the rugs should be the focal attraction of your room. Colors like gold, cream, chocolate brown are the preferred ones with bright Mexican print on them. Cotton is the most preferred fabric when it comes to curtains and bedroom linen while leather is mostly used for living room furnishings. Pillows are an important feature of Spanish décor style. Throw loads and loads of cushions on sofa, bed, and lounge chair, etc. for a warm, casual appeal.
There are myriad Spanish interior designs that you can choose to style up your home. Styles like the Spanish Colonial Style, the Spanish Revival Style, the Spanish Mission Style or the Spanish modern style are some of the most popular choices in this case. Spanish interior design, whether it is traditional or modern, integrates natural surroundings with functional home decor. However, remember not to get too involved with the styling and spend a fortune on it, because, if in future you would want to change the interior style, then the effort and money you put into creating the style would go in vain. It is best to go for the contemporary Spanish style look that is sleek and minimalist and can be modified according to your changing taste and time.