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Tuscan Colors, Inside & Out
Authentic examples of Tuscan colors - use them to create a color scheme that reflects the sense of warmth, ease and welcome you can find in Tuscan interiors.
Here's a picture of a typical Tuscan kitchen. It's painted in the traditional Tuscan color scheme for the interior walls of rustic farmhouses ...
... white!
(Easy to obtain, inexpensive, looks good & goes with everything.)
But if you're looking for Tuscan paint color ideas and your house is in Montreal, Melbourne, or Manchester ...
... it's perfectly fine to use all the typical colors of Tuscan villages, and of the glorious Tuscan contryside, to inspire you with color schemes for
- interior walls
- furniture
- soft furnishings
- accessories
- & floors.
Quite a few of the Tuscan colors on this page are from the same small village – well, there’s a story behind it. Let me ‘splain:
The New House in the Village
A friend told me how, at the bottom of her tiny hilltop village in Tuscany, someone was building a new house.
 The other villagers (40 when you counted all the kids) were nervous about the possibility that the newcomer would spoil the general appearance of their village.
So they got together and decided that they would have a say in the choice of paint color for this new house.
As it was, the village already had a fine selection of Tuscan colors on its houses (see if you agree - above are some color swatches!)
Generally, the exterior house colors used for Tuscan decorating styles go beautifully with the surrounding landscape.
To the left are a few samples of what Nature contributes to the Tuscan color scheme in and around the village.
And then, of course, there are the colors that everyone is surrounded by – they’re not necessarily Tuscan colors, but they are nevertheless part of the visual fabric of everyday life in this village:
So this was the background for the Tuscan paint color vote.
The Vote
A chart with suggested color swatches was hung up in the Alimentari, the only shop in the village.
Forty villagers flocked to the shop to tick their choice of Tuscan colors for the new house.
Which color did they pick? Here it is – photographed in situ, on the walls of the newcomer’s house.
Alternatives
Other Tuscan villages develop similar paint color schemes – sometimes more vivid, even with a bit of sugar pink thrown in (as in the picture below), and some look altogether more somber.
Occasionally, the color scheme for an entire village consists only of the natural hues of rock, brick, and terracotta roof tiles; the houses are left unrendered and unpainted.
If this sounds a bit drab to you, it’s because I haven’t mentioned the flowers yet.
 I wish I could do something like this in my own sun-starved back yard ... (fat chance)!
Geranium, star jasmine, roses, wine, oleander - sometimes even bougainvillaea - they all like it hot and sunny. And (except for the geranium) they’ll climb all over your house if you let them. Tuscany is their perfect home.
You could use Tuscan color elements like these as a starting point to decorate your home in a Tuscan paint color scheme.
- Start with several neutrals, including lots of white, straw colors, natural browns, and brownish reds.
- Colorwash some walls with a tint of yellow umber or slightly grayed, yellowish, peachy pink. (Or both, one after the other).
- Create accents (e.g. cushions, flowering plants) with ‘hot’ colors (deep, glowing reds and dark pinks or purples).
- Tone the mix down with a few gentle shades of green (sage, olive, or darker, leafy greens).
- Make sure you include a lot of textures, even very coarse ones, to evoke the natural surfaces of the Tuscan landscape and houses. It’ll look wonderful.
Color Schemes for Tuscan
Interiors and Furniture
 In the original, rustic Tuscan decorating style, the colors are provided by terracotta or cotto floors, unpainted wooden furniture, chairs with straw seats, and the odd colored textile.
However, it’s perfectly acceptable to put some color not only on your walls, but also on your furniture these days.
Even Tuscans are doing it.
Here’s a little osteria: The owner, Marcello, chose an upbeat mix of red, yellow and green for the chairs and tablecloths, and painted the wall mural himself. It’s a portrait of his village, Micciano. (In case you’re in the area, I have it from a reliable source that the Osteria del Borgo serves genuine, tasty, original Tuscan fare.)
Tuscan colors for interiors can create the illusion of sunshine and warmth - even in the coolest, most functional city environment.
If you combine your ‘modern’ Tuscan color scheme with traditional white, it will give the colors a crisp edge and add to their impact.
That’s how it was done with the cupboard below – it is painted a vibrant sunflower yellow and set against a white wall.
 When you decide to use Tuscan paint colors on your furniture, - always make sure you test the colors before you start painting.
- Mute strong colors (mix in some gray, brown, or a complementary color) to make sure they don’t look garish.
- If you’re combining Tuscan paint colors with white, go for a paler, duskier version of the color than you would normally do.
- To make sure your interior Tuscan color scheme doesn't look artificial, combine the paint (and fabric) colors with lots of rugged, natural materials ...
- ... for example straw, terracotta (glazed and unglazed) and untreated wooden furniture.
- If your home doesn't have terracotta, stone or terrazzo flooring, try rush matting for some instant rustic appeal.
There you go - that’s your low-down on Tuscan paint color schemes! To read more about Tuscan Interiors, please …
…. return from Tuscan Colors to Tuscan Decorating Style Secrets.
Alternatively,
return to the Dream Home Decorating Homepage.
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