Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Tuscan Style Bathroom Ideas

Due to its smaller size, the bathroom is a relatively easy place to makeover and add Tuscan style. Home owners evoke a Tuscan villa with warm and homey features in the bathroom, sometimes accented with cool Mediterranean blues and greens. You can update the bathroom with new paint colors and accessories, or invest in a full room remodel.








Features


Tuscany-inspired bathrooms feature warm, robust colors such as terracotta, yellow, gold and ocher. Finishes tend to be distressed or matte instead of sleek and glossy. A Tuscan bathroom often has eye-catching architectural elements such as arched window frames, niches, tall windows, skylights or columns.


Function


Tuscan-themed bathrooms integrate the room's interior with the outside by using minimal window coverings. Thin, natural fabrics in light hues or faded patterns are ideal for curtains, which can be set halfway down the window to allow for a view while maintaining privacy. You might welcome the garden inside by planting window boxes with wildflowers or an herb garden, or hanging leafy plants near doorways and windows.


Effects


A Tuscan bathroom is a retreat. Natural finishes and materials such as a stone wall, marble countertops or exposed wooden beams create a rustic, old world charm. Artisan touches and designer details such as hand-painted trims and faux finishes lend an elegant ambiance.


Types


There are a couple of types of Tuscan style used in bathrooms. There is the rustic, do-it-yourself approach that might feature a wall mural of a garden scene framed by columns and furniture that you paint and then distress. Then there is the glossier Tuscan look, which might feature terracotta tile floors, mottled marble finishes and designer hardware on drawers and cabinets.


Warning


Marble and stone tile look gorgeous in a Tuscan bathroom, but are also extremely slippery when wet. Some people opt for farmhouse-style wooden floors with a rustic finish instead, but these require maintenance, including sponging off excess moisture.

Tags: Tuscan bathroom, might feature, Tuscan style