Tuscany is a region in central Italy, famous for its hills (two thirds of the land is hilly and the rest of it is divided between mountains and plains), it's wines, and its art. Its capital is Florence, home of the famous Uffizi Art Gallery among hundreds of other galleries and museums, and its other "cities of art" include Pisa (home of the Leaning Tower of Pisa), Lucca, Siena, and San Gimignano. It's also famous for the island of Elba, where the Emperor Napoleon was exiled for nine months in 1814, before he escaped back to France for the "hundred days," finally being defeated at Waterloo on June 18, 1815, and then being exiled to the French island of St. Helena, where he died six years later, in 1821.



But enough of the history lesson (fascinating though it is). Let's get back to Tuscany.

The Tuscan style of decor is very popular around the world, with its rustic simplicity and emphasis on family and friends.

In any decor, care is taken with the lighting, the windows, the walls, the floor, the furniture, and the accessories.

Lighting

Sunlight is free, and in most places is to be had in abundance! However, sunlight can damage furniture and artwork by fading it, so it's always best to ensure that these items are kept out of direct sunlight if at all possible.

Everything in the Tuscan style is rustic, and this would include the lamps, whether they are the stand alone kind behind chairs, or on the occasional tables. This doesn't mean wrought iron posts with fat white candles guttering at the tops of them, but rather lamps with ornate, metallic bases and shades of a warm hue.

Windows

Lighting and windows are really intertwined, obviously, as you'll get your sunlight through the windows. However, window treatments will vary depending on the size of your windows, and the view outside of them. If your view is of a green lawn or a beautiful garden, you'll want to be able to view that whenever you like, whereas if your view is of an uninteresting stretch of street you won't care how much of the outside you can see.!

Walls

Your walls are where you can really go to town with the Tuscan look. Colors of warm tans, light browns and beige give the proper look, but there's no need to stop there. Texture the walls to make them look rustic....or paint a mural on one wall. You can also purchase wallpaper with Tuscan designs as well.

Floor

Hardwood floors give the appropriate rustic look to a Tuscan-designed home.

Furniture

Large, overstuffed furniture is the order of the day. Antique furniture of distressed wood, with floral-patterned upholstery, provide a warm, homey atmosphere in the living room.

Accessories would consist of an abundance of flowers, or of replicas of classic statues, bowls of fruit, throw rugs, and so on.

If the idea of Tuscan decor sounds intriguing, surf the web where you'll be able to find dozens of sites dedicated to this style, so that you can get more ideas on what would fit well with your home.