The Mediterranean style of decor is inspired by that used in the countries located to the north of the Mediterranean sea - Spain, France, Italy and Greece.



Paintings and Prints

One of the ways to evoke the atmosphere of the Mediterranean is with the paintings you place on the walls. Any such paintings - whether originals or reproductions of old masters - should be placed in frames of wood, not of metal, as you want to evoke the past, not the present.

With that in mind, you don't want any modern art on the walls, featuring subjects rendered in such a way that you wouldn't know what they were supposed to be unless the artist told you.

Landscapes - ideally of locations in Spain, France, Italy or Greece - will make an excellent addition to any room. These could include dramatic views of mountains, hillsides, or even vineyards, or pastoral scenes of shepherds and their animals, or cityscapes of the famous walled cities of the Middle Ages, or oceanscapes (a favorite of mine.)

If you don't care for landscapes then representations of bowls of flowers, animals, or hunting scenes will do, or portraits.

While these subjects might not be available from your local art gallery, you can certainly find a vast selection on the web. It's not necessary to purchase actual paintings - oil or watercolor or whatever media you prefer, although they do add a certain je ne sais quois. Fine art prints, properly framed, look gorgeous as well. (Make sure such prints are produced using either the lithographic or serigraphic printing process, are printed on high quality archival acid free paper, and note that the thicker paper the better.)

Flowers

A typical accessory in Mediterranean homes are plain vases filled with lush flowers - colorful hydrangeas, magnolias, amaranthus or roses, offset with bunches of grapes. They go well with any kid of decor, frankly, but are very natural in the Mediterranean style.

Be careful with the vases. They should not be too fancy - they are there to present the flowers, not compete from them.

It's not necessary to confine yourself to flowers. Trees - including topiary - can make an exciting addition as well.

Statuary

You can really go to town with statuary, particularly reproductions of classic Greek statues, from the Venus de Milo to the Winged Victory. Renaissance Italy produced hundreds of classic sculpture, from Michelangelo's David to his Pietas to Moses.

You can purchase these statues in any size, from six inches to six feet... with matching prices!