MODERNIZING TUSCAN DESIGN
With the new millennium, interior design entered what was then an exciting new phase, the Tuscan. The home design market was flooded with granite countertops and open floor plans, as kitchens quickly became the new social center of high-end luxury living in Naples and Boca Raton. With all that visibility came more elaborate custom cabinets, upscale travertine flooring and yes, those grand granite countertops, combined with a heavy brown-flavored color palette. The living room floor plan now sharing time with the kitchen and its island gathering place would often be home to ornate, luxurious Tuscan furniture.
The younger set, now becoming homeowners themselves, are looking for something more modern as well. Tuscan homes are flooding the market and buyers are ready to remodel.
Two decades later, with grown millenials moving out, empty nesters are looking to de-Tuscanize and change things up a bit, or sell their homes outright for a more easily manageable situation. The younger set, now becoming homeowners themselves, are looking for something more modern as well. Tuscan homes are flooding the market and buyers are ready to remodel.
But wait, there’s hope! You don’t need to ditch the house completely. There are many ways to de-Tuscanize your home. Read on…
MODERNIZING TUSCAN STYLE STARTS WITH A NEW, MODERN KITCHEN
Most outdated tuscan style homes have overpowering design elements in the kitchen. So if you’re ready to detuscanize, start in the kitchen. Countertops have an enormous impact right away. Consider these modern countertop options:
- The white marble durable countertop is a hot home trend, given its ability to coordinate with almost every color of cabinet and flooring. Marble also gives you a veined or non-veined option for a high-end luxury look and feel to your kitchen.
- Textured cast glass countertops, like the ones created by Downing Designs, provides an opportunity for clients to inject their personal touch into its very creation. Its unique, stunning presentation is sure to be a conversation-starter.
- Quartz provides versatility in both veined and non-veined countertop designs to fit virtually any kitchen.
- Natural stone, made from a careful selection, resists high temperatures and provides extraordinary resistance and durability.
- Butcher Block wooden countertops add natural warmth and beauty to your de-Tuscanized kitchen. Amish company Hardwood Lumber applies a water-resistant glue to ensure maximum durability for their countertops.
Kitchen Cabinets offer another immediate way to modernize a Tuscan kitchen. Renounce those Tuscan cabinets, with their ornate panels, textures and molding, and make way for these innovative ideas to easily de-Tuscanize the situation:
- Paint – Blue or gray paint can go a long way for a quick update, and is proving a very popular choice in kitchen updates to make a statement that is anything but Tuscan.
- Unique accent wall treatments – Look to your new countertop color to help decide your mix of cabinet color.
More Ideas to Detuscanize Your Home’s Interior
For other areas of the home, there a number of ways to modernize and refresh an out-of-date Tuscan design:
Modernize a Tuscan Bathroom
- Precious stones – Yes, in a countertop! Cosentino’s Concetto surfacing is an innovative material handcrafted from semi-precious stones that is eye-catching, beautiful and conveniently available in a multitude of stone and surface combinations. These countertops work wonderfully in high-end luxury bath suites.
- De-Tuscanizing means saying goodbye to the jacuzzi tub. This relic of the 90’s is ready to be swapped out for a simple yet luxurious soaking tub.
- Use the extra space to increase the size of the shower area. A walk-in shower presents an array of high-end luxury possibilities, from a glass enclosure to floor-to-ceiling windows with a one-way view of the tropical landscape outside. An updated marble wall provides a distinguished air to your shower as well.
- Ditch the gilded frame mirror above the vanity and go with a circular or oval mirror for a nice refresher. Italian designer Nella Vetrina offers a beautiful selection of vanities, or just install new hardware and sinks to match the mirror.
Modernize a Tuscan Living Room
- Those Tuscan-era heavy draperies have got to go. Opt instead for something that allows plenty of natural light while still providing privacy. Your new curtains or blinds can be operated by voice command, should you invite Alexa or another form of Smart Home technology into your freshly de-Tuscanized home.
- Update your staircase by replacing the wrought-iron rails and carved newel posts with a newer idea like modern looking glass walls, such as the one installed in a Bay Harbor Islands, Florida home by Bella Stairs.
- Take care of your tired Tuscan front door with a simple paint job to refresh.
- Have a fireplace? Go super minimal by removing the mantel. Consider encaustic tile to add an interesting pattern surround.
Modernize a Tuscan Bedroom
- Consider de-Tuscanizing the ceiling for a more intimate feel. Your high-end, luxury home design will also get a modern bedroom update by installing beams equipped with up-lighting.
- Get more ideas here on how to refresh an out-of-date bedroom.
- Modern, simple furniture from the Clive Daniel collection rounds out your refreshed 2020 bedroom.
Using these pointers as well as input from our team of award-winning interior designers, your Tuscan home will beautifully make the leap into a modern look to last for years to come. Check out our portfolio for more modern interior design ideas. When you’re ready, Thomas Riker in our Naples showroom would be happy to help with your update. For more information, please reach out to Thomas at [email protected] or call 239.213.7848.
