How to Design a Tuscan Farmhouse

Perhaps you are still dreaming about your fabulous stay at that historical farmhouse in Tuscany, Italy--so much so, you've decided you want your own Tuscan farmhouse now that you're back home. A new, specialty home should be beautiful, inviting and comfortable. Perhaps the best way to get that is to design your Tuscan farmhouse yourself. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

Designing a Tuscan Style Farmhouse

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Find out everything you can about the Tuscan farmhouse style. Research online and at the library. Buy design books and look at pictures in magazines. Once you have done thorough research, you will discover what attributes mean Tuscan living to you.

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Keep in mind there are many ways to create the home of your dreams. A little paint, a few interior changes or some outdoor architectural updates may be all you need to do.

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If you decide to go forward with designing a home, establish your priorities. Decide on a budget. Figure out what attributes you want in a house--the size of common areas, how many bedrooms and bathrooms you want, how much storage space you need, whether you want an office or if you are going to include a pool.

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Determine if your house plan is suitable for your building site. Consider the neighborhood, the terrain and the climate.

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Get a large piece of plain white paper, or one with lines going both ways and a pencil with an eraser. Draw your own floor plan. The plan should have a great flow pattern from one room to the next. Decide where to place the common areas and kitchen. Decide on the number of bedrooms and appropriate number of bathrooms. Draw the common areas as well as entrances, doorways, hallways and stairways. Consider how high you want the ceilings to be.

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Keep in mind the character and style of a Tuscan farmhouse as you design. Make the kitchen the focal point of the home as is common in Tuscan farmhouses. Design the kitchen so it is large enough to accomodate the traditional long Tuscan farmhouse table, the large island with massive overhead pot rack, the brick oven with the overhead Tuscan style chimney hood and room for ample countertop space.

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Design the way you want the outside of the house to look. Remember what you learned in your research about the characteristics that are typical of a Tuscan farmhouse. Farmhouses in and around Tuscany have stone exterior walls, clay tile roofs, arched windows and doorways with wrought iron railings and several verandahs or porticos.

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Consider what you want in the way of interior decorating. Note these features on your design plan. Again, refer back to your research and what you learned about the Tuscan style. Include dark-stained cabinetry and natural slate or colorful glazed terra-cotta wall tiles in the kitchen. Tuscan farmhouses typically have dark, rustic ceiling beams throughout the house. The walls are decorated with frescoes and wall murals of the Italian countryside. Floors are covered with clay tiles or are wooden parquet washed with white paint.

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Make a list of what you want inside the house, once again referring back to your research. Decide on the Tuscan style furniture you want. Furniture is dark and rustic with wrought iron accents in casual settings or smooth and carved in more formal surroundings. Furniture also may be handpainted. Fabrics and wallpaper are seen in warm shades of red, gold, olive and green. Common patterns are wide stripes, fruit and vegetable motifs and florals. Rugs are typically made of natural reed matting or are Oriental, Turkish or Indian in design. Include colorfully painted earthenware pottery, copper pots, reed baskets and wooden wine racks on your list.

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Make a list of what you want in the way of landscaping. Keep in mind what is suitable for the lot you have. Again, refer to your research about Tuscan farmhouses. Include olive trees, sunflowers and lavender on your list, as they are typical of plants and trees that surround farmhouses in Tuscany.

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Never hesitate to bring in a professional. Consider looking at professional floor plans, calling a builder or bringing in a home or interior designer. At the same time, trust your own instincts when it comes to the characteristics of your Tuscan farmhouse. This is your dream home.