Tuscan Kitchen Design

Italy's fabled Tuscany region is legendary for its beauty, food and wine culture, and distinctive architecture—a rustic mix of natural, sunny hues and textures that's reflected in Tuscan kitchen design as well as Mediterranean kitchen design and other Italian kitchen designs.

If you're embarking on a kitchen remodel or installing a brand new kitchen and your design style tends towards the warm and welcoming, a Tuscan kitchen may just be the right style for your home.

Many Tuscan kitchen designs feature the trademark colors of the region, which reflect the rich soil, abundant sunshine and rolling green hills of Tuscany. Colors like ocher, burnt orange, terracotta, soothing yellows and Mediterranean blues are commonly employed to invoke the relaxed, luxurious attitude of Tuscany. Tuscan-style kitchens also tend to feature surfaces that are matte or distressed, rather than sleek, shiny or modern in appearance—this design style definitely suggests a "lived in, well-used and well-loved" vibe, with particular attention paid to cooking implements, which are often lovingly displayed. The prevailing theme is comfort and relaxed elegance in a space that feels more like a vacation villa than a place to visit hurriedly each morning before rushing out the door to join the rat race.

Natural light often gets great emphasis in Tuscan-style kitchen designs, whether filtered through semi-translucent curtains, or windows with no curtains at all. If there are window coverings, they will often be light, bright and airy. Other natural features, from furniture to flora, are common—window boxes bursting with flowers and rustic tables and benches of raw wood can often be found in Tuscan kitchen designs. Ceilings may feature exposed wood beams, and countertops will almost always sport matte stone, as opposed to gleaming, high-gloss granite or ceramic. Cabinets are generally made form high-quality, natural wood, stained or painted in light colors to continue the light, bright, natural feel.

Backsplashes are a great way to incorporate lively design flourishes in a Tuscan kitchen design, with mosaic tile and terracotta being popular choices for materials. Matte finishes may generally prevail over glossy ones in Tuscan kitchen designs, but backsplashes are one area where there may be an opportunity to add a little shine to the design, breaking up an otherwise earthy, laid-back feel with some gleam.

Floors in a traditional Tuscan kitchen design are often made from terracotta tile, marble or ceramic tile in sandy, natural colors and finishes. Furniture may sport a hand-painted or distressed look, to continue the relaxed, lived-in, warm and welcoming feel of a classic Tuscan kitchen.