Tuscan Decor: A Guide The 5 Main Things to Know

I fell in love with Italian design two decades ago, so much so that I started traveling to Italy at least once a year and bringing back containers of furniture and décor. Then I opened Mercato, a store specializing in Italian antiques, and the rest is storia!

Through the years, the top question I hear from customers: What is Tuscan style interior design? I have a simple way of answering that based on my experiences visiting Italy, living with Tuscan furniture, and helping others design with it.

Iron table base from a Tuscan antique fair in Arezzo.

A picture of me in Cortona, Italy, chatting with an antique dealer as we head to a warehouse full of Tuscan style treasures.

Here are five things I think you need to know about Tuscan Decor.....

1. It is Unique

Influenced by living off the land in the Italian countryside, in Tuscan style home decor no two pieces of furniture, two fabrics, or two dishes are alike. Everything is made by hand and each stroke of paint or layer of glaze is different. I have an appreciation for unique things. 

Antique oil jars from Italy, like this one, are often decorated with a medallion or stemma showing a specific date, place, or family name, telling us a piece of the terracotta jar’s unique origin story.

Learning more about Italian antiques and their history from a friend in Italy.

2. It Tells a Story

Because everything is made by hand, it tells the story of the person who made it. Tuscan home furnishings are often created, out of necessity, by scraps of material salvaged by locals to reshape and and repurposed it. While simple, rustic and utilitarian, items are beautiful largely because they show the creativity, character and innovation of their makers.

3. It plays well with others.

The palette and texture of Tuscan style is earthy and natural, yet rich and vibrant. Ochers and umbers. Blues and reds tempered by brown. The patina of aged wood and cane. While the look is Old World, it can make a striking statement when juxtaposed with contemporary art and furnishings. For example, a rustic cabinet next to modern chairs and lighting can be just the right look. It’s no accident that Italians have been celebrated for design, both now and dating back through the centuries! It’s classic, timeless and always works.

A very large 18th century cabinet from MERCATO Antiques defines this space in this room with high ceilings.

An antique Tuscan woodworkers bench which is used for serving when entertaining, and a vintage market jar used as a vase, both from MERCATO Antiques. The student artwork was purchased from The New York Academy of Art.

4. It evokes memories.

When I sit down to relax at home, I am surrounded by furniture and objects I have collected throughout the years. These items take me right back to the sights, scents and sounds of the Tuscan countryside.

My recent visit to the Arezzo antique fair, on the hunt for more unique  antiques.

One of my favorite buildings in Tuscany is this small structure next to the massive abandoned Abbey of San Galgano, which is located in Chiusdino, Italy in Tuscany.

5. It is a lifestyle. 

On my walks around my neighborhood in Kansas, I collect sticks and twigs and use them to burn fires in my backyard firepit or when it’s too cold outside, I’ll enjoy the fireplace. This habit feels like a Tuscan pleasure that I can savor as I drink wine (simple red Italian table wine is fine with me!) and eat delicious food with family and friends, old and new. Looking around at the bits of Italy I’ve brought back inspires me to continue the wonderful journey at home.

Wood collected on the property of a Tuscan home.

Roasting chestnuts in my outdoor fireplace.