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Mediterranean decor evokes sun, sea

Simple, relaxed style with its mix of influences is easily adapted to Western homes

The Columbian
Published: September 28, 2011, 5:00pm
4 Photos
The Crate & Barrel olive wreath.
The Crate & Barrel olive wreath. Photo Gallery

www.westelm.com: Mediterranean lacquered plates, $19-32; Oasis plates, $32.

www.walldressup.com: Mediterranean tile decal, $15-$38.40.

www.frontgate.com: Pomegranate urn, $995.

www.ballarddesigns.com: Marrakech Onion Bulb pendant, $139; Delray Azure 100-percent polyester fabric, $24 per yard; Sevilla rug, $39-$899.

www.crateandbarrel.com: Olive wreath, $69.95; ginger side table, $299; Greek Isles iron candlestick group, $249.

www.macys.com: Martha Stewart Collection blue trivet, $29.99.

www.homedepot.com: Martha Stewart Living Miramar side table, $99.98.

Just because fall weather is moving in, you don’t have to leave the sun behind.

Influenced by Spanish, Italian, French, Turkish, Moroccan and Greek seaside lifestyles, Mediterranean decor is simple and relaxed, and easily adapted to Western homes.

The natural hues of the region — marine, almond, olive, sunshine and chalk — frame the palette. In furnishings, the style’s ethnic, often rustic, origins tend to dominate. But modernist interpretations are just as popular.

www.westelm.com: Mediterranean lacquered plates, $19-32; Oasis plates, $32.

www.walldressup.com: Mediterranean tile decal, $15-$38.40.

www.frontgate.com: Pomegranate urn, $995.

www.ballarddesigns.com: Marrakech Onion Bulb pendant, $139; Delray Azure 100-percent polyester fabric, $24 per yard; Sevilla rug, $39-$899.

www.crateandbarrel.com: Olive wreath, $69.95; ginger side table, $299; Greek Isles iron candlestick group, $249.

www.macys.com: Martha Stewart Collection blue trivet, $29.99.

www.homedepot.com: Martha Stewart Living Miramar side table, $99.98.

With quaint fishing and farming villages as well as glamorous seaside playgrounds, the region is one of contrasts. The colors and graphic motifs are bold and clean, so if you’re more contemporary than traditional, you’ll still be able to incorporate elements of this quintessential summer style.

Designer David Stark loves the style for its painterly origins.

He’s done an easy, sophisticated collection that includes tilework-patterned lacquer trays, and white dinnerware swabbed with a stroke of azure blue. Find here also rustic cobalt glassware reminiscent of a little café on the Greek coast, and some gorgeous ceramics with a canvas texture.

Recreate the look of beautiful Mediterranean tiles with walldressedup.com’s set of wall transfers. They’d be a great way to add the theme to a kitchen or entry way. Throw down a blue-and-white-striped cotton rug; fill a rustic blown-glass jug with yellow daisies.

At Ballard Designs, hand-blown glass is encased in wrought iron swirls to create the Marrakech Onion Bulb pendant fixture. The Sevilla Rug recreates antique Mediterranean tile mosaics in soft, 100-percent wool. And if you’re crafty, consider buying a few yards of the Delray Azure fabric, printed in a crisp navy and white graphic motif, to make curtains, pillow covers or tablecloths.

Martha Stewart has designed the Miramar wrought-iron side table, which could work indoors or out.

Crate & Barrel offers a side table in white or blue that features a tilework motif in laser-cut steel. If you’re nowhere near an olive grove, but would like to create some Mediterranean atmosphere, consider the olive wreath, a handcrafted circle of paper and polyfoam botanicals.

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