Tuscan Design Proves Ageless

"To see the sun sink down, drowned in his pink and purple and golden floods, and overwhelm Florence with tides of color that make all the sharp lines dim and faint and turn the solid city into a city of dreams, is a sight to stir the coldest nature and make a sympathetic one drunk with ecstasy."

The quote could have been written by any number of Americans -- including my clients -- who have fallen in love with Tuscan ambience over the last several years, and have made numerous trips to this beautiful part of Italy to absorb its beauty and culture and return with design ideas for their American environments. 

Surprisingly, though, this was written over a hundred years ago, and the author was none other than Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain.  It's a small piece from his huge recently-released autobiography and it goes to show that Tuscany has left its mark on many a soul over the course of history.

I was amazed as I read the chapters on his life in an Italian villa, that such an iconic American writer would have spent so much time there.  Only after the reader gets pages into the story do we find out that his wife was quite ill and the Tuscan sun was deemed beneficial to her health.  With  humor and style he writes ("because every one of its crazy details interests me")  about the interior design of his rented villa, and we hear about the floor plans of all three floors, the size of the windows, the quality of the light, the floors, draperies, furniture and lighting, the water and heating issues, his opinions of the land-lady and staff, and the frustrations in trying to get telephone service.

This all interests me because we've been doing  "Tuscan" design for quite a while now, ever since the book "Under the Tuscan Sun" was published.  In this very Traditional region,  Tuscan style is widely accepted not only in interiors but architecture of buildings as well.

A design project in this particular style is the next large undertaking for us.  Our focus will be on the old-world Tuscan look, but with updates that will bring everything into the 21st century.  I'll be looking for current colors, materials, furnishings and fixtures that are in keeping with the authentic style.  Stay tuned for the Tuscan design adventures

Everything old is new again, and I'll probably be referring to Mark Twain again before we're all done.