A beautiful blend of Tuscan and French Country style, mixed with Moorish and Mexican elements, Spanish-style homes are quite unique. Its rustic yet elegant look has a timeless appeal that is hard to beat.

Whether you love a Southwestern or Old World Spanish look, you can easily incorporate Spanish flair into your home even if you’re lacking the architectural aspects that Spanish-style homes are known for. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at the design style itself and also some tips for bringing your love of this design style to fruition. But first, let’s get a little backstory about how this style came about: 

History of Spanish-Style Design

The term “Spanish-style homes” technically refers to Spanish Colonial homes that were built by the Spanish colonizers in the United States.  Spanish-style homes, architecturally speaking, are fairly common in states like California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, and Florida.

These homes, which were constructed from the 1600s all the way into the mid-1800s, have a style that is still widely mimicked today largely in part to their unique beauty. Spanish style homes all have similar architecture, are made from local materials and feature small windows, and feature ornate archways and the classic wooden-beam roofs with which most people are familiar.

Elements of Spanish-Style Design 

Color

A Spanish-style home is full of warm, earth tones. Typical colors generally include warm hues of reds, oranges, browns, with accents of turquoise green, blue and yellow. Much of this color is displayed through textured walls and ceilings, wood flooring or beams, decorative tiles, large floral arrangements, and a variety of accents.

Textiles

A variety of colorful textiles help complete the Spanish-style look. Full-length velvet window treatments, Old World-style wall tapestries, oriental or Navajo rugs, and fabrics on accent pillows, throws, and bedding covered in patterns influenced from the Middle East, Africa, and Mexico, are all surefire ways to surround yourself with Spanish style. Even something as simple as draping colorful ethnic textiles over the backs of dining rooms chairs is an easy way to breathe Spanish-style into your home.

Furniture

With influences from the surrounding Mediterranean region, Spanish style shares many similar elements with French Country, Tuscan, and Moroccan. Mission-style dark, distressed wood furnishings, and leather tend to be the common choices for Spanish-style design. Wood selections fitting for this design would include ebony, butternut, teak, mahogany, rosewood, and walnut, of which Spain is so rich. Furniture accents of copper, leather, and iron are also characteristic of this style.

Accents 

To complement the rustic elegance of Spanish-style design, it’s important to put some focus into the accents. The proper accents are what add character and charm to this already beautiful and unique decorating style. Traditional accents include things such as displays of hand-painted antique Mexican pottery, vases and urns, colorful framed oil paintings, and candleholders made of iron or wood. Wrought iron is also a trademark of Spanish-style interior design, so don’t hold back on adding little touches like curtain rods, cabinet and door hardware, light switch covers, wall sconces, hanging pendants, or chandeliers, baker’s racks, and fire screens.

Exterior Features of Spanish-Inspired Design

So now that you know how to create a Spanish-inspired interior, is that it? Not necessarily. If you have a home that is truly a Spanish-style home, you certainly have a leg up, so to speak. But that by no means implies you can’t incorporate some Spanish-style elements around the exterior of your home as well. So, let’s talk a bit about how you can make that happen. 

The first thing you can focus on is landscaping. Spanish-inspired front yards often feature flower beds and lots of fresh colors. Additionally, there’s usually a pathway that leads to the entrance of the home that lets you admire the whole landscape on your way. Natural materials and organic forms are used to create a natural look.

Another area you can put some focus on is the outdoor entertaining area. In many cases, Spanish-style homes usually have a covered space, however, if you don’t have that, it’s fine. The main goal is to make the outdoor space incredibly relaxing and an area that feels like it is an extension of the interior rather than a separate entity. 

When the time comes to bring your love of Spanish influence to fruition in your home, comes let us help! We have a variety of fabrics, lighting, and accessories that are sure to help you pull the look together.