The glorious beauty of the Tuscany countryside often inspires some of the most inviting and spacious kitchens. A kitchen can classify as Tuscany-inspired, whether it’s heavy on the old-world charm of days past or by incorporating modern accents for a kitchen that blends old and new for a one-of-a-kind style.
Check out these twenty-five Tuscan kitchen ideas for ways to decorate your space to achieve the look and feel of an Italian villa kitchen.
What Is a Tuscan Style Kitchen?
Tuscan-style kitchens take a lot of inspiration from the rolling hill countryside, drenched in bright sunlight. This style is the embodiment of antique pieces and lots of decor adornments that resemble an Old World charm of Italy.
How Do You Make A Tuscan Kitchen Look Modern?
The biggest charm of Tuscan kitchens is their old-world influences. But many people prefer to find ways to make their Tuscan kitchens feel more modern.
Blending the two old and new styles can start by brightening everything up, from a coat of white paint on the cabinets to a white backsplash and some carved wood accents.
Both old Tuscany and modern designs use many bright, earthy colors and tons of light, both natural and artificial. For example, natural sources can be big windows left uncovered to let in the most sunlight, while modern chandeliers can replace the typical heavily adorned (and old-fashioned) styles.
Are Tuscan Kitchens Outdated?
Some professional interior designers say that old-school Tuscan-style kitchens are a trend of the past. But there are plenty of diehard enthusiasts who swear by the classic design. Or you can give a traditional Tuscan kitchen a modern upgrade to get a trendy Tuscan kitchen.
Important Features for Tuscan Kitchens
Colors
Tuscan kitchens often use trademark colors of Tuscany for the sunshine, rich soil, and lots of green hills. You can choose from such colors as terracotta, Mediterranean blues, soft yellows, burnt orange, and ocher.
Besides these colors, you often see surfaces with matte or distressed looks instead of sleek and polished. Again, you’re aiming for a “lived-in” welcoming feel instead of feeling new.
Cabinetry
Your kitchen cabinets are an essential part of achieving an authentic Tuscan style versus a tacky knockoff. Without the right cabinets, your kitchen design will look incomplete.
Woodwork is a considerable part of Tuscany, and it’s vital in the kitchen. When you have a large kitchen, you’ll need plenty of storage and a lot of workspaces. You may even want to have additional seating at the kitchen island, peninsula, or other counter space.
You’ll want to choose cabinets made of rich wood, like maple or cherry, or stained a dark brown shade. Or you can go with light cream or classic white cabinet design for an open, airy kitchen.
Stone
Stone and other natural materials are also a frequent component of Tuscan-style kitchens. You can see stone used in the flooring, columns, arches, pizza ovens, and even in the countertops, backsplash, and wall structure.
Popular stones used in Tuscan designs include limestone, marble, sandstone, granite, and travertine, among others. Traditional styles call for none to minimal glaze or sheen over the stone surface.
Flooring
Traditional Tuscan kitchens can have floors of ceramic, marble, or terracotta tiles, or rustic wood planks. Terracotta floors have a rich, weathered look of burnt sienna, a popular color.
Travertine tile and tumbled stone are also suitable Tuscan flooring due to the pitted surface and round edges that make it look like it’s been traveled on for ages.
Using distressed, aged wood planking provides the most rustic look. You can buy old reclaimed wood or new wood pre-aged for the reused antique look. The best design is using wide planks of at least 6″ in width.
Wooden Ceiling Beams
A signature design element of Tuscan-style kitchens is exposed wooden support beams. Most people hide these wood beams, but Italians believe in letting the beauty show.
If your kitchen ceiling is beam-free, you can buy and install faux ones that run along a high ceiling to give character and an antiquey stately feel. Beams are the easiest way to bridge the gap between modern and old.
Pots and Pans Exposed and Hanging
Instead of crowding your cabinets with all of your pots and pans like they’re yesterday’s dirty little secrets, display your kitchenware loud and proud.
Whether your cooking dishes are a signature black cast iron or a durable shiny copper or brass, which screams Tuscan, you can display them on a rack hanging above your island or on shelves or hooks attached to the walls.
Windowed and Warm Wooden Cabinets
Picking cabinets in a rich, warm wood tone can help imitate the feel of a Tuscan kitchen. But instead of using solid doors, replace the doors with options that have built-in window cutouts.
These cabinets can help show off the beauty of beautiful old china or other signature pieces you want to store out of the reach of dust.
Decorative Wood Accents
Wood is traditionally thought of as an overused material from the past. But you can also make woodwork for a modern flare on Tuscan kitchens.
Lighten up the room with a white-colored backsplash and cabinets and use a few accent pieces to bring pops of color or Italian decor ideas.
Ancient Hand-Carved Wooden Kitchen Table
Your Tuscan kitchen craves the right kind of table to make the space pop. And the perfect table is an antique hand-carved wood in the same color as the other wood accents in the room.
Look for a long, heavy table for enough room for large family gatherings, and add some candles and cast iron lanterns for lighting. A chandelier over the table gives the perfect lighting for dinner.
Ornate Cast-Iron Chandeliers
An ornate chandelier is essential for a Tuscany kitchen, adding an element of style while also providing plenty of light. Depending on the size of your kitchen, you can hang two or three along the expanse of ceiling for authentic Old-World charm.
Cast-iron chandeliers with colorful pieces will look stunning in your kitchen, reflecting the warm earth tones throughout the room. You can go with a chandelier painted black, white, silver, or gold tones.
Spread Out the Seating
If you have a large kitchen, but you don’t want all of the seating cramped together, consider an arrangement where the seating gets spread out using a couple of smaller counter tables and tall chairs.
Built-in drawers and cabinets give you additional storage, and matching sinks keep the spaces looking identical and symmetrical while providing more prep room.
Hardwood Flooring
Your kitchen’s flooring is another crucial decorating component to focus on for Tuscan kitchens. You’ll achieve a more authentic Italian feel by picking a wide plank flooring in a distressed form.
If your flooring has flaws and knotted spots in the wood, don’t toss it away. That character will give your room more charm and the antique feel of Tuscany.
Tuscan Rough-Hewn Stone Pizza Oven
If you have the extra space and don’t mind losing it to a good cause, consider installing a rough-hewn stone oven for cooking pizzas.
The simple (yet pricey) addition of an authentic pizza oven screams Tuscan-style kitchen. Using a manufactured stone veneer is a great way to get the look at a more affordable cost than using natural stone.
Vintage Kitchen Appliances
Adding a few vintage kitchen pieces in with your state-of-the-art and custom pizza oven can help capture the essence of all that is Tuscany, Italy.
Even if you don’t use these pieces as a functional part of your kitchen, they look great and give your space more authenticity. Consider items like stone scales, hand-cranked coffee grinders, and other small pieces that you can typically score from a yard sale or thrift store.
Antique Wooden Cabinets
Most Italians believe dishes are meant for use and for displaying out in the open. One way to do this is to find an antique wooden cabinet, typically found in antiques and specialty stores, boutiques, and sometimes old shops.
These open cabinets have slots for storing plates, shelves for serving dishes, drawers for silverware, and hooks for coffee mugs. Add some vintage pottery and Italian serving dishes for theme-appropriate decor.
Cast Iron Windows
While you’re busy decorating the rest of your kitchen with Tuscan touches, don’t forget the windows. Replacing regular wood frames for cast iron windows is a lovely way to get an old-world vibe.
If you don’t want to go through the hassles and expenses of replacing your windows, you can get a Tuscan feel by installing shudders.
Antique Cast Iron Oven
If you want to go the whole distance with your Tuscan makeover, find an antique cast iron oven. These kitchen appliances increase the authenticity factor of the old-world feel.
Tie the look together with a wooden mantle, stylized backsplash, earthy color palette, and Italian-inspired pottery, and bronze, copper, or black cast iron pots and kettles on the stove.
Classic, Vintage Italian-Esque Jars
An excellent way to decorate your kitchen while being functional is to invest in some vintage jars of Italian-esque decor.
You can use these canisters to store dried goods like coffee, sugar, flour, and rice. They look fantastic sitting on your counter while cooking with copper pots and antique pottery or when left on the counter for storage.
Cast Iron Accent Table
A cast-iron accent table can add charm and additional surface space for serving food or holding side items you want nearby but not on the dining table.
Whether you want to use your table for decor only or for serving coffee, bread, fruits, and cheese platters as a sideboard, as well as the size of your kitchen will affect your preferred size.
Cute Olive Kitchen Mat
You can convert any kitchen to a Tuscan-style imitation by paying attention to the small things, like Mediterranean-inspired kitchen placemats. Small pieces featuring olives, grapes, or Italian writing can make a big punch.
Small touches like these help you decorate on a budget while tying all of the decors together for a complete theme. And you can coordinate kitchen mats with other accessories, like oven mitts, aprons, and hand towels.
Tuscan-Inspired Paintings
If you have empty wall space, use it to your advantage by procuring a few Tuscan-inspired paintings to decorate the room.
Look for pictures of wine, olive oil or olives, and fruits. You don’t want anything too busy. Instead, simple is better, with a central image surrounded by patterns of beige.
Stone Tile Top Table
Stone tile table tops are excellent for Tuscan-style eat-in kitchens to keep the look going from the central part of the kitchen to the sitting area.
You can use dark wood or cast iron chairs and position a few simple artwork pieces on the walls, add in some fabrics with an Italian theme, and a gorgeous light fixture to finish the look.
Solid, Italian-Style Wooden Cabinetry
Don’t forget to make a big statement by choosing some solid wood cabinets in an Italian style, using a rich knotted wood, which blends old-world and modern influences.
This style of cabinets, combined with a dazzling chandelier, copper pots, stoneware pieces, and earthy colors, transforms your simple kitchen into a Tuscan dream.
Brass or Copper Pots
Vintage brass and copper pots can also work in Tuscan-style kitchens as decor pieces and something functional.
These metallic colors are easy to blend with stone backsplashes, dark woods, bright wall colors, and Italian decor.
Earthy Tiled Backsplash
Don’t waste an easy opportunity for redecorating your kitchen in a Tuscan style by not changing the backsplash. Instead, you’ll want to choose tiles in earthy tones with some distressing.
You can also arrange your tiles in a unique pattern or go with hand-painted tiles, which are the ultimate Tuscan-style backsplash.
Stone Tiles For Walls
Another way to get a Tuscan feel in your kitchen is to skip the smooth drywall and get some texture by covering the wall with stone tiles.
Choose stone tiles that blend with the room’s dark wood, curved arches, and cast iron accents. Lighting should come from wall sconces and chandeliers.
Hand-Painted Tiles and Stones
You can have a rustic look while still enjoying some color. Add large stones to the walls and complete the design with a border of hand-painted tiles.
If you want a look that packs a punch, continue the tiles for the backsplash, counters, and other surfaces, or use plain tiles for a subtler effect. Finally, pick out some stoneware and antique dishes in the same colors as the tiles for a finished look.
Stone or Brick Accents
Accent pieces help tie a design together for a cohesive look and enhance the room’s theme. Standard Tuscan components include brick ovens, stone archways, and pillars.
Mini Herb Garden
What’s the point of having an Italian-inspired kitchen if you’re not prepared to cook Italian dishes? Of course, the best way to prepare for cooking is to have a mini herb garden growing right in your kitchen.
Make a lovely herb garden featuring all the essential Italian herbs by using classy planters. If you want to save space, hang some rugged wood shelves near your window so the plants can thrive in the sunshine.
Conclusion
A Tuscan-style kitchen can make you feel like you’ve taken a vacation to the quaint streets in Italy and invite everyone to sit around and enjoy some time together. There are multiple ways that you can makeover your kitchen to give it an authentic Tuscan style. Try one or more of these Tuscan-style kitchen ideas in your home for a fabulous old-world Italian paradise.
