Hacienda Home Style .com

If you’ve ever visited Spain, you were probably enthralled by the beauty of the gardens of the country. Influenced by Arab design elements, Spanish garden design can be enjoyed in the United States by creating your own garden at your Spanish style house.

Quite often Spanish gardens were hidden behind stucco walls. If your home doesn’t currently have stucco garden walls, you can add them to your landscape or you can create Cypress evergreen screens with wrought iron fences behind which to place your garden. Either option would be consistent with the style of your house.

If your home already has a Courtyard or walled area, you can easily transform it into a Spanish garden design. Because this type of garden is a personal expression of the gardener’s personality, be sure to find plants that you enjoy and will be easy to care for. Remember, the goal is to create a place of peace and privacy for you to enjoy.

Many Spanish gardens created separate areas within the garden by having some sections walled off with shorter walls. They also used vines both as a background for the walls and also to add privacy.

Another element in the Spanish garden design is the use of water, especially in areas of Spain that are considered to be dry. Part of the reason water features are so prominent with Spanish gardens is because of the Moorish influence.

Water features can be anything from a rock covered pool to an ornate tile water fountain. You could also use wall fountains or a spouting fish to maintain the traditional look. Be sure to incorporate this element in your Spanish garden design.

Look for terra cotta tiles and containers to use for your garden. Create a garden within a garden by filling one or more large terra cotta planters and placing them around your garden. To complete the Spanish garden look, use Moroccan style metal lanterns to provide lighting.

Depending upon the area you live in, you may or may not need the next garden element. Spain has intense heat during a good part of the day, so most Spanish garden designs incorporate ways to provide shade within the garden. Build a pergola to help make the heat and sunlight bearable. Hardy succulent plants in large terra cotta containers would be nice on the pergola steps.

Try to use plants that would be used in an authentic Spanish garden. Palm tree, orange, and pine trees would be normally used. Cactus, daisies, rosemary, lavender, and grapes would also have been grown in this type of garden. Plan to do some research to find out what types of plants you can incorporate into your Spanish garden design. Be sure to check that their hardiness zone is the same as yours, and then have fun creating a one-of-a-kind retreat.

Great resource on Mexican Gardens:

In A Mexican Garden: Courtyards, Pools, and Open-Air Living Rooms

photo credit: Ruth L

photo credit: b.schrade

Homeowners paint their homes but don’t always keep the exterior colors for Spanish houses traditional. Some people try to downplay the home’s style so they chose to use anything but an historic color. What are historic colors and why are they important?

Traditional Mexican Style Exteriors

If you live in an historic neighborhood most likely all homeowners are expected to maintain the integrity of their home by repainting with historic colors. Must they paint the house its original color, or will any historic color suffice? Some historic neighborhoods prefer original paint color and will try to determine what that color should be.

Don’t feel that you must stick to the original paint color, however. Find a period color card for the type of home you have and then choose any of the colors on that card. The color may not be exactly how the house was originally painted, but it will still appear historically accurate.

You may also want to consider other houses in your neighborhood before choosing exterior colors for Spanish houses. If you live in an historic district, you may have an organization dictate the colors you can choose to paint your home.

Obviously you recognize Spanish style houses because of their dark tile roofs. Don’t paint your house to match the roof. The house will appear to shrink in size. Use lighter colors like sand or stone to keep your house from disappearing under the roof. Blue is often used on the exterior trim to denote the Spanish sea sides.

If you don’t live in an historic district you are less likely to have anyone try to dictate your house color for you. However you may still prefer to stick with a traditional color scheme. You want your home to look right in the landscaping and painting it an unusual color may not give you the attention you desire.

Where you live will also determine the exterior colors for Spanish houses.

On the West Coast they are usually painted with neutral tones to compliment California’s sunshine. You might find muted peach, taupe, and warm beige Spanish style houses.

In the Southwest, warm, earth-tones are more common. Colors such as pink, sandy taupe, and golden yellows are the colors of choice when choosing exterior colors for Spanish houses. Accent with blue, turquoise, or terra cotta. These colors go great with the characteristic
so prevalent in Spanish houses.

Ultimately, when it comes down to choosing exterior colors for Spanish houses, the choice is up to the homeowner. You may adhere to the historically accurate colors but you don’t have to. Choose a color that suits the area and the style of your house and you can’t go wrong.

photo credit: puroticorico
photo credit: puroticorico

Many two-story haciendas have a small wrought iron balcony. They may appear to serve no real purpose, but they’re a great place to add a splash of color. Decorating a small balcony is economical but can pack an artistic punch to your home.

It may seem that people who fail to decorate small balconies have no flair or decorating savvy. Bare balconies scream for attention no matter how small they are.

You can find a number of ways to dress yours up.

• Take into consideration how much space you have available to you. Do you have glass doors leading out onto the balcony? Create the illusion of a wider space by changing the door to two thin glass doors rather than one regular sized door.

• What does the view from the balcony look like? If it’s a beautiful view, you won’t have to do much at all. However, if there is something blocking your view, you may want to dress it up by adding plants to it. Hang ivy plants over the side and let them grow to the full length of the balcony. Go vertical by using the walls on either side of the door to hang other design elements.

• Choose something with color. Whether you choose potted flowers or a sculpture of some kind, add a splash of color when decorating a small balcony. You may also want to hang large paper lanterns to give your balcony light as night falls.

• Do you have room for a seat or two? Perhaps you can find a small wrought iron table and chairs. This would be the perfect place to enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea with a friend. If you can’t manage that much furniture, find an old trunk, get some pillows, and create a seat in the corner of your balcony.

Don’t fill every nook and cranny when decorating a small balcony. Open space can be a good thing, especially when the area you have to work with is small. Again, if you can, use vertical spaces to your advantage.

Take the time to create your own private oasis. Think about how you’d like to use the space on your balcony and then see what you can do to make that a reality. Tranquility is possible when decorating a small balcony. All it takes is a little bit of time, imagination, and ingenuity to see your dream come true!

Traditional Mexican Style Exteriors

photo credit: ClatieK photo credit: nlnnet