Hacienda Home Style .com

Ever since man first learned that clay and water could be mixed and fired to create tiles, they have been used for flooring.  They can be found all over the world in some of the most easily recognizable structures.  Hacienda floor tiles can be found today in homes that have a Spanish influence.

Haciendas are rustic houses found in the Southwest.  Hand crafted tiles can be used in entryways, hallways, kitchens, bathrooms, and even out on the patio.  Inside or outside, hacienda floor tiles are a great choice.

You don’t have to worry about finding hacienda floor tiles to match your need.  They can be made in nearly any shape and various shapes can be used to create a one-of-a-kind look for your home.  Square, rectangle, or octagon, these floor tiles are hand made so each one is unique.  Color and texture may vary in these tiles but that will add to the floor’s charm.

The Spanish were responsible for bringing the hacienda to Mexico around 1570.  They were the basis of an economic system that included farming and manufacturing.  They were also similar to the plantations of the United States’ south.  Ultimately haciendas became a symbol of wealth.  The floors matched the dark, rich leather furniture that has been used well-used.

These floor tiles are both useful and architectural; they are also long lasting both as a kitchen floor and as the chosen flooring for a porch.  They are beautiful and practical.  Maintaining hacienda floor tiles is easy.

If you’re remodeling and choose hacienda floor tiles, be careful to keep the tiles close together by leaving no more than 1/8 inch space for grout.  While you can have a larger grout line, older haciendas have very little grout.  Keeping the grout lines thinner would make your floor appear older.  Choosing the right grout color will also help you achieve the effect you’d like.

After your new hacienda style tiles are installed and the grout has dried for 24 hours, you need to use a mild cleanser and water to keep your tiles looking great.  Abrasive cleaners will damage your floor so they are not recommended for any tiles.

Because they come in a variety of colors, styles, and textures, you can choose a tile that matches your décor.  Hacienda floor tiles can completely change the look of your kitchen, bathroom, or entryway.  If old world style is in your house’s future, these tiles can make all the difference in the world.

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.

photo credit: ClatieK

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

Terrific heat, a burnt and barren landscape, and insects make it impossible to enjoy nature out-of-doors in most parts of Spain. So the Spaniards try to bring nature inside the house.

This they do by means of the hacienda architectural style courtyard, the little rectangular patio or garden that forms the center of the home.

In it a few shade trees are rooted in the ground or are set in tubs. A tiny fountain is in the center and little streams trickle out of it to the various garden patches. These are laid out in geometrical pattern with walks of brick, tile or gravel between.

Iron or stone benches (concrete would do) are placed in shady nooks. We in this country need not hoard nature in this careful way. But any house in the Spanish style may have at least a high wall of brick, stucco or whitewashed wood, enclosing a small formal garden and giving a feeling of seclusion.

The Spanish house is built around the patio. On three or four sides of
it, facing the garden, is an open arcade on the ground-floor with a deep
balcony above.

The columns holding up the balcony and the smaller ones
supporting the roof may be round, or square, of stone or brick, plain or
sheathed with stucco. The wide arches between them may be of plain
stucco or stone.

While the balcony overhead is usually plain, the arcade on the ground-
floor is one of the most beautiful parts of the Spanish house. Its floor is
of stone, brick or tile. Concrete or flagstones may be used, but some color
is desirable. One of the most beautiful effects may be obtained by wainscoting the wall with glazed tile.

Here the owner's love for color may have full expression, for the glazed
tile was brought to Spain by the Mohammedan invaders from North
Africa.

Their religion prevented the use of human or animal forms in any
design; so their tile were "arabesque" patterns of blue, yellow, vermilion,
earth-red, black, green and other colors. Above this wainscot band the
wall and ceiling of the arcade are plastered or stuccoed with a palm-
finished surface.

The doorways may be plain openings in the thick walls
or they may be surrounded by bands of tile.

There is at least one entrance to the patio on each side. All these are
from various rooms, except one which leads through a hall to the street-
door.

The roof is as near flat as the local rain and snow fall will permit. It is of terra cotta tile, varied in color. Its eaves those overhanging the balcony of the patio, as well as those on the exterior are wide, with the wooden roof-beams exposed.

Walls are thick, built of brick or small stone and covered, in forty-nine
cases out of fifty, with stucco.

This may be white, cream, buff or pink and
should be rough with a palm-finished surface. Because of the Spaniard's
secretive character, he made no attempt to beautify the exterior of his
home, but concentrated the decoration inside.

Windows are tiny openings in the thick walls. They may be round,
square or oblong. Usually they have no trim at all, though sometimes
they are surrounded by stone and often they are shuttered or barred with
iron.

photo credit: »Philo

There is only one street door. It, too, is usually quite plain a heavy, studded plank affair hung in a deep wall-opening but sometimes it is surrounded by heavy slabs of stone which may be sculptured.

Few Americans would care to present a house-front as severe as this
to the world. To make it more charming, an iron lantern may be fastened
over the entrance.

Or the window-bars may be developed into grilles.

Or the second-story windows may be enlarged into doors opening out onto little iron-work balconies.

It's rare to find a home with a beautiful inner patio and stark exterior… but this is truly the design of a real Hacienda Architectural Style Courtyard.