Hacienda Home Style .com

Mexican vacations are a luxury that not everyone is able to afford, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the atmosphere of our southern neighbors any time of the year. Mexican interior designs warm your home and bring Mexico to you.

If you’ve ever been to Mexico or the Southwest, you’ll recognize the influence of Native American culture as well those of the Spanish missions. You may expect to see Aztec elements such as pyramids and carved stone steles within Mexican interior design, but you’ll also see brightly painted furniture as well as stucco and exposed beams.

Use items such as Native American or Mexican blankets to drape over a solid colored couch or chair. Place hand-made pottery pieces, either painted or in plain terra cotta, around the room to hold small cactus or succulent gardens. You could also find a great Mexican art piece to hang on your wall and then place Rustic Tin Wall Sconces on either side to highlight the artwork.

Texture is just as important as color in Mexican interior design. Consider creating the look of stucco by smearing drywall putty on the wall. Create a recessed area to place a small piece of artwork or flowers in. Rather than smoothing the putty out leave the trowel marks from where you applied it. Paint the stucco a pale yellow, beige, or reddish tint.

If your house doesn’t already have exposed beams, you can create them with 2×4 boards nailed together to form a “U.” To create the look of an exposed, hand-hewn solid log, distress the wood by using saws, hammers, or heavy chains. After the wood is distressed, stain it match the other exposed wood in your home.

To bring Mexican interior design into your kitchen, try to find handcrafted Mexican tiles that you can use for a backsplash. These tiles are brightly colored and have simple patterns painted on them. You can tell they are handmade because they are not perfect like factory-made tiles.

Find hand-hammered copper pots or black wrought iron items to off-set the bright colors of the Mexican tiles. White trimmed windows would be in keeping with Mexican interior design. Use something unexpected like a serape or poncho to cover the windows.

Mexican interior design is simple yet rustic. Bright colors are placed next to rusted tin signs. Hard stucco is softened by using a handmade wall hanging or leather furniture with a hand-woven rug in front of it. Finish the living room off with wrought iron lamps.

It doesn’t matter what the exterior of your home looks like, you can still enjoy the simplicity and beauty of Mexican interior design. With the right ambiance, the right music, and your Mexican surroundings you may think you’re in Mexico instead of your home.

Be sure to pick up this great book on Mexican Style: Creative Ideas for Enhancing Your Space

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Spanish ironwork produced in Castile and Andalucia developed in an entirely different way due to the influence of the Moorish artists in the area. Besides being influenced by their designs, the Spanish blacksmiths were also influenced by their work in other metals. The Arab influences, it seemed, played the most important role in the design of Spanish ironwork of this area.

The Saracens, Muslims who lived on the edges of the Roman Empire, didn’t bring with them structural architecture because they lived in the deserts. When they left Syria and Arabia and arrived in Spain they did bring with them the intricacies of their ornamentation.

So, while they didn’t help establish architectural structures themselves, their ornamentation was said to be structural. In fact, their ornamentation was so different from the usual ideas presented by the Arabs. Instead of being made up of graceful, natural forms it had geometric patterns that were combined logically.

This geometric form of Moorish influence on Spanish ironwork remained evident until after the Reconquest. Its staying power is due in part to the fact that Spaniards and Moors worked side-by-side when designing and building Christian buildings. It was inevitable that the two peoples would teach one another; the Moors, it seemed, had much more to teach the Spaniards.

Spanish Ironworks Moorish Influence

Later, the Moorish and Gothic art forms blended together to form Mudéjar. This art form has geometric forms as their basis, and was considered to be harmonious. Mudéjar was not a new architectural style; it was merely a blending of these types of art forms together with whatever structure that was being built at the time.

Spain was not the only European country to be influenced by these Asiatic art styles. In some ways Italy, France, and England were affected. These influences were not direct, as they were in Spain, but more because of a concerted effort by their princes to modify the civilization by cultivating Eastern ideas.

Saracenic art and architecture then followed the trade routes into Western Europe where it landed in Venice. From there its influence reached into the rest of Italy and the other countries. You may see early Italian ironwork examples in Venice and those examples followed the pierced marble screens seen in Saracenic art.

Arabs didn’t use iron very often when building or ornamenting the structures. When they did, however, instead of using the methods of the blacksmith, they treated the iron like it was a precious metal. They used file, saw, drill, and vice.

Use of iron became more popular as a decorative architectural feature when it was used as door hardware,
knockers, and escutcheons. The art form was also used as a window screen by placing an iron grille or reja over the windows. Before long balconies became an architectural feature that was common in Spain. Candelabras were made of Spanish ironwork as well as railings surrounding tombs. It wasn’t long before entire pulpits were made out of wrought ironwork. These are some of the types of ironwork that were completed using Mudéjar.

Interested in reading more? Pick up this book! Wrought Iron in Architecture:

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Ambiance. Atmosphere. These are words that describe how a room feels, what type of mood it projects. When trying to create the perfect ambiance for your Spanish style home, try using candles in decorating.

While you may be trying to create a specific atmosphere or mood when burning candles, it is important to keep these safety tips in mind when using candles in decorating.

• Don’t place them too close to flammable fabrics, paper, or on wooden furniture.
• Never leave burning candles unattended.
• Blow all candles out before falling asleep if you have them in your bedroom.
• Be sure candles are out of the reach of pets and children.

Part of the appeal of a Spanish style house is the way it feels. There’s an old world charm that lends itself to simple, yet elegant, decorating. Multiple layers of texture add to the atmosphere of the home. Stucco walls in a light earth tone, hard terra cotta tiles on the floor, and beautiful wrought iron that is used in a multitude of ways. Add to those items Native American blankets, animal skin rugs, and sheer white fabrics to keep the sun’s glare out.

Wrought iron chandeliers are common in Spanish style homes. These can be electrical or can be used with candles. Be sure to use tins or something to catch the wax if you use candles in your chandelier. This will keep the mess down to a minimum and will help with safety.

Candles have been used for centuries within Spanish style homes. Combine the black of wrought iron wall sconces with the cream colored taper candles for a throw-back to years gone by. Not only can they be used to create a mood by keeping lights dim, they can also give the illusion of a fire in your favorite fireplace without heating up your home on a warm summer night.

Try using candles in decorating by placing them in varying sizes on a mirrored table. The glow of the candles will reflect off the mirror and provide light and warmth for the room. They may also give a romantic glow if this idea is used on a smaller scale on a candlelit dinner table.

For a bedroom, find scented candles to light when you want to set a romantic mood. They can also be lit and placed around a bathtub to make you feel like you’re at an expensive spa.

Heirloom Candelabra

Using candles in decorating your Spanish style house makes sense. Candles provide light when the electricity goes out. They help set the mood when you’re ready for romance. More than anything, they are a great way to stay true to the style of your home while providing another light source.

The Candlelit Home: Decorating with Candles Year-Round

photo credit: Kevin Hutchinson

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