The Charm of the Tuscan Kitchen

by Gabby Hyman
Face Your Kitchen Columnist

Tuscan kitchens are simple yet stunning. You don't need to visit the sprawling countryside near Sienna or climb the spectacular duomo of Florence to catch Tuscany fever. A visit to a Tuscan kitchen accessory showroom can spark your blood and ingenuity. Italian accessories infuse your sleepy kitchen with earthy elegance and joyous color. In brief, Tuscan kitchen accessories include decanters, earthenware plates, table runners, terra cotta pots, serving dishes, carvings, inlays, chairs, tables, bowls, pitchers, planters, and trivets. What this means is you can nudge your existing kitchen one accessory at a time toward the Tuscan model. Or, you can toss open your checkbook and complete a thorough accessory make-over in the flash of an Italian eye.

At the Heart of Tuscan Elegance

There is a wide range of colors and themes common to Tuscan kitchen accessories. Here are a few characteristics:

• Colors. Think of the hues of ripening grapes, burgundy wine, and terra cotta hillsides. Consider red and orange sunsets, olive oil greens, deep cobalt blues, sunny yellows, and cinnamon.
• Accessories. Use wrought-iron pendant light fixtures and storage baskets, antiqued wood tables and chairs, old pottery urns and decanters, ropes of peppers and garlic, and fabric wall hangings. Try painted knobs and pulls for your cabinets.
• Materials. For flooring and countertops, employ granite, slate, or soft-tone marble tiles or covering. For chairs and tables, aim for the worn-but-serviceable look in heavy or chunked wood. Chipped edges and "distressed paint? lends to an authentic Italian feel. You can do this by using off white color with a crackle base, then sanding down to raw wood in random places. Chestnut and walnut woods are authentic, but can be pricey. Poplar, elm, and pine are good substitutes.

Other accessories include stone masks, marble figurines, spice jars, and wine racks. You can finish up the overall look by "randomly" adding window herb gardens, paintings of the Tuscany countryside, and decanters of oils, sauces, peppers, and vinegars.

About the Author
Gabby Hyman has written for print and online media for more than 20 years. He has created online content for eToys, GoTo.com, Siebel Systems, Avaya, and Nissan UK. He has also been a web consultant to the Governor of California. As an author of fiction, journalism, and poetry, Gabby is a former English professor for the University of Illinois, University of Alaska, and Old Dominion University. He holds an MFA in fiction writing from the University of Alabama.