Maybe its the fresh spring breezes wafting through the air, but Ive had rustic dcor ideas bouncing around in my head for the past few weeks. When, I open up my windows the air smells like spring and I keep dreaming of the Italian countryside. Bring it on in, I say!

Ive been collecting and experimenting with some new rustic Tuscan ideas in my own kitchen, I think the kitchen is the best room to start incorporating elements of this style of design. I blame it on my mother who always stopped to collect pine cones, leaves, grape vines and other natural materials to use in her home dcor when we were kids, but I just love to bring natural things from the outdoors in.

I like to add things like a bunch of lavender tied with a silk ribbon as a wall decoration and of course my plants in little aged terra cotta pots are equally happy on the inside window sill or outdoors in the front garden. Ive found some wonderful new lines of rustic animal figurines (roosters, hens, nesting hens and even a large country dog to guard your garden gate or hearth). They add such a nice touch in a corner cabinet or on a dining hutch or sideboard.

Another of my favorite quick ways to add a bit of rusticana are terra cotta candles. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, Ive gilded the rims on some of them with antique gold paint (and left a bit of the aged green colored terra cotta peeking out underneath). If youre like me, you love to arrange and rearrange objects, so these are great to move around as your mood changes. You can light them for a romantic dinner, although I think theyre a bit too pretty to burn.

I also love to hang a Tuscan or Italian inspired plate above the stove, they look beautiful against terra cotta or rough Italian tiles. You can use pretty much anything with colors that complement your dcor. As always with artwork, select something that is meaningful to you, something that is calming or speaks to you youll be looking at it every day!

Another great thing about rustic dcor is that it doesnt have to be expensive. Even if you cant afford authentic Tuscan furniture, which can get quite pricey, you can still get a great look by adding in authentic touches. The Tuscan style homes we often see are actually restored farmhouses, the style originated from the needs of working farms (and often the home is a restored granaio or grain house!) How fun to add in some rustic wood beams, (I remember my Mom actually found some for her kitchen years ago and aged it and made it look worn by adding marks with a hammer and other tools. Then she stained them a dark color and they sure added a great touch to the kitchen). Even if you dont want to go to that extreme, you can work with your existing furniture and add in some nice touches, like Italian ceramics or interesting placemats and small dcor items.

Ive found some lovely kitchen signs that say Cucina Paradiso, you can look for them in our Villa Marketplace section. They are made from resin and have marks in them so they look antique. I think they add a nice whimsical touch and look great against a wood background. When I cook, I look at that sign and smile thinking of my Nonna and the wonderful things that came out of her kitchen. No wonder I think of the kitchen as a paradise! So, heres to creating your own version of Cucina Paradiso, hope this inspires you!!