If Bernardo Bertolucci were still with us, he would have turned eighty this year, and his “Tuscan” film, Stealing Beauty released in 1996, is now twenty-five years old.

This overlap of anniversaries is a curious coincidence, which also serves as a way to retrace the steps of this film. At its center is Lucy, played by the then eighteen-year-old debutante Liv Tyler, a young American girl who arrives in Italy dreaming of a great love. She is welcomed in a farmhouse nestled in the Sienese countryside (Podernovi farmhouse, in San Regolo, a hamlet of Gaiole in Chianti) by a diverse group of artists and intellectuals: we will not recount the film in detail here, but suffice it to remember it (as we have done for other films in the past) and in the meantime try to identify a couple of focal points, very similar to the contemporary rustic, to recreate a Tuscan style of decor.

Ready?

Evoking Tuscany with natural stone, wood, and marble

Homes decorated in Tuscan style are inspired by elements of nature. Stone walls, iron accessories, floors in marble or travertine, and sturdy wooden furniture: these are just some of the elements of Tuscan decor.

This style is renowned for its sense of peace and its simplicity. By combining elements with a vintage flavor, truly lived-in and loved, a room becomes warm and inviting with minimal effort: in a Tuscan-style home, one can expect wood, stone, and the use of earth tones as essential elements.

Marble, abundant in Tuscany, is used for decorative details such as floors, arches, and pillars. Interiors, typically designed using robust materials that can withstand the test of time, continue to have a rustic, warm, and inviting appearance over time, with nothing appearing shiny and new.

Stone walls are left as natural as possible, plastered walls are colored with painting techniques that give them a “worn” look; the rooms of a Tuscan farmhouse have ceilings with wooden beams, plastered ceilings, and offer an airy feel: the windows fully utilize natural light.

Wooden surfaces like cabinets and chests are often left with a natural patina: homes incorporating Tuscan-style decor often use floors in raw stone, travertine, or terracotta bricks; antique rugs add warmth and color.

Attention to outdoor space

Water is a fundamental element in Tuscan decor. Many farmhouses in Tuscany have a fountain in the courtyard, and sometimes, even a very rustic pool surrounded by beautiful wild vegetation.

Sometimes, we also find marble statues that further embellish the outdoor spaces; garden paths and walkways are created with pebbles, and nature takes its course, while grass grows between the stones adding charm to the house itself.

His Majesty the Bathroom

And speaking of water, we cannot overlook the master bathroom, where an antique-style bathtub, almost outdated, must reign, and where stone and wood remain the dominant elements. The overall look that recurs most often is rustic, raw. Tuscan-style interiors are characterized by beautiful “sunny” colors, soft and warm, never cold: think of the nuances of terracotta, dusty greens, earthy ochre, and brick red paired with golden yellow.

All this and much more is the rustic Tuscan style!