Refreshing Reveal: Transformation of Dated Tuscan Interiors to a Modern Mediterranean Style

The most inspiring and interesting interiors are defined by the depth of the stories being told. A remodel can be like rewriting an entire story or editing one for a new audience. In this particular renovation project located in a gated community with large lots is a home with beautiful exterior architecture, but its ’90s Tuscan-style interior felt heavy and ready for a retelling.

Britt Design Group reimagined the interiors to reflect a story of its well-traveled homeowners. “They have homes in Europe and in the U.S.,” says the firm’s residential design studio director Audra Siao. “They wanted clean, contemporary interiors but with some eclectic pieces.” In essence, they wanted a fresh, but not necessarily modern, story.

Beginning in the heart of the home was a full remodel of a kitchen located just beyond a large overhead arch that delineates the space from the main dining and living areas. “We removed extra trim from the home’s existing archways and cleaned them up,” says Siao. “Everything else in the kitchen, from cabinetry to countertops, is new.” What Siao refers to as a modern Mediterranean look is achieved by keeping the walls light and bright. Perimeter cabinetry is painted a light gray-green called Escape Gray by Sherwin Williams and “the skinny shaker cabinet door style is a little more current but not completely modern,” says Siao.

The room’s ethereal airiness is balanced by an island of light-toned wood designed with vertical planks to maintain a transitional-style mix of materials. The island, along with all perimeter counters, is topped with Cambria’s Ivybridge quartz design. Siao says, “We love that design because it has a natural marble look to it with a prominent vein, but it’s durable. So the client doesn’t need to be concerned about ruining their countertop with a red wine spill or a lemon wedge sitting on it. It lets them have that marble look but free of any stress.”

A bonus ledge tops a Cambria backsplash behind the range. “By running the Cambria up the backsplash and adding that shelf, you see the pretty veining and it offers a useful place to prop a piece of art or to keep spices handy while cooking,” says Siao. Above the island are clear glass pendant lights in a Moroccan-esque shape, another nod to traditional styling but in a more current iteration that tells you a little more about whose story this is. Details like these differentiate luxury interiors.

Pivot to the living area and you’ll see repeats of the home’s arched architecture reflected in furniture shapes. Natural woods keep it feeling light, fresh, and current. A textured grass-cloth wall covering provides a subtle pop of color in a large-scale, exotic IKAT-like pattern for a bit of bohemian influence. Layers of tactile elements continue in the bouclé fabrics and a textured, tonal rug. “We didn’t want to overkill with pattern but to make the spaces feel warm and cozy,” says Siao.

Travel through a hall of vaulted arches that were part of the previous architecture and refreshed with cloud white paint and new light fixtures, and you’ll find a primary suite where Siao says the client let her team “go a little wild.”

“We did reuse the client’s existing bedroom furniture,” says Siao. “The tone of the walnut played nicely with a new textured wall covering that serves as a striking backdrop in the space.” The goal was for the primary bedroom and en suite to feel serene, “a place that you want to spend some time in,” says Siao.

The team at Britt Design Group helped their clients tell a completely new and compelling story with this renovation. Siao notes that even if a renovation project seems daunting because the spaces feel heavy and dark, “you could just peel back some layers of existing stuff and get a fresh new look using the existing architecture, playing off it in a new way.”