8 Mediterranean backyard ideas

A sun-washed southern European house: plaster walls, terracotta and stone floors, arches, exposed beams, wrought iron and earth-and-sea colour. Chalky warm white, ivory and sand carry terracotta, ochre, burnt sienna, olive and tobacco, with sea blues from cobalt and Aegean to seafoam. The Tuscan room leans ochre, sienna and olive; the Spanish one terracotta, rust, golden yellow, cobalt tile and dark wood; the Greek one brilliant white and cobalt only — one of these, not a mix. Lime plaster, stucco or Venetian plaster; terracotta, cotto or Saltillo tile, travertine, limestone and pebble floors; chestnut, olive, cypress or dark walnut beams and furniture; black or dark-bronze wrought iron; hand-painted azulejo, Talavera or zellige tile; rattan, jute and rope; everything matte. Furniture is low, solid and rustic — a carved dark-wood trestle table, rush-seat ladderback chairs, a wrought-iron bed or console, a built-in plaster banquette with cushions, a whitewashed or distressed cabinet, a linen-slipcovered sofa, a leather sling chair. Linen and cotton, embroidered cushions, jute and sisal rugs, striped or kilim throws echoing the tile. Wrought-iron chandeliers and lanterns, pierced lanterns and candle sconces wash warm light over the plaster. Terracotta urns and planters, hand-painted plates on the walls, olive and citrus trees, bougainvillea, woven baskets and arched niches finish it, under coved or beamed ceilings, with deep window reveals and blue or green shutters. No gloss paint, no cool blue-whites, no nautical stripes, no granite-and-cherry kitchens; plaster, terracotta, arch and iron, where Coastal is pale wood and Moroccan is zellige and brass.