With ties to historic European architecture, Mediterranean-style homes are reminiscent of sun-soaked, seaside locales. The elegant exteriors often feature red roof tiles, stucco walls, arches, and enclosed outdoor spaces. These Mediterranean-inspired homes showcase timeless style with global appeal.
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Mediterranean Architecture
Mediterranean-style homes are heavily influenced by the architecture of Spain, Italy, and other European countries, including France, Portugal, and Greece. With its emphasis on warmth and outdoor living, the aesthetic is often associated with wealth and a leisurely lifestyle. Stateside, it gained widespread appeal in the 1920s, especially in California and Florida, where it continues to be a popular home style today.
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Small Mediterranean Houses
Mediterranean houses often boast sprawling, symmetrical facades, but smaller structures can carry off this style. This modest home uses unmistakably Mediterranean stucco walls and a classic tiled roof with a more approachable look. Several arched openings across the front create a breezeway that offers shade and facilitates cool air flowing into the house.
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Mediterranean Home Exteriors
Mediterranean-style homes vary depending on the specific architectural influences, but many showcase similar exterior elements. Typical characteristics include:
- Arched doors and windows.
- Wrought-iron details.
- Clay roof tiles.
- Stucco walls.
- Spacious outdoor living areas.
Several of these distinctive exterior Mediterranean features, including the stucco and roof materials, are intended to help keep these homes cool in hot, sunny climates.
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Mediterranean-Style Home Design
Celebrate the colors and textures of Mediterranean-style homes with an inviting mix of aged patinas, lush landscaping, and open outdoor rooms. A medieval castle in Italy inspired the architecture of this made-to-look-old home. Rust-colored stucco siding, clay roof tiles, and an eye-catching arched entrance invoke countryside charm.
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Luxury Mediterranean Home
This large Mediterranean-style home puts a luxurious twist on traditional Spanish architecture. Reclaimed clay roof tiles and limestone-trimmed exterior windows and doors remain faithful to the home's European inspiration outside. Gas-powered lanterns, simple iron railings, and arched French doors imbue the exterior with old-world style.
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Mediterranean Outdoor Living Spaces
Outdoor living spaces play a significant role in Mediterranean-style home plans. Abundant plantings often surround large porches, patios, and courtyards. This Mediterranean-style home relies on several patios and loggias (rooms with at least one open side) to graciously extend its livable square footage for gatherings with family and friends. Climbing plants, wrought-iron fixtures, and arched doorways add more Mediterranean charm.
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Mediterranean Home Exterior Elements
The front porches of Mediterranean houses, especially those with Italian influences, are often defined by stone columns spanned by arches. Roofs feature wide, overhanging eaves with large brackets under the roofline. A variety of terra-cotta tiles top this stucco home, mimicking the look of reclaimed Italian tile without sacrificing durability.
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Modern Mediterranean-Style Home
Mediterranean-style homes generally have an old-world look, but it's possible to apply the style in a modern way. Taking cues from Tuscan landscapes, this home exterior pairs limestone and stucco with over-grouted terra-cotta roof tiles to lend an authentic Italian look. However, a crisp exterior color palette and clean-lined windows with sleek black frames give this modern Mediterranean home a contemporary edge.
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Mediterranean Landscaping
Vibrant landscaping adds inviting curb appeal to Mediterranean-style homes. These gardens often feature lots of contrast, such as soft foliage against stone walls or tall, sprawling vines next to tidy clipped hedges. A curving walkway garden adds interest to this Mediterranean-style home exterior covered in greenery.
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Italian Mediterranean Home
This Mediterranean-style home is inspired by Italian architecture and applies elegant, authentic design. Clay roof tiles, grand arches, and a mix of stone and stucco give the exterior a classic Italian appearance. Arches are used inside and outside the home to impart a sense of history.
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Colorful Mediterranean Homes
Mediterranean-style homes typically feature warm, neutral exterior colors, but they can also be painted in more vibrant colors such as sky blue, light gold, or even pink. In addition to the stucco, roof, doors, and trim colors, the landscaping can factor into a bright exterior palette. Here, colorful plantings tie the colorful Mediterranean house to the surrounding lawn and landscape. The homeowner chose flowers and greenery at all levels to draw attention to the two-story design of the house, as well as the front porch and two balconies.
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Spanish Mediterranean Homes
Spanish Mediterranean-style homes are typically built with clean-lined shapes and low-pitched roofs. However, more striking Spanish-style homes might also feature intricate tilework, as seen above and around the front door of this house. The windows with wrought-iron details are another Mediterranean design touch.
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Mediterranean Homes and Gardens
Mediterranean houses are particularly well-suited to warm-weather locations, such as California, Florida, and Arizona, where living outdoors is an all-year-long activity. Indoor living areas are designed to flow seamlessly into outdoor rooms, including gardens, courtyards, loggias, terraces, and patios. This Mediterranean home has vast outdoor areas where the homeowners and guests enjoy gardening, entertaining, and relaxing.
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Spanish Mediterranean Architecture
This Southern California home references Spanish and Mediterranean architecture. Its low-pitched roof with red tiles and the home's stucco siding are perfect examples of Mediterranean design. Shutters flank the windows. Brackets at the bottom of the windows add architectural interest and a rustic look. The warm, earthy color palette takes its cue from natural colors in the Spanish countryside.
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Mediterranean Home Exterior Details
Stone walkways are a common characteristic of Mediterranean-style homes and gardens. The curved, red brick walkway leading to this home reflects the roof tiles in both color and pattern. Flowers along the path provide bursts of color.
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Mediterranean-Style Stucco
Inside and out, stucco is one of the most recognizable features of Mediterranean homes. These thick walls help keep the heat out during the day to maintain a cool interior in warm climates. Crisp white stucco covers the exterior of this Mediterranean-style home, defined by stylized arches and wrought-iron accents.
Architectural Home Styles
Mediterranean homes are only one of the many architectural styles seen nationwide. Some of the most frequently seen in neighborhoods from coast to coast include ranch style, often with open floor plans, and the most often used layout for midcentury modern homes. Colonial-style homes are usually found in older parts of the country, including the Midwest and New England. They typically have an eye-pleasing symmetrical facade. Simple Craftsman-style homes gained popularity as a response to the more ornate design of Victorian architecture.
Mediterranean-style homes are known for their ties to historic European architecture and their resemblance to sun-soaked, seaside locales. These homes often feature elegant exteriors with red roof tiles, stucco walls, arches, and enclosed outdoor spaces. The Mediterranean architectural style is heavily influenced by the architecture of Spain, Italy, and other European countries such as France, Portugal, and Greece. It gained widespread appeal in the United States, particularly in California and Florida, in the 1920s and continues to be a popular home style today [[1]].
Characteristics of Mediterranean-Style Homes:
Mediterranean-style homes can vary in their specific architectural influences, but they often showcase similar exterior elements. Some of the typical characteristics include:
- Arched doors and windows
- Wrought-iron details
- Clay roof tiles
- Stucco walls
- Spacious outdoor living areas
These distinctive exterior features, such as the stucco and roof materials, are designed to help keep the homes cool in hot, sunny climates [[3]].
Mediterranean-Style Home Design:
To celebrate the colors and textures of Mediterranean-style homes, an inviting mix of aged patinas, lush landscaping, and open outdoor rooms is often used. These homes can take inspiration from various sources, such as a medieval castle in Italy, to create a classic and charming appearance. Rust-colored stucco siding, clay roof tiles, and eye-catching arched entrances are some of the design elements that invoke countryside charm [[4]].
Mediterranean Outdoor Living Spaces:
Outdoor living spaces play a significant role in Mediterranean-style home plans. These homes often feature abundant plantings surrounding large porches, patios, and courtyards. Climbing plants, wrought-iron fixtures, and arched doorways add to the Mediterranean charm of these outdoor areas. The use of loggias, which are rooms with at least one open side, helps extend the livable square footage for gatherings with family and friends [[6]].
Spanish Mediterranean Homes:
Spanish Mediterranean-style homes typically have clean-lined shapes and low-pitched roofs. Some more striking Spanish-style homes may also feature intricate tilework and windows with wrought-iron details, adding to the Mediterranean design touch [[12]].
Mediterranean Landscaping:
Vibrant landscaping is an essential aspect of Mediterranean-style homes, adding inviting curb appeal. These gardens often feature lots of contrast, such as soft foliage against stone walls or tall, sprawling vines next to tidy clipped hedges. Curving walkway gardens can also add interest to the exterior of Mediterranean-style homes, covered in greenery [[10]].
Colorful Mediterranean Homes:
While Mediterranean-style homes typically feature warm, neutral exterior colors, they can also be painted in more vibrant colors such as sky blue, light gold, or even pink. The landscaping can also factor into a bright exterior palette, with colorful plantings tying the house to the surrounding lawn and landscape [[11]].
Stucco in Mediterranean-Style Homes:
Stucco is one of the most recognizable features of Mediterranean homes, both inside and out. The thick walls made of stucco help keep the heat out during the day, maintaining a cool interior in warm climates. Crisp white stucco is often used to cover the exterior of Mediterranean-style homes, which are defined by stylized arches and wrought-iron accents [[16]].
These are some of the key concepts related to Mediterranean-style homes discussed in this article. If you have any more specific questions or need further information, feel free to ask!