Naples Italy Home Style Guide

Naples Overview

Naples, located in the Campania district, whose name is derived from Latin meaning “fertile, happy countryside”. This vibrant coastal city is packed with magnificent artistic and historical treasures. The third-largest city in Italy, after Rome and Milan, Naples was inhabited by the Greeks in the second millennium BC, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited regions in the world. Today, Naples is a modern city known for its excellent cuisine (with the most Michelin Star restaurants in Italy), its stunning coastal retreats, historical monuments, and elegant lifestyle.

Italian Interior Decor

Italian interior decor is reflective of a combination of several elements: the sleek, clean-lined look of Milan, plus the rustic, terracotta-colored villas of the Tuscan countryside, with hints of elegant, historical Florentine style. Italian design breeds eclecticism, diversity, and artistic interpretation. Similar to the elements that make up the French decor style of practical luxury. Naples style leans more towards the rustic with deep influences of the Mediterranean influenced style as it has a large coastal area bordering the sea.

Why Naples & Italian Style Home Décor Is So Desired

• Ornate but elegant.
• Highest quality furnishings.
• The epitome of layered luxury, from floor to ceiling.
• Detailed fine craftsmanship.
• Supreme elegance.
• Coastal influences of open spaces and welcoming comfort.

Design Roots

With design roots dating back to the Renaissance and early 15th Century in Florence, the foundational architecture and decor are elegant baroque stylings. Today’s homes continue to employ exceptional craftsmanship and stunning styles, with two different schools of design: Old-World ornate Italian and Modern Italian. Naples falls into the third category that includes both styles above but additional seaside influences with a more Mediterranean and old-farmhouse rustic feel.

Mix & Match In Naples Decor

You will definitely find a mixture of different decor styles in many Italian homes. Because they are the result of the restoration of ancient buildings, postwar homes, and old farmhouses there can’t help but be a merging of the old and the new.

Ornate Luxury Decor Examples

• In the Old World style, you’ll see crystal chandeliers.
• Velvet, padded, and large comfortable sofas and chairs.
• Paneled ceilings.
• Stately columns.
• Arched windows.
• Walls with painted murals and ornate trim.
• Glossy wood or marble floors topped with plush area rugs.

Rustic Decor Examples

• White-washed, neutral color palette.
• Less refined, more natural-looking furniture pieces.
• Plastered, textured walls.
• Textures from nature: shells, sand, jute, grass.
• Traditional cement decorations with a newer modern ceramic twist in porcelain stoneware.
• Used in the contemporary home as the main feature of floor and wall coverings providing dynamic character and a retro charm.
• Cementine tiles- these were created in the nineteenth century, the product of the second industrial revolution as demand for dwellings rose. This was how the look of expensive rugs and mosaics of the elite were duplicated.
• They are still very popular in Italian Naples homes today.

Modern Decor Examples

• Clean-lined modern decor that is more minimalist.
• Luxury touches are seen in lacquered kitchens.
• Sculptural chandeliers.
• Streamlined modern furniture that continues the tradition of high quality.

Declutter

It almost goes without saying, but the cleaner, more minimalist home decor styles that Naples merges with rustic and/or modern embellishments starts with a decluttered foundation. Less is more is the motto of these contemporary Naples Italy homes. The goal is to secure a few essential furniture elements of high quality.

Marble, Stone & Tile

From marble to terra cotta, stoneware of all varieties finds its origins in Italian history.

• Italian Renaissance artisans worked this stone into timeless creations of classic art.
• Italian marble flooring reached new heights as sponsors requested tile for church floors.
• The geometric designs, color, and inlaid artistry of these stone tiles are elaborate, and an addition that every Italian-style home demands.
• These materials work in all the home design styles: ornate, rustic, and modern.
• The ornate part means elegant marble tile in the entryway of your home, or marble added to the bathroom walls and floors.
• For more Naples rustic styling, terra cotta colors and textured tiles are the appropriate Italian material to install moreover.

Terracotta & Warm Color

Terracotta tradition has historical roots in Tuscany and is typically a material and color found in many Naples homes. Although neutrals and white/black remain the favorite color matches in contemporary Naples homes, a rustic decor style is comfortable using color, especially in warm terracotta tones.

Gilded in Gold

Italian decor can go a little over the top in this area, especially in the Old-World Naples style. The more modern take continues to include this layer of luxury with gilded trim almost anywhere: mirror frames, inlaid in furnishings and tiles, as well as the veining in marble stone.

• Another place this gold is displayed is in the accessories.
• Elegant accouterments of hand-carved of stone, marble, or gold leaf-covered wood and metal.
• Crystals, glass, and mirrors also play a large role in Italian Naples decor.

Open Space of Naples Decor

As a consequence of smaller home spaces, contemporary Italian houses are characterized by an open kitchen that is integrated into the sitting room, in a unique space defined as ‘living’ which is the core of the house. A light and airy space, where light and glazed windows play a key role.

Italian Naples Modern Design

With sleeker furnishings and less ornate adornments, more modern style home decor in Naples still has a place for a respectful level of luxury and quality.

• The modern Italian Naples design is more clean-lined and less opulent than its predecessors.
• More black and white color themes.
• Statement touches of luxury, such as a crystal chandelier or a golden accessory that you may not normally find in a minimalist modern home.
• Modern enthusiasts can achieve a glamorous Italian interior by using high-quality materials and adding a little unexpected glamorous touch in every room of the home.

Naples Rustic Kitchen

As part of the increasing quest for wellness and well-being, specialized attention is given to the kitchen where ‘slow food’ is glorified as part of a cultured lifestyle. As cooking and Naples go hand-in-hand, the kitchen will always remain the heart of the home with the decor to match.

• Open kitchen cabinets.
• Tile floors are mostly terra-cotta tile.
• Clean color palette.
• Ceramic and heirloom accents.
• And of course, there is the addition of outdoor kitchen cooking and dining areas.

Naples Italy Foyer

A home’s entryway in Naples, like most home foyers, is practical but also inviting.

• Rustic sitting furniture piece.
• Tile floor with area rug.
• Gilded mirror.
• Old-world artistic accents.
• Greenery from the surrounding nature.

Naples Italy Rustic Floors

Terrazzo flooring is the typical marble flooring of many Italian houses. It has thankfully become an eco-friendly flooring option due to its recycling of materials. The small marble pieces were initially used with clay to design inexpensive terraces back in the old days of the Venetian era.

Bedroom Naples Italy Style

Boudoirs in Italy are saturated with Italian elegance, usually going for a rich look of layered luxury. The coastal areas of Naples showcase a more airy, seaside, and less opulent decor. Some tips to achieve this bedroom look include:

• Plaster walls are often used in Italian interiors creating a matte, slightly unpolished and shaded look. Faux plaster paints evoke the same feel.
• Citrus plants in terracotta pots.
• Sheer window coverings.
• Weathered wood pieces mixed with one or two more modern stylings.
• Marble or tile flooring is easy to maintain in coastal Italian Naples interiors.
• Rugs are used to create warmth in the bedroom.
• Accessories: oversized shells, local flowers and greenery, statuesque ceramic vases, sculpted bronze items; a marble tray.

Bathroom

Decor in the bathroom is as important as other rooms in Italian homes, must be cozy and comfortable as the others.

• Terrazzo tile work can also be found in many Naples Italy bathrooms.
• A space to be filled with decoration and imagination.
• Naples bathrooms are a place of rest and restoration, even meditation, devoted to soothing body and soul.
• The newest trends in bathroom decoration and technical equipment reflect this trend.

Gorgeous Gardens

Abundant outside home gardens and living, dining, relaxing in nature are part of the Naples Italy way of life. Italian’s love their gardens so much that they created the famous Bosco Verticale, an innovative concept where green is fully integrated with the architecture: mossy and vines-covered walls, roof-top gardens. You get the idea.

Summary

For much of contemporary history, Italian style was and still remains supreme. The use of high-quality furnishings, artistic stone and tile, and gilded adornment stays popular because the outcome results in exquisite elegance of timeless style. Traditional, modern, an eclectic mixture– a Naples Italian-style home can be yours.

• Remember to invest in high-quality pieces that will last a lifetime (second-hand is a great way to do this). There are many ways to find luxury for less.
• Incorporate stone, marble, and tile wherever possible.
• Add accents of Italian luxury in every room.
• Don’t forget the outside living and dining spaces as well.