The Mediterranean is popular for more than its cuisine. It’s also known for artfully balancing architectural styles with interior designs that create a cozy and comfortable ambiance, making you feel like you’re on holiday 24/7.

Imagine that!

With photorealistic rendering services from Plus Render, you can give your clients an accurate look into this aesthetic that has weathered short-lived trends. While its revival is credited to the booming 1920s, it goes a few hundred years back and has evolved according to the changing tastes and preferences of the present era. 

Join us as we explore its best features and how they can be modernized.

What Is the Mediterranean Traditional Style? 

Traditional Mediterranean style is an integral part of the easy-going coastal design. Inspired by natural beauty and the rich history of places that border the Mediterranean Sea, it calls for incorporating earthy textures to create inviting and cozy spaces. It shares similarities across locations, but ultimately, the availability of construction materials and the culture of the nearby locales determine its core design principles. 

For example, red clay tile roofs, large arches and facades, stucco walls, big fountains, and wrought iron balconies are a staple in Mediterranean architecture. But Italy also squeezes in columns which can be used to add extra floors (or skip taxes) while Spain takes the less-is-more approach, steering clear of ornate, elaborate designs. 

As it adapts to the changing needs of the hour, this simple yet elegant style has continued to be in demand. In recent years, with the shift towards sustainability and minimalism, it has been fashioned into a playful-meets-elegant aesthetic that exudes a timeless appeal few can resist. And this practice extends to the interiors…

Key Elements of Mediterranean Interior Design and How You Can Modernize It

Wondering what is Mediterranean interior design? There are 22 countries and a single territory that have coasts on the Mediterranean Sea. Each has a different way of focusing on the appearance and aesthetics of their interiors. It’s impossible to do this style justice in a few hundred words, so we’ll cover the most common design principles:

Vibrant Textiles

Mediterranean-style spaces revolve heavily around textiles for color, depth, and visual interest. Apart from form, they also contribute to the functionality of the space, diffusing light and opening the home to the freshness of the cool air outside.

You can use rugs and curtains in linen and cotton to accessorize interiors. They’ll distinguish the open layout spaces, add an element of comfort, and work alongside artwork and decor, pairing the classic with the modern and unconventional.

Textured Walls

Textured walls like white stucco and exposed bricks are a standard architectural feature of Mediterranean interiors. They give the space its distinct identity, highlight the warmth of natural materials, and create a cozy ambiance that excites and engages the senses. And if you want to give it a modern twist, you can easily stick to the same design principles—but with metallic paints for bling.

Exposed Beams 

This Mediterranean decor essential creates a warm, rural vibe that transports you to ages past. The exposed beams make the house feel more spacious and taller, give a feeling of security, and add a modern flair to a neutral room. They also provide complementary contrast to new-age materials like glass though they can be difficult to clean. 

Durable Flooring 

For those wanting to dabble in Mediterranean-style tradition, hardwood flooring perfectly emulates the personality of the style. You can also use natural stone and clay to make your decor pop. These materials can require a fair bit of maintenance so if you opt for these flooring choices, be ready for regular upkeep. 

Lucky for you, you can always adopt wood- or stone-effect tiles that give off the same modern Mediterranean vibe.

Rustic Furnishings 

Since true Mediterranean interior design focuses on nature, it makes sense to incorporate furniture pieces inspired by the coastal lifestyles of Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and Morocco. A distressed wood table and ornately carved armchairs are good choices—so is a plush sofa in homes where comfort takes center stage. 

You could also go all out with cast or wrought iron railings, patios, and gates. 

The key is to opt for shorter, smaller furniture to keep the flow of the space open. It will make the room appear larger, more organized, and welcoming.

Open Shelves FTW

In Mediterranean-style designs, open shelving with natural wood slabs in the kitchen or living room is usually preferred—even in small spaces. Far from making the house appear cluttered, they add value to your space, providing you with an excellent opportunity to show off your best dishware, glassware, barware, and trailing plants!

A Stunning Color Scheme 

The colors used in Mediterranean interior design are natural, earthy, warm, and toned-down. These shades maintain the focus on the marvelous architectural features. 

A white, off-white, or cream backdrop with hints of azure, browns, burnt amber, cerulean, chestnut, ochre, orange, seafoam green, terracotta, warm blue and green, white, and yellow are good options inspired by the surroundings. Just make sure to employ three main shades at most for a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing look.

Old World Accessories 

Accessories are best kept to a minimum in a Mediterranean-style home since its unique selling point is its laid-back vibe. Keep things simple with wall art, handmade pottery, colorful glassware, and bamboo baskets. Mirrors in ceramic frames can also add a touch of elegance to the room and make it appear more spacious.

Whether you’re renovating or building a house from the ground up, it pays to use chandeliers, Old World-inspired lights, and wall sconces for a more opulent feel.

Bring Outdoors, Indoors 

Nature-inspired environments are a recent trend, especially with the growing focus on sustainability. Hence, they are often found in Mediterranean-style homes. The wellness-minded indoor-outdoor lifestyle incorporates:

• Houseplants like lavender, eucalyptus, and opuntia cacti
• Large French doors and windows that let in natural light and fresh air

The Mediterranean style also strives to add outdoor touches to its interiors, creating a seamless flow between the two areas while fostering a warm and inviting environment. 

Arched Doorways and Windows 

Mediterranean-inspired elements can be reflected in the arches of entryways, windows, and doors. You can even let it influence the design of your bookcases with curved and asymmetrical shelves. Alternatively, you can also create the illusion of a distinct and beautiful arch on the wall with contrasting paint colors. Then, add open shelves “inside” to enhance its visual appeal.

And, Of Course, Lots of Patterns 

Mosaics and patterned tiles are key features in Mediterranean-style homes. They work beautifully as accents and can be used to add character and draw attention to everything from walls and floors to showers. That said, if you’re renovating and are on a tight budget, you can always match the vibe with patterned throw pillows. 

Use Rendering To Preview Your Mediterranean Interior Designs

Using a photorealistic image or video renderings from Plus Render, you can make your vision come alive even before construction begins. These can be used to add context—offering a bird’s eye view into the location and its surroundings with high-res drone graphics. You can also request multiple copies of the same format with minor tweaks in the design such as lighting, layout, and colors to engage audiences. 

If your client is inspired by the beauty of Mediterranean-style houses but wants a more novel approach, you can easily modernize the interiors with minor tweaks. 

You could paint the walls a different hue for a pop of color, open up the space to let sunlight in, throw in some patterned throw pillows, and soften the look of the flooring with rugs. Options abound and they all give you a competitive edge. 

Think about it from the buyer’s viewpoint.

A lifelike, immersive rendering makes you feel as if you’re physically present on the property. You can see the structural components from different perspectives, how textures and materials complement and contrast each other, how appliances fit into the scheme of things, and how the space is optimized with insane precision and attention to detail—right down to sizes, proportions, lines, and patterns. 

But, How Does It Benefit You? 

Renders reflect the designer’s vision better than a 2D sketch, so they facilitate a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the proposed design. Prospects will know how the property will look upon completion, which gives them a sense of security and confidence in signing away their hard-earned dollars. 

For interior designers, contractors, and other interior professionals, renders provide an eagle’s eye view of the finer details, allowing them to catch potential flaws before they move on to construction and find themselves involved in costly do-overs. Given the clients’ feedback, you could also personalize the texture, lighting, carpets, wallpaper, accent features, furniture arrangement, and other design components to give the house character that’s as unique as its future owners. 

Let High-Quality Renders Do the Talking 

From vibrant textiles and hard flooring to rustic furnishing and an earthy color scheme, Mediterranean interior design is an art. And like all art, it should be savored. What better way to do that than with renderings from Plus Render? 

Our multi-disciplinary team combines cutting-edge graphics with motion and drone videos to create designs with exceptional realism, hitting the mark every time. Book a call today and watch us weave our magic into your vision.