How to style a room with authentic Spanish furniture

Whether you live in a traditional Spanish home or are the proud owner of a contemporary new-build that lacks Spanish features, wanting to add some Spanish flair to your home is common across the country.

One of the easiest ways to do this is with furniture.

But how can Spanish furniture help and what do you need to look out for when shopping for key pieces?

What is Spanish furniture?

Spanish furniture tends to fit into one of three distinct styles, modern, rustic, or traditional/Mudéjar.

Traditional or Mudéjar

The most well-known Spanish furniture style is the Mudéjar – which originated in Spain in the 12^th century.

Fusing Islamic, Jewish, and Christian architectural techniques and traditions, like horseshoe arches, Alfiz decorative moulding around archways, ornamental stucco, and geometric/vegetal forms.

In Mudéjar-style Spanish furniture, you can expect:

• Natural or traditional materials, like wood, fur, open-weave wools, iron, or stone
• Heavily carved and decorated elements, including mosaics or tiled designs
• Handmade or hand-finished finishes and textures

Modern

Modern Spanish furniture still relies on natural elements, like wood, but might choose to incorporate it into their design in lighter hues.

You can also expect:

• Cleaner lines
• More functional, less decorative designs
• Incorporating innovative, new materials, such as metal

Rustic

Found in regions like Catalonia or Andalusia, rustic Spanish furniture is generally made from reclaimed wood and, as such, bears a natural weathered finish.

How do I incorporate Spanish furniture?

How much you use and how you add it to your home is very much up to your personal tastes and budgets – which will make furnishing much easier.

Identify your personal style

Firstly, decide if you are more modern or traditional in style. Deciding this early on makes it easier to buy the furniture as you see it, because you know it will fit your aesthetic and will match with anything else you buy.

That’s not to say you can’t add the occasional element from a different style, but adding too much can take your home from cohesive to confusing.

Choose your budget

This refers to how many new furniture items you want to add – how much of a makeover you are looking for.

The more you want to add or invest in, the more you’ll likely spend, unless you can find a bargain!

For those looking to slowly customise their home over time, add a piece or two here or there – even this can make a real difference.

However, if you are looking to renovate your whole home or perhaps buy a new house’s worth of furniture because you currently don’t have any, you have the option of hitting the ground running.

From this point, you are ready to start shopping!

Our favourite Spanish furniture items

For homeowners wanting to make a bigger impact, the largest items of furniture in the home are an ideal place to start.

From dining tables and sideboards to coffee tables, beds, and wardrobes – investing in your chosen type of Spanish furniture in larger items can change the whole feel of a room, even if you aren’t able to buy more than a few pieces at once.

Another top tip is to focus the room around the furniture you buy. This gives even the one item boosted impact as the whole space and the people in the room will be facing towards it. This is also easier with larger items and can allow you to try new layouts in your home, something that will also change how your home feels.

For those wanting to start smaller, you could:

• Add items to the rooms you spend the most time in

If you can’t invest in the big stuff just yet, you want to choose items you can see most often.

• Choose items you’ll see or use most

Something like a coffee or dining table is going to be one of your most-used Spanish furniture items, helping you feel like you are getting the most out of your new purchases.

• Shop around

Much of Spanish shopping culture relies on markets, so it’s very possible to find a bargain if you are willing to look outside of the main homewares shops.

This includes dedicated online Spanish furniture providers, like Furniture Express!

Fill your room in a Spanish breeze

Whether you need to furnish an entire apartment or have a traditional finca you want to get ready for rent, choosing Spanish furniture is a fantastic way to boost the Spanish feel and improve the homely feel.

If you are struggling to know where to start, Furniture Express has a range of furniture packs and an in-house design team that can help you – no matter how much Spanish furniture you need or your preferred style. 

To get started, why not call us on 0034 952 886 677 or email the team at info@furnitureexpressspain.com? We’ll get back to you as soon as we can to get your property furnished by the end of your siesta.