7 tips to decorate your restaurant in Mediterranean style

Do you want to decorate your restaurant following the Mediterranean style guidelines? In that case, pay attention because we will give you eight infallible guidelines to achieve it and transmit to your customers the peace and calm inherent in this fashionable trend. Take note!

1. Use lime on the walls

Whitewashed walls are typical of the Mediterranean style, but to get the most authentic effect when decorating your restaurant, don’t just cover the cement with paint: use lime mortar for the finish, that isn the combination of lime, sand and water that has traditionally been used in the region.

The reason? This preparation not only dyes white; it is also breathable and is continuously reacting with the environment, absorbing moisture from the environment or releasing it. It is also natural, antibacterial, anti-mold and more sustainable than cement, since it is manufactured at a lower temperature, so CO₂ emissions are lower.

The lime mortars typical of the Mediterranean style are now very easy to use, as they have been greatly modernized in recent years thanks to brands such as Unicmall (producers of fat lime, lime mortars and lime paint since 1960); Corical (non-organic mineral lime mortar for interior and exterior use, providing a traditional matte finish), Morcem Cal and HD System, which offer a wide variety of technical lime-based products. Moredesign is one of the studios that uses them the most.

Mortex, from Beal, is also widely used to decorate restaurants and homes. This mineral micromortar, composed of natural limes, has many aesthetic and technical advantages, such as allowing an infinite range of colors, effects and textures. Among them, the matte and sensual aesthetics that have made award-winning interior designers such as Lorna de Santos so fashionable in their minimalist and organic spaces in which the Mediterranean style predominates.

2. Let the light pass through

Mediterranean light is one of the most evident characteristics of the region. Therefore, decorating your restaurant with this aesthetic will not be effective unless the space is flooded with it. To achieve this, open large doors, windows, and even skylights if necessary, as they do from the Mediterranean-style architecture firm Blackstad Ibiza.

However, make sure that the atmosphere is cool at the same time; after all, if there is one thing Mediterranean-style houses are known for, it is for effectively acclimatizing to the weather.

3. Ally yourself with natural materials such as wood, vegetable fibers, noble fabrics and clay.

Mediterranean style houses are, in essence, austere, humble places, without great luxuries, where what is owned comes directly from the surroundings. For this reason, they have always been particularly sustainable, meeting all the characteristics of the current Eco-Friendly trend. This trend advocates the use of natural and recycled materials as a response to climate urgency.

Therefore, when decorating your restaurant with this look, you should ally yourself, above all, with wood, wicker, rattan, bamboo, ceramics, stone… For example, with stools like Bold, low, stackable and made of natural fibers. Its filigree craftsmanship is also a plus to achieve the Mediterranean aesthetic.

It is also interesting to get lampshades made of these materials, such as Gather made of natural rattan.

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Another perfect option is Victoria Natural, ideal for dressing ceilings when it comes to decorating your restaurant following the Mediterranean style.

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Likewise, details such as the Tuscan natural rattan circular mirror, which evokes the omnipresent sun in the area, also contribute to create the desired atmosphere.

4. Appreciates the value of the imperfect.

The Mediterranean style is deeply linked to the creation of craftsmanship. Therefore, when it comes to decorating your restaurant with this trend, the best, as we have already seen, is to bet on the handmade and learn to appreciate the beauty of imperfection that brings personality to objects, and that also encourages us to admire the Wabi-Sabi trend.

To achieve this, our allies will be furniture such as the Bifase bench in wood and natural fiber, handcrafted in laurel and with seat upholstered in braided palm.

Also a good option is Yokomi, a low stool in solid teak wood, with legs finished in white paint and those small marks and irregularities that give charisma and personality to a piece.

5. Fill the space with plants

The connection of the Mediterranean style with nature is very powerful, as we have already seen. Therefore, decorating your restaurant following this trend without a good number of natural plants typical of the region would be like leaving it orphaned.

Get palmettos, bougainvilleas, lavender, rosemary, lemon trees, olive trees, prickly pears… They will give the definitive touch to your Mediterranean style! In fact, contrary to popular belief, most of these species can be grown indoors if they get enough light and avoid excessively cold temperatures, which, on the other hand, are not common in restaurants.

6. Honors the inside-outside connection

Mediterranean-style homes are all about living in the sun. Therefore, we cannot forget to honor the connection with the outside area by decorating your restaurant according to this trend. Some ideas to achieve this? For example, use a unique pavement – if possible, made of clay or stone – that indicates continuity between the indoor and outdoor spaces.

Also, place plants in both areas, as well as complements to create shade, and above all, bet on the same type of furniture as in the interior, but adapted for outdoors or placed under a roof.

The Millery dining table, made of solid teak wood, could be one of those pieces that continue the Mediterranean style of your restaurant outdoors.

And the handcrafted Princeton esparto grass lampshade, which will bring warm lighting to the most romantic evenings.
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7. Embrace the calm

Beyond furniture and coverings, the essence of the Mediterranean style is to embrace the slow life: “After years of rigid minimalist interiors, the new Mediterranean style asks: Why not bring a joyful sense of warmth and slow life into our daily lives? Why not create spaces that remind us of summer vacations – those long, languid days that stretch late into the night (…) In this increasingly digital world, surrounded as we are by objects of machine-like precision, these spaces evoke salty hair and sandy feet. In our high-octane urban lifestyle, the new Mediterranean style can teach us a thing or two about slowing down, no matter where we are in the world,” we quoted in our article on Mediterranean style.

Therefore, try to lower the revolutions of your work team, try to make your place breathe calm, and invite your customers to relax with pieces like the Samuel jute puff, made of natural fiber with white braided cotton print.

To decorate your Mediterranean-style restaurant and achieve a peaceful atmosphere, you can also opt for the Gardal sofa, made of natural rattan fiber on a metal frame, with cushions included. Dare to embrace the peace of everyday life!

Mediterranean style: a natural oasis for decorating your restaurant

Mediterranean style -sober, warm, bright and sustainable- is gaining more and more followers thanks to its rustic and cozy simplicity. Why not use it to decorate your restaurant? Get to work with these tips and create the space of your dreams!