We’re a professional Designer + Builder husband & wife team showing you the Spanish-style house interior inspo for our new personal home, sharing our 50 favorite designs and tips, from Spanish Revival to hacienda-style, Spanish Colonial to modern, floor to ceiling! 🤗
While the internet is full of same-old same-old Spanish-style house interior inspiration photos, I’m here to bring a fresh new perspective…
…not only as a professional designer but as someone shaped by Californio heritage and Spanish life influence!
I mentioned in this post that some of my earliest childhood memories living with my grandma involve architecture and landscape design from time spent at my grandaunt’s house in Montecito, outside of Santa Barbara. (That’s another fun story I’ll share pictures from someday!)
…but since a chunk of my ancestry goes back to a few areas of “Spanish California” in the 17th century, I started wondering if maybe it’s in my nature and nurture?😆 That would explain so much!
Because my
sheer and pure excitement
at finally being able to bring in some “hacienda” and “Spanish revival” house ideas to our home is almost palpable.
In our last house (which was also in southern California), it just didn’t feel right to go with any “old Spanish California” or even too much “Mediterranean” style there.
SPANISH-STYLE HOUSE INTERIOR DESIGN
A Word of Warning Before You DIY Design a Spanish-Style Interior!
If you’re considering adding some modern Spanish Colonial style to your house or looking at Spanish-style house interior pics on the internet, you’ll want to be careful!
Let me repeat:
Be careful with Spanish-Mediterranean!
Why?
Because unless you are actually living in Spain, the Mediterranean, or a place (like southern California) where all those Spaniards brought their style and it’s ingrained into our history…
…it usually won’t look quite right! Absolutely I can help you make it look perfectly right, it just can take some restraint and
knowing when and where to add that style’s flavor!
Pause to note:
I’m listening to my Spanish playlist as I write, and it’s playing Gawvi’s “Sin Miedo”…so let’s go! ¡Vamo’ a darle sin miedo! No fear, dear readers! 😎💃🏽
And yes, feel free to dance a bit while we discuss this style and look for ways that not only I but you can incorporate the perfect elements for your own unique and timeless home style!
SPANISH-STYLE HOME INTERIORS
Spanish-Style Tip #1: Ceilings are HUGE!
Let’s take a moment of silence for the sheer beauty of this ceiling!
(Look closely!)
See those beautiful painted details on the wood? While your (and my) home may not come with ceilings exactly like this, if your home already has existing Spanish-style architectural details like this…
…then you’re going to have to bring it into your design considerations!
Ignoring what you’re working with is 1 of the Top 3 Mistakes I see people making when they try to be their own DIY Interior Designer. Which brings me to my next point…
SPANISH-STYLE HOUSE INTERIOR
Spanish-Style Tip #2: Consider Existing Architecture!
If we’re helping a client who’s
- doing a massive down-to-the-studs renovation,
- has a 5-6 figure remodel budget, OR
- already has Spanish-style architectural elements,
then achieving a successful Spanish-style house interior design feels much more natural.
However, many people do not fit into one of the three above, and try (unsuccessfully) to make a Spanish style (even a modernized one) look natural in their home.
I’ll give you an example…
I see people who add one arched doorway in their standard-style home and consider it adds that Spanish or Mediterranean-style flavor for them. Or maybe they add some arched mirrors above their vanity and call it “that” style.
However, it will most likely never feel right in their home.
If the arch isn’t repeated in the right ways, in the right places, and with the right proportions (just to name a few problems 99% of people don’t know how to DIY alone!), it will look out of place. It will look “DIY Designed” in the worst way for a Spanish-style house interior.
And often people don’t see it because they’re too close to their decisions! They “see” it, but they’ve actually been blinded by several things.
I use the arch as just one example. 😉 So as we continue, keep in mind that you can’t just go shopping, add a few pieces, and have it feel the way you want it to feel.
(That’s why so many people call us mid-project. They love design, they’re smart and think it looks easy, then months or years later they’re throwing up their hands when their intelligent brains are looking at their final product and they know something is wrong…but they don’t know what! That’s why I created this phone call option for you so I can tell you quickly and save you months/years of your life! 😅 Consults frequently get sold out so booking today is highly advisable.)
If you’re not quite ready to get 1:1 personalized help from us, you can always start with THIS #1 step our clients rave about as foundational for their successful home with us! We also created The Expert Room Design & Layout Guide (I recommend you get this as a companion to the above #1!)
SPANISH HOUSE INTERIOrS
Spanish-Style Tip #3: Use White Properly!
I recently saw a multi-million dollar house pop up on the market that had attempted to achieve a Mediterranean look. While not all dark-colored walls are unsuccessful, this house was filled with them. (Where’s my face palm emoji keyboard shortcut?)
The EASIEST color for you home DIY-designers to do for a Spanish-style home will be white.
HOWEVER, this does not always need to mean the house will be blindingly-white. Especially with darker furniture and accents like the below (and low light!), the white is not going to feel like a hospital.
Not by a long shot! 😊
PS: I have a post allllllll about My 7 Smart Strategies for Choosing Interior Colors HERE!
By contrast, a different white, more light, different furniture and architectural choices, etc. can give you a much lighter and brighter feel!
HACIENDA STYLE HOMES
To Tile…Or Not to Tile? (That Is The Question!)
I’ve been waiting years to incorporate a Spanish-style tile into our house…and this beach house may finally be my chance! 😉
BTW, if you’re new here and didn’t see our last kitchen renovation where we did 45 drawers and ZERO lower cabinets, you can see that HERE! 👈🤗
SPANISH REVIVAL HOMES
Speaking of Tile…
I have ideas for incorporating tile into the beach house not only in the kitchen but in the bathroom(s), the exterior, and a few other unexpected but FUN, gorgeous places! 😉
Tile can be tricky, but if you find a good one it’s a must-have for any Spanish-style house interior design you’ll do!
SPANISH COLONIAL HOUSE
Spanish-Style Tip #4: The Correct Fireplace Style = FIRE!
There was no pun intended there, but really…getting the fireplace right is FIRE for the interior design of a Spanish style home!
Whether you’re going Spanish Revival, Spanish Colonial, or Spanish Hacienda Style (I have fascinating new info to share with you about fireplaces for that one), the perfect fireplace design can make or break things for the interior.
I break down images of at least 15 different plaster-style fireplaces in THIS post (“The 12+ Simplest Plaster Fireplace Surround Ideas to Ease Your Eyes!”).
My next post I’m hoping to have time to write and share with you is allllllll about my fireplace decision and (HINT!) I am in the throes of deciding between this plaster look or a certain stone look…
…so you’ll want to watch for that one! 😉 (Get on our rare-but-useful “Insiders List” HERE if you want to be the first to know when it goes live!)
MODERN SPANISH STYLE HOMES
Ceilings: To Plank Or Not To Plank?! 😉
One of my favorite things about our little beach house is that the living room has a high ceiling all the way to the roof!
It certainly makes a small space look SO much more spacious! (Don’t get me started on the rest of the rooms. Let’s just focus happily on the luscious tall ceiling in the living space. 😍)
While we’re talking about living rooms, you’ll want to bookmark THIS post I did on finding your perfect living room rug size!
I know we’re talking about ceilings, but in our beach house we have THE MOST AWFUL FIREPLACE YOU’VE EVER SEEN and I can’t stop thinking about it. 😆
So watch for that post next…you’ll get some
good laughs,
I promise. 😜
SPANISH-STYLE HOME
Spanish-Style Interior Design: Natural vs White Wood?
Speaking of ceilings, I showed 3 examples of lighter wood ceilings to you above…which I do like, but…
…what about all the beautiful natural wood ceilings? (Remember that one earlier above with the beautiful painted details? Yeah!)
Our beach house doesn’t have plaster walls, but I’m seriously considering it versus other wall treatments…
For a Spanish hacienda-style, these adobe-feel walls can look more authentic…but like I said earlier, one of my biggest client tips from years of experience is:
beware of trying to make your house something it’s not! 😘
As in the above, wood ceilings don’t need to be all dark for a Spanish-style house interior look or feel. You can go with lighter stains for sure! Just make sure it ties in with the rest of your design hues (another awfully-common mistake people make in their DIY interior designs!)…
Note the above “banquette” is backing up to windows, which often prevents doing a built-in banquette…
I have THIS post about banquette seating and it will come in handy when you see how we deal with seating in front of windows in our beach house dining room!
SPANISH-STYLE house interior DECOR
Angled vs Flat Ceilings: How to Address?
The photo of that dining room above shows a wood ceiling treatment on a flat ceiling instead of a tall angled one from the earlier examples.
Our beach house bedroom has a flat ceiling, and we could raise it to the roof to get a big tall ceiling, but I
100% want to stay away from that
and will share all about The Why in that post!
I’m thinking planks like the below as a possibility, but I also might not, and this is why I need multiple posts to delve into these subjects and strategies in more detail for those of you who want that level of sub-detail! 😉
Speaking of flat ceilings, let’s move into the kitchen!
SPANISH STYLE HOME DECOR
Kitchens, Oh Kitchens!
Remember the tiled kitchen photos I showed you earlier?
Well, there’s still a good chance I will not utilize the tile on a backsplash (because I believe in THESE types of kitchen backsplashes!)…
Pssst! Look above and note the all-lower-drawers like we did in THIS kitchen. 😉 (Click that link to see the 21 kitchen hacks we did in our own kitchen.)
I also give you my 5 Genius Reasons You Need Kitchen Drawers Instead of Cabinets HERE!
SPANISH-style house interior IDEAS
Spanish-Style Tip #5: Keep Your Artwork In Mind Ahead of Time!
I know it might sound crazy not to do this last (and I certainly don’t want you to do it first)…
…but too often people fall in love with a certain style of painting that later doesn’t fit at all with their home (or their size for where they want it placed)…
…and people often forget how big an impact artwork makes on your space. For example, you can go simpler on your architectural details for a Spanish-style home if you have a stunning large piece of artwork that gets the feel for you for less money and exorbitant hassle of a huge reno.
I created THIS post for you on Spanish-style artwork specifically (you won’t want to miss that one as it’s NOT what you’ll expect! 😉 )…
…as well as a post on the ONLY 10 types of wall decor you need to know about HERE! (Ideal for blank wall conundrums.)
SPANISH DECOR
Spanish-Style Bookshelves: Built-In, Freestanding, Or None?
These Spanish-style bookshelves and cabinets below are literally built into the wall.
We have a post for you ALL ABOUT BOOKSHELVES! Especially built-ins and floor-to-ceiling design tips! That’s HERE!
(We also show you how to design + build the perfect bookcase for your space with THIS!)
OR, for our Spanish-style beach house, will I rely more on the lower-profile buffet-style furniture pieces…
SPANISH-STYLE HOUSE INTERIOR
The Final 7 Quick Tips & Previews of What We’re Doing!
And when I say “what we’re doing” I mean, “What we’re currently planning on but could change next month!” 😉
Why?
Occasionally, I have 11th hour genius revelational ideas right before we pull the trigger on something. (If you’re thinking Matt loves this, YOU ARE SOOOOOOOO RIGHT! 😉 but really, one of his pro skills is being amazingly adept at rolling with changes so it’s a good thing.)
What I’m primarily looking at in the above is the table…
…and what I’m showing you below is a hint of Regency-style chairs that I shall make work in this Spanish-style beach house because they actually came from that childhood house I mentioned from my fancy Spanish family grandaunt’s house in Montecito…
And then just to keep you guessing, I’m going to show you THESE chairs! 😉
And really, if I’m going to share with you one No Fail Way to Get Spanish-Style into your home, it’s statement leather chairs!
Speaking of leather chairs, while the below has many elements of what I’ve been guiding you in throughout this post, we will not be going boho style in this California beach house. So there’s a helpful preview of what we will not be doing, which is often just as helpful to know as what you do want! 😉
PS: I mean it. If anything so much as gives me a whiff of boho style, it’s out!
The below is very Spanish-beach-cottagey (think Ibiza or Mallorca), but that’s another post for another time.
Again there’s a natural stone table…I won’t be doing exactly that, but it’s a hint of things to come for doing a blend of Spanish-California-Coastal which I’ve never seen anyone do before…
SPANISH-STYLE HOME EXTERIOR
Looking for Exterior Spanish-Style Homes Inspo?
Now, you’ll have noticed this was all about Spanish-style interiors and not exteriors. THAT, my friend, will be coming!
In the meantime, check out THESE posts showing what we’ve done for client exteriors with this same flavah! 😉
- Sneak Peek of This Modern Spanish-Style Backyard!
- Outdoor Furniture: 25+ Must-sees From Lounge Luxe to Budget-friendly!
- Backyard Kitchen: 5 Genius Must-haves You’ll Kick Yourself for Forgetting!
- Small Modern Mediterranean Backyard: New Client Project!
- Outdoor Bar with Roof: Our Genius Hack Completed In 3 Days with $800!
Next…
If you missed what specific elements and rooms we’ll be focusing on in this house, it’s HERE!
The story of how we ended up selling our ginormous house in the suburbs and moving to the beach (after living abroad for two years in there, including Spain again, of course), and how we bought this current “Beach Casita” is HERE!
Other posts you’ll find helpful related to this are:
- ART: 21+ Smart Spanish-style Wall Art Ideas (to Add Depth & Character to Your Room)!
- COLOR: 7 Smart Strategies for Choosing Interior Colors!
- AVOID IKEA: Why You Should NEVER Buy These 5 Premade Items!
- DECOR: Wall Decor Ideas: The (Only) 10 Types You Actually Need to Know!
- OUTDOOR: Peek at Our Modern Spanish-Style Client Backyard!
PS: See all our personal home projects and design tips on THIS page!
