The Art of Mediterranean Living
THIS SEASON WE ARE INSPIRED BY MEDITERRANEAN LIVING.
‘WHAT IS MEDITERRANEAN LIVING? YOU MIGHT ASK. READ ON AND SEE HOW YOU CAN LIVE THE MEDITERRANEAN WAY AND HOW IT’S INSPIRED OUR RECENT COLLECTION.
Mediterranean Food
Of course, we would start the blog talking about food, one of our favourite subjects. Mediterranean Living is most commonly linked to diet, with many books on the subject.
The general rule in adopting this ‘diet’ is keeping the cupboards bare but the fridge full. Meals are centred around seasonal, locally grown fruits and vegetables, with hardly any tinned goods. Nothing is ever bought in bulk.
In its most literal sense, the ‘Mediterranean’ is ‘the sea between lands’. Which refers to the region as defined by its border with the sea. This coastal area has also led to an emphasis on fishing and seafood to be a source of protein over red meat. Whereas in the UK everyone obsesses over low-fat yoghurt, low-fat everything – in the med they eat full-fat yogurt, milk, nuts, olive oil, whole grains – but everything in moderation. It’s far better (and tastier) to savour half a cup of full fat yogurt than eat a container of flavourless non-fat yogurt that you then sweeten with syrup and processed fruit.
The Mediterranean diet shy’s away from unprocessed food and focusses more on growing your own fruit & vegetables, or walking to your local farmers market to buy your food fresh. Another plus point of this, is it reduces your carbon footprint (something we are passionate about at ALSO Home) and actually helps your health. In the Mediterranean, they rarely consume fizzy drinks like we do in the UK. They avoid sugary drinks and hydrate with still or sparkling water. They were the pioneers of spicing up water with citrus, fresh fruit, herbs or cucumber.
While food plays an enormous role in defining Mediterranean Living, the matter in which is it eaten is also hugely important. Again, the region has its warm climate to thank for another cornerstone of its way of life – an emphasis on outdoor living.
Mediterranean Outdoor Lifestyle
If you’ve been lucky enough to visit the Mediterranean, you will notice how much time you spend outside. This is the norm there (mainly due to their gorgeous weather and long coastlines). Spending time – socialising, strolling, even just sitting – in the open air is another fundamental element of this way of life. Going to the gym is not a necessity in the Mediterranean, people just walk more. They walk to the market, walk to cafes to catch up with their friends and often walk as the sun goes down, making the most of the early evening breeze.
Mediterranean Living is about enjoying the simple things in life and finding the perfect balance of what works for you.
Mediterranean Inspiration
What we choose to surround ourselves with expresses a large part of our character and our lives. With its associations with sun-soaked days under azure skies, or earthy rustic escapism, people from all over the world have long looked to Mediterranean Living for inspiration when decorating their homes.
Our collection is inspired by warmth in both colour and temperature. We focus, this season, on natural textures and colours, adding warmth with velvet cushions and throws. All the newness has been created to layer into the existing collection. We’ve added pieces that you don’t have to work around, they have a story to tell and do the work for you.
While difficult to define collectively (white-washed Mallorcan homes, the blue roofs and doors of Greece, or terracotta Spain) you can draw from its rich cornucopia of flavours, colours, aesthetics and influence to craft the Mediterranean lifestyle that best suits, complements and defines your unique personality.
Ultimately, the Mediterranean offers a broad enough palette of decorative variety to appeal to a wide spectrum of tastes and we hope our Spring Summer 19 collection does just that.