The only thing I love about winter is Christmas. I survive winter living through memories of summer. When I say summer, I say Greece. For an European, Greece is one of the most wonderful summer destinations: the water is crystal clear, the sand is white, the food is tasty, and so is the wine, all available for an affordable price, and only a few hours away from home.

It’s impossible not to love Greece: there are so many islands that you can easily find a great spot to spend a great vacation that you would later remember, when your cold hands will be unpacking winter clothes. Like now.

But there’s more than the sun and the sea to love about Greece. Greek people have a great sense of design, and I’m not talking about the ancient architectural sites or temples. When in Greece, looking around at their simple yet exquisite homes will provide you a lot of design ideas that you steal to improve your home and garden. I know I did, and now I’m sharing my ideas with you in this post.

Maybe you haven’t been there yet, but if you check the article below you will agree with me about how inspiring Greece is. I took a lot of pictures, and it was really hard for me to choose just a few of them to support my statement about Greek design.

1. White Walls and Fences

This is just an intro for what’s next. Think about these white walls and fences as a canvas for the colors that cover so many other parts of their homes. And how gorgeous is a pink flower climbing on a white fence??

The house you see above is in a small town called Panagia (which is on Thassos Island), and it’s widely known among tourists for its bold colors and the uncommon outdoor decorations. You would love to have such a colorful house, then you have a chance to own it, because it’s for sale. This 1940 3 bedroom house can be yours for 180,000 euros, according to this source.

2. Marine Colors

Since the white canvas was first, colors come in natural order. First, let me show you what kind of color I’m talking about:

The sea and the sky are the primary source of inspiration, so blue, green and turquoise are the most common colors you would see in Greece. You will find furniture, fences, porches and even full houses painted in these airy colors. I loved it!

4. Doors and Windows in Bold Colors

I know I’ve mentioned blue, green and turquoise before, but this one has to go by itself since white and blue is an iconic color combination for Greece. Aside from blue and green, you can find also wooden doors that are just lovely!

3. Murals

Greek paint their life on the walls, which contain stories about the sea, their fishing boats and their women. Not to mention that their women are really beautiful…

5. Decorating with Stone

Did you know that the Greek island of Thassos has the whitest marble in the world? Greek is made of stone, or at least a big part of it (that part which is not water, I’d say). Once you cross the border entering Greece, you will see the rocky hills covered in pines and wild olive trees. This is a landscape you will easy recognize once you see it.

Having so much stone around, using it for construction and decorations becomes common practice. The Greeks are using it for walls, fences, roofs, stairs, porches, everything, and are doing it so well that you will be astonished.

If you’re not ready to play big on stone, don’t despair since smaller options are available too. Round shiny stones from Greece are perfect for painting and doodling, as I wrote in my article about painting on the rocks from Greece. Check it up, you’ll find what tool you need to transform these wonders into lifetime memories.

If you want to do it by your own, take a walk on the beach and pick some stones for a project like this:

6. Decorating with Sea Shells and Water Stars

The sea is literally one step away, and so are the shells and the marine creatures. Have you ever seen a sea urchin moving around you leg? Well, here’s the perfect place to meet them!

Back to decorating business, here are a few ideas that I loved about using shells and sea stars. Isn’t that wind chime made of shells just lovely?

7. Olive Trees and Clay Pots

In most of the cases, they are together in harmony and live happily ever after. On the other hand, olive trees are as common as stone at least on the islands, so they might not need a clay pot to look gorgeous. And if you look around for an olive tree in the wilderness, keep an eye on the fig trees too. If you have the luck to be there in mid September for example, you might eat the tastiest figs you would ever find.

A Few More Words About This Beautiful Country

There’s much more to be said about Greece. If you are a cat lover you’ll be happy, since you would find a lot of felines walking around there. And the Greeks love them too.

I love the sun rising from Marmara Sea, the white rocks on the beach, and the sea that is a few steps away from the villa I live in during my summer holidays in Greece.

I would return anytime there to spend a summer, a holiday or even a few days. I would return to tranquility and water, because I belong to the beach and the sea.

There are so much to get from there and so many decor ideas to inspire from!

What is your favorite Greek decor?