La Dolce Vita

A Place-Based Illustration System Inspired by Italian Coastal Living

La Dolce Vita is a Mediterranean-inspired surface pattern collection celebrating sun-soaked terraces, citrus groves, tiled courtyards, and the effortless elegance of Italian summer living. Designed in multiple colorways and scalable repeats, the collection blends vintage European charm with modern versatility for product, home, and hospitality applications.

The Story

La Dolce Vita began as a study in Mediterranean color, pattern, and atmosphere — a visual exploration of Italian summers filled with citrus groves, tiled courtyards, striped umbrellas, and sun-warmed façades.

What started as a collection of hand-drawn icons evolved into a seamless repeat pattern celebrating leisure, hospitality, and layered European charm. The result is a surface pattern that feels both nostalgic and transportive — equal parts vintage postcard and modern lifestyle branding.

What's Inside

Core Motifs:

• Lemons and citrus branches

• Café tables and striped umbrellas

• Architectural façades and shuttered windows

• Tiled floors and decorative ceramics

• Aperitivo glasses and terrace details

All illustrations are hand-drawn with clean linework and intentional spacing, allowing each motif to breathe while contributing to the full repeat.

Colorways

• Riviera Pop (Original) — Teal, cobalt, and sun-washed blush. This original palette leans into bold Mediterranean contrast — electric blue linework paired with soft pink accents against saturated coastal teal. Graphic, modern, and confident while still rooted in vintage European illustration. Ideal for statement textiles, boutique packaging, resort retail, and products that want strong shelf presence with lifestyle appeal.

• Coastal Terrace — Muted teal with softened butter tones. A calmer, sun-faded variation that leans into hospitality and interior applications. The reduced contrast and tonal warmth make this version feel relaxed and transportive — like late afternoon light on stucco walls and tiled courtyards. Well suited for wallpaper, resort interiors, lifestyle textiles, and home décor collections.

• Amalfi Market — Golden yellow with crisp blue linework. Inspired by sunlit piazzas and citrus stands, this version channels classic Italian poster design and vintage travel ephemera. The high-contrast palette keeps the illustrations playful while maintaining clean, timeless structure. Perfect for kitchen textiles, tabletop goods, gift wrap, and seasonal summer collections.

All colorways maintain the same illustration system while shifting mood and application potential.

Coordinate Patterns

Coordinate patterns and supporting layouts are in development to expand the collection into a fully scalable multi-pattern system for product lines and branded environments.

Applications

Designed for:

• Kitchen & tabletop textiles

• Gift wrap and stationery

• Wallpaper and interior décor

• Boutique hotel and resort retail

• Lifestyle packaging and seasonal product collections

The repeat tile scales seamlessly from small-format goods to large interior applications.

System Thinking

La Dolce Vita was built as a modular illustration system.

Each motif functions independently for spot graphics, packaging accents, and social assets — while the full repeat delivers a cohesive, immersive visual experience.

The structure allows the collection to expand through coordinate patterns, seasonal colorways, and alternate layouts without losing identity.

Why It Works

Mediterranean aesthetics are timeless — but the market often leans either hyper-modern or overly literal.

La Dolce Vita balances vintage charm with clean composition and commercial flexibility. It celebrates the romance of Italian summer while remaining adaptable for contemporary product and hospitality use.

Part of a growing series of story-driven surface pattern collections exploring culture, place, and lifestyle.

Additional Colorways & Variations