Colour inspiration in Datca, Turkey with Rozenkelim.

The kids were back at school, the Winter coats were now seeing light out of storage and I was back to the daily grinds of work. Summer had truly drawn to a close.

In stepped the lovely owners of Rozenkelim, to my rescue from the Autumn blues, with an invite to their sunny villa Olivio in Datca, Turkey.

So it was to be, Colour inspiration in Datca, Turkey with Rozenkelim.

Datca is renowned throughout Turkey for its natural beauty and climate. It has an authentic Turkish feel with relatively few foreign visitors. The villa is a scenic 2 hour drive from Dalaman airport.

I will be showing you how I found colour inspiration in Datca.

Rozenkelim is a wonderful shop selling the most beautiful of carpets and rugs . Light rozenkilims are extremely rare, the one in the picture above has been recreated from an original, hand woven in 100% wool.

I have styled the rug against those delightful bubble gum pink outdoor chairs. Just love how the pinks from the rug pop out to complement the cushions.I’ve decided I really need that rug in my front room. Those minty greens, pinks and blues will definitely fit right in at home in London. Villa Olivio is a restored olive mill that sleeps 6 people. It was purchased in 2006. There is even an original olive press in the kitchen.The view of the Aegean sea and Greek islands from the villa was stunning.

Datca is surrounded by mountains and pine forests. Almond trees, citrus groves and grapevines thrived well there.

There were lots of olive trees too. In fact, waiting for us in the kitchen, was a bottle of olives from the villa’s grove.The nearest sandy beach was only 3km away, in the Turkish village of Mesudiye.

But who needed a beach when you could dip in this wonderful pool? My towel from Drye makes its colourful appearance again.Look at that gorgeous turquoise bath mat with roses. It’s almost as blue as the water.Blue is indeed the ‘in’ colour and Datca was definitely on trend. You will see what I mean in a moment.

Here, I have styled a party scene on a blue patchwork rug. The rugs come in a variety of colours. Here are some of the swatches. Which one will you pick?

This coffee pot and cup are Turkish handmade designs by Mosantimetre. Imagine how much nicer coffee at the villa tasted served from this.My first venture out of the villa was to Doga Pansiyon. We were invited by the new owner for an authentic Turkish breakfast.

Doga Pansiyon will soon change its name. Renovations were due to start. It will be transformed into a creative retreat with workshops. I will update the information here when it opens.

Olive trees lined the pretty courtyard and I simply had to capture this shot.I could have easily laid in the shade on those comfortable loungers and napped. This was our authentic Turkish breakfast. An omelette from the eggs laid by the kept chickens, sun ripened tomatoes, olives from the trees, crunchy cucumbers, local Turkish honey, fresh fig jam and baked bread. I’m seriously making myself hungry looking at these photos. Are you getting hungry too? Look how red those tomatoes were, they were so sweet and juicy.Once bellies were filled, we set off to explore the nearby quaint town of Eski Datca.

Look at that cute apple tree, the cat that photo bombed at the right time and that gorgeous blue wooden gate.

Now, remember I mentioned how Datca was so on trend with the colour blue? Well, this cute village’s main accent colour is blue.Blue windows and doors.

I wonder who sits in those upholstered padded chairs in the garden? Definitely a slow living vibe here, great for watching the world go by.Now for the colourful bit of Eski Datca. A cobbled street, lined by traditional Turkish ladies selling their crafts.I was so busy photographing these beautiful necklaces, that I forgot to buy some. Here I am typing and looking at them again, regretting not purchasing a few for my daughter.So much colour inspiration in Eski Datca.It must be such a happy feeling for these street artisans, to create with bright and cheerful colours everyday.

There I was, being typically me, thinking they should create an Instagram account and sell online.Their Instagram account would surely be stunning. Just look at this.I’m still kicking myself for not buying anything there.Blues everywhere. Do you spy the painted blue pot on the ledge?In fact, I’ve noticed that they painted all their recycled pots that same blue.Okay, I must admit, I didn’t leave Eski Datca totally empty handed.

I spent ages photographing these two brightly coloured ceramics from Sevo seramik, that in the end I just knew I had to purchase them both. So I did! I will always remember bright and colourful Eski Datca when I look at them. Sevdeger Kanturk, the ceramist, had been making these miniature colourful ceramic houses in her workshop. They were all piled up in trays.

She kindly let me invade her workspace to arrange them on a marble table for a photo.

The locals must have thought I was a very strange visitor. It’s the design blogger in me, anything for a colourful photo and I’m so pleased I did it. Aren’t they so cute?

Here’s a little modern element to the village, a coca cola fridge at the local grocers. That red and blue combines so well don’t you think?I was sad to leave this colourful paradise but another treat awaited us.We drove to the beach near Eski Datca. It was a warm day and the locals were swimming in the refreshing blue to cool off.We were invited to try an authentic Turkish lunch at the Cafe Inn. We were told they made the best coffee in town and it sure didn’t disappoint.

The coffee mug was so cool that I had to photograph it to show youWe ate these most delicious grilled red peppers with Turkish feta and pine nuts.These pastries stuffed with spring onions, meat and sesame seeds were mouth watering and good.Next to Cafe Inn was this ice cream stand. Love how the wafer cones have been stacked up like a bee hive.After lunch, we had a tour of the former mansion of the sultan Mehmet Ali Aga.

It is now a boutique hotel but the original features and decor of the rooms have been maintained to look as they were in the past.This ornate blue door led to the sultan’s former bedroom, now often used as a honeymoon suite.Here’s the sitting room.and the opposite end leading to the bedroom door.

Here’s the courtyard. Isn’t that bright pink canopy of bougainvilleas so pretty?There was an impressive jungle of cacti in the garden too.Just outside the hotel was an abandoned car. You can see why it caught my eye. It’s that bubblegum pink again that I so adore. I have been reliably told by my Instagram followers that it is a Fiat 126.Hope you have enjoyed the post as much as I have enjoyed hunting the colours of Datca down to show you.

Have a wonderful week ahead.

( All photos are by Geraldine Tan, editor of Little Big Bell, the stay was part sponsored by Rozenkelim.)