When you are looking for a new style to inject into your home, it can be quite difficult to know where to begin. The interior design world is rampant with edgy, modern looks these days – perfect for the sharp city apartment or the quirky warehouse flat. But what do you do if your home, and your taste, is a little more traditional than that? Let’s face it: the contemporary, minimalist design that’s been all the rage recently isn’t for everyone. Committing to this kind of style when you’re not 100% sure of it can only lead to disaster, and the last thing you want is to have to fork out for TWO home makeovers in a year, After all, those things certainly don’t come cheap. So, where do you turn when you’re not convinced by any of the recent design trends? Well, it might not be quite as ‘edgy’ or quirky – but picking something that you know will stand the test of time certainly has its benefits. One such style is the rustic, country-inspired look that is popular in many farmhouse homes and mountain cabins. Even if your place is a little on the small side, there’s no reason why you still can’t bring the ‘rural lodge’ vibe to your property. In fact, you could even argue that it works better in a smaller home, as a running theme in a rustic home is the emphasis on coziness. So, with all that considered, read on to find out the key factors that can help you bring this look to life.
A farmhouse sink
Even if you’re not living the rural life, and are spending every weekend cleaning your wellington boots in the sink, there are some aspects of a farmhouse kitchen that are too good to pass up. Once such example is the classic kitchen sink. Typically, rustic sinks are very deep, and are made predominantly of white ceramic – there’s no aluminum or stainless steel to be found here! You may choose to have a split sink installed, where you use one side for soaking just-used cookware and the other for washing up glasses and mugs. Another thing that can complete your vintage-influenced kitchen is an old-fashioned faucet. Go for brass ones over silver ones – the warm color will soften the whole look, stopping it from appearing too contemporary.
Image source
Wood – and lots of it
Even if you are not lucky enough to live in a remote woodland cabin yourself, there’s no reason why you can’t bring the woodland to your current home! Rethink your idea of what wood is, as an interior. We are all very used to seeing perfectly preened and polished wooden furniture, but remember, this is not wood’s natural state. The wood that looks like this has been heavily treated to give it a sleek finish – and if the rustic look is about anything, it’s certainly not about looking ‘sleek’! Instead, opt for wood that has a bit of character to it – maybe something that hasn’t been sanded down quite so much, or something that has an interesting pattern on it. If you’re feeling bold, you may even want to try your hand at carpentry and create your wooden furniture from scratch. Another wood-related feature you may want to consider in your rustic home is an open log fire. Electric fires are not that conducive to a vintage-inspired home, as they simply look too modern. Consider instead having a wood burning stove installed, or go the whole hog with an open fire. If you do own your trees and you are licensed to fell, you may want to invest in the best log splitters so you can trim your logs down to size for your fire. There isn’t anything better than having a roaring fire burning on a cold evening, while you curl up on the couch with a good book.
Warm colors
This one kind of goes without saying: but warm, soft colors are integral to a cozy, rural-inspired property. Note that warm doesn’t always have to mean ‘dark.’ A common mistake many people make when decorating their homes in this manner is that they paint their walls very dark, put in dark flooring and top it all off with dark furniture. This can make even the most spacious of rooms look small and cramped, and after a while, the lack of natural light is likely to get to you. Learn how to contrast well; for example, you may paint your walls a soft cream, but then contrast with some dark leather couches and some mahogany furniture. Additionally, don’t be afraid to use patterns: the rustic look certainly is not only about block colors. Paisley and gingham prints work especially well in this style of home, and you could even mix a few for an absolutely imperfect clash.
Image source
Trinkets here, there and everywhere
A recent favorite theme in modern decor has been the minimalist trend, where large, blank spaces are all the rage. In fact, if you paired two minimalist homes side by side, and lined their owners up too, you would probably have a hard time matching the owner to their property! Many people love this low-key, no-frills style of home decor, but for some of us, it can lead to us feeling alienated from the place in which we live. Rustic style is a lot more haphazard and gives you more room to inject your personality into your living quarters. Don’t be afraid to display your trinkets on almost every available surface. If you have an impressive wooden bookshelf, this can be a particularly good place to showcase some of the things you’ve collected over the years. Perhaps this is why so many people consider rustic-influenced properties the ‘homiest’ places of all – because you can immediately tell who lives there just by looking at it!
Speak Your Mind