Decorating a home can be a significant challenge for many homeowners and their families. With a myriad of options available, it can be difficult to choose the right decorations for a home’s interior. The following guide provides effective tips and tricks for creating a rustic country home.
Contents
Colors and Materials
When decorating a rustic country home, it’s important to avoid fixtures and furniture with a modern appearance. This includes furniture with glass, glossy surfaces, brushed aluminum and other metallic, reflective materials. Some colors should also be avoided in a rustic country home. Avoid using bold and dark colors like grey, black or purple—to create a rustic feel, use muted earth tones like umber, browns, and yellows. Shades of green will lend an additional natural feel to the home, if used in accents and decorative pieces.
When choosing furniture, it’s a good idea to avoid pieces which include excessive amounts of metal or glass. Metal tables, chairs and other pieces may hint at modernism. Instead, wood should be the primary material for furniture in a rustic home.
If possible, paneling in a home should include wood features. While drywall may be a good choice in some limited situations, many drywall surfaces can detract from a rustic feel. However, there is a solution for this–if a home includes lots of drywall surfaces, these can be painted in shades of brown or magenta. This will give the home a great rustic, homey look.
Furniture Pieces
When choosing wood furniture, it’s a good idea to find pieces with natural, untreated wood surfaces. For example, some chairs and tables feature legs made from tree limbs. These wooden legs may be treated with a sealant to reduce the risk of degradation over time, which can be a great way to maintain their natural appearance for years to come.
When looking for rustic items to decorate a home, it’s a good idea to avoid high-volume discount stores. Instead, try to find furniture at local farmer’s markets, yard sales and other outdoor shows. In many cases, furniture at these places will be hand-made, giving a home a natural, earthy appearance.
Décor and Accents
Antique stores can also be a great way to find suitable decorations. In many cases, rustic home decorations from an antique store will be cheaper than decorations from a traditional store.
Nature can also be a great source of inspiration for a country home. Many natural items can be incorporated into a home quickly and easily. For example, a tree stump with a flat top can make a great night stand. When looking for accents to complete a room, search for country wall décor and folk art to lend an old-fashioned, rustic feel to your home.
While some people prefer to avoid animal-based decorations, antlers can also be a great choice for decorating a rustic home. Antlers can be modified into great-looking light fixtures, light sconces, clothes hangers and much more. If a homeowner prefers to avoid animal-based decorations, there are artificial antlers available at some stores and online.
Don’t Forget the Details
Plants are an effective—but oft-forgotten—way to decorate a rustic country home. Perennial and annual flowers can be a great way to decorate the interior of a home. Instead of broad-leaf plants, flowers like lilacs and daisies can be a great choice for a home’s interior.
It’s a good idea to avoid metal whenever possible; however, some metal fixtures may be necessary for kitchens and bathrooms. For these locations, try to choose fixtures made of brushed brass. Brushed brass fixtures will blend well with most rustic fixtures.
Most important of all, it’s a good idea to follow your own taste when decorating a rustic country home. Since a home’s decorations are a reflection of your unique tastes and desires, it’s important to make sure that you like the decorations you choose for your home. Through thoughtful decorating, it’s possible to create a great rustic appearance in only a few weeks.
