Simple Ways To Decorate With Country Style

For a down-to-earth and homey atmosphere, decorating your interior with country style is a fitting option. Unlike some more modern design aesthetics where sleekness, simplicity, and flawless unity take center stage, country style aims to make your home feel inviting and warm. It does this by proudly displaying familiar elements rooted in both utility and tradition, as well as imperfections brought on by wear. At the same time, it doesn’t disdainfully eschew all contemporary sensibilities, since this would clash with country style’s inherent pragmatism. If these characteristics interest you, these simple ways to decorate with country style should help you get started with beautifying or revamping your home.

Stick To a Soft Color Palette

A soft color palette is one of the foundational features of country style. Whites, creams, tans, and browns dominate, keeping the home from feeling overly flamboyant, and emphasizing the natural over the artificial. You can skew more toward the light end of the spectrum by using mostly white for a bright and carefree mood. On the flip side, you might bring in mostly medium and dark brown pieces and architectural details to create a cozy and warm ambiance. In either case, your goal is to reflect the earnest modesty that makes country style so attractive. Of course, you aren’t limited to neutral exclusively; pretty much any hue on the color wheel can work as a nice accent on certain decorations, as long as it is unsaturated. To illustrate, you could include celadon throw pillows, a light blue tablecloth, or curtains in red and white.

Mix the Old and the New

Country style is influenced by the long-established conventions of pastoral life in the West. It comes as no surprise, then, that many country style furnishings are old-fashioned. For instance, chairs and sofas with curved edges and fabric or leather upholstery are common. These differ from the boxier seats that you may find in contemporary homes. Likewise, bedframes, picture frames, lamps, coffee tables, light fixtures, and drawers may have somewhat ornate detailing that comes from traditional European home décor. Buying vintage will help you find unique items with authentic character.

However, country style can also mix in fresh designs to keep the home from looking too antiquated. You might swap in a modern boxy sofa next to a traditional chair to give the room a more relaxing feel. A line of minimalist pendant lights and a high-tech chrome refrigerator can also work well in a country style kitchen. The key is to keep the proportion of contemporary items small enough that they don’t dominate a space, and to prioritize their practical value for your lifestyle.

Use Antique Decorations

The rustic allure of country style is evident in the fact that it incorporates pieces that show visible signs of weathering. You don’t need to cover up all the perceived flaws in your furniture and decorations, as this only enhances the rustic tone that you want to highlight through this aesthetic. Painted wood items with scratches, aged naturally-colored wood and leather, and metal fixtures that have undergone some oxidation are all welcome additions to the home. By maintaining the cleanness of your hard surfaces and fabrics alike, those antique decorations won’t cause your interior to appear sloppy. Rather, they will lend a genuineness that you won’t find as easily in an unblemished arrangement, which can sometimes feel rather cold and impersonal. Again, obtaining antiques in secondhand shops, flea markets, and from family or friends is an effective way to populate your home with these kinds of storied pieces.

Utilize Wood Furniture

Speaking of traditional decorations, if there is one material you should highlight in a country-style home, it’s wood. Wood is supremely versatile and appears in everything from tables, chairs, and decorative pieces to kitchen cabinets, floors, ceiling beams, and doors. Normally, it is just a supporting element in an interior, but with country style, wood sits at the forefront of your various rooms. As a result, you usually want to exhibit its grain and organic color. Not only does this suit the neutral color scheme, but it also gives the space that gentle, yet rugged, flavor of rural environments. Wood with a white coating of paint is also fitting in this style because it goes well with any other color and it is a quite familiar piece in country homes. Moreover, as the paint chips off on certain areas over time, you will attain the worn look that people covet with this décor style.

Bring in Floral and Checked Patterns

Patterns are great for injecting a bit of variation and energy into a home. This is definitely true in country style, and you should know which designs to pair with it. It’s best to choose floral and checked patterns because of their association with bucolic settings. Floral patterns reflect nature and will remind you of the undeveloped land that pervades the countryside. Flowers are also common motifs in traditional home décor. Checked patterns exist in a variety of fabrics common to rural areas as well. A testament to this is the fact that many people think of red and white checked patterns for outdoor tablecloths and picnic blankets.

Within your home, you may integrate florals on upholstery, bedsheets, drapes, wallpaper, rugs, and china. Since the rest of the room is neutral, you don’t need to concern yourself too much with whether each hue in the pattern matches the surroundings. You could use the floral pattern to guide your choice of accent colors elsewhere in the space. Checked patterns are a bit more rigid and bold than florals, so it’s better to restrict them to smaller items. A pillow, handcloth, or a small decorative piece would be good to use for this pattern.

As you apply these simple ways to decorate with country style, check out Boutique Rugs online to find country rugs with floral patterns that range from simple to elaborate. Whatever colors and personal leanings you have, you’ll be able to find a rug that perfectly suits your home.