Natural materials dominate in rustic design.
Rustic home decor lends your interiors a timeworn and simple look. You can add elements of rustic style such as chunky hardware on cabinetry or woolly and woven textiles on floors, walls and furnishings. For a full rustic redesign, integrate architectural elements, paint finishes, natural items, furnishings and accessories that have old world charm. Rustic decor blends well with several other decorating schemes, among them shabby chic, bohemian modern, modern vintage, primitive, folk art, western, lodge, beach house, French country, Japanese Wabi-Sabi and farmhouse.
Rustic Architectural Elements
For a large-scale home redesign, consider adding architectural elements made of natural materials. A stone wall with a fireplace evokes a farmhouse in Provence, while terra cotta tile floors, arched doorways and exposed ceiling beams transform your home into a Tuscan villa. On a simpler scale, you can adhere lightweight plaster arches, columns or ceiling medallions directly to walls and sand away at the finish to give them a distressed look. Hang a weathered gray wooden shelf on a wall and line it with sticks and stones.
Rustic Finishes
In rustic decor, keep natural items in their unpainted state and vintage pieces in their chipped and timeworn glory. You can apply a faux finish to white or cream painted wooden or metal pieces by adding a black tea stain. For darker pieces, add a thin top coat of milk paint, either in a whitewash or a contrasting dark color. After the paint dries, gently sand away at the edges and corners so underlying hues peek through. When painting, avoid pastel hues. Rustic decor features more jewel tones, natural colors or dark hues.
Rustic Furnishings
Vintage items, flea market finds, junkyard gems, family heirlooms and re-purposed or upcycled pieces all have a home in rustic interiors. Rather than matching furnishings, go for an eclectic, asymmetrical layout, such as a bed flanked by a wooden table on one side and a vintage wire plant stand on the other side. In the dining area, a wide plank wooden table with bench seating has farmhouse chic. In the living room and bedroom, invest in a solid wooden armoire, chest, sideboard or cupboard with artisan details such as scrolled wrought iron insets, hammered tin panels, hand-painted trim or chunky metal hardware.
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