Creating a Country Ambience in Your Home: 5 Rustic Decor Tips

Our tips for highlighting your rustic decor. Rustic decor is characterized by solid wood furniture, imposing sideboards, and large dining tables. It is often seen as outdated and old-fashioned. On the contrary, it has enough to make other decor styles blush thanks to its authentic and warm nature, appreciated just as much in winter with a wood stove as in summer with its mountain charm.

Enough with the prejudices; rustic decor can be just as trendy as vintage decor. You just need to follow a few rules to achieve a chic and ultra-warm rustic aesthetic.

Tip #1: Highlight the materials

Wood furniture

When you think of rustic decor, you think of wood. To successfully achieve a CHIC rustic look, you must sort through your grandmother's furniture to keep a few pieces, like a wooden coffee table, a dining table, a few stools, or that wardrobe you cherish so much. If you can't find this kind of family heirloom, check out flea markets or private sales; many people are getting rid of these old pieces.

Regarding furniture, the Norman wardrobe remains essential. A china cabinet to display your grandmother’s porcelain set, or better yet, mismatched flea-market plates, will also work very well. A sideboard with chicken wire cabinet doors, a jam cupboard, a solid oak table with some ornaments, and straw chairs are recommended. Furniture that tells a story.

Showcase your centerpiece pieces

For a less cluttered rustic ambiance, your few wooden furniture pieces should be highlighted. They are the centerpieces of your interior. To achieve this, avoid filling a room with wooden furniture. For example, place a wooden workbench in an entryway and nothing else. In the living room, the coffee table will stand out due to its authentic wood. You could also install a solid wood sliding door—barn effect guaranteed! In the dining room, a large family table. This allows you to spotlight a rustic piece while keeping the room bright and modern.

Stone and cement tiles

If you live in an old house and can reveal a stone or brick wall, integrate it using stone facing strips or brick-imitation wallpaper.

Otherwise, interior plaster, a lime-washed wall, or light-colored paint will do the trick perfectly. For the flooring, if it isn't raw wood or terracotta, lay down terracotta tiles or cement tiles. The patterns offered today by DIY and decor stores are perfect copies of those from the early 20th century. They will add undeniable charm to your home. Avoid PVC flooring at all costs!

Tip #2: Make the beams stand out

A 100% rustic interior usually features beams. Keeping them and highlighting them is essential for your home's charm. To do this, repaint the ceiling white while keeping the beams exposed just as they are. This will brighten the room, create an illusion of height, and make your beautiful wooden beams pop.

If the omnipresence of wood bothers you, paint the ceiling white and the beams a light color, such as gray or beige. This will soften the "too wooden" effect and add a contemporary touch to your interior.

Tip #3: Mix styles

Chic rustic decor can easily be mixed with other styles. Scandinavian or cozy decor work well due to the presence of wood.

Rustic decor can also suit a designer or industrial interior through wood accents and the sobriety of the space. Mixing styles can also happen through a "mix and match" of furniture from different periods. A solid wood coffee table, a Berber rug, and a designer armchair, for example.

Tip #4: Colors for rustic decor

Natural tones

For a perfect farmhouse or "country chic" style, colors for furniture and accessories must be natural. Opt for off-white, ecru, beige, taupe, twine, linen, putty... These tones should form the base, but old rose, pastel blue, or pastel green can also liven up the ensemble. An interior with light tones will be brighter and more soothing.

Pops of color

To give a rustic decor some pep, add a few touches of color. They can be found on decorative items like cushions, a lamp, or a rug. Colors always bring more life and charm to an interior, regardless of the style. Be sure to repeat the colors to harmonize all the elements.

Tip #5: The final rustic touch

For the rest of the decor, be creative and original with cushions (go for florals!). Be bold with double curtains and their tie-backs (more flower power). Garden roses should appear on a quilted bedspread or, in a bedroom, on a duvet. Farmhouse decor, country chic style, or rustic decoration is realized through small decorative items. A bouquet of dried flowers here, daisies in a zinc watering can there.

Add old advertisements to the wall. Place a biscuit tin on the table. Hang black and white portraits above the fireplace. Decorate further with a wicker basket to store logs. Place candles—candles everywhere—on tables and window sills. The final touch: a crystal chandelier above the table in the living area.