If you’re looking for farmhouse style inspiration for your home, you’ve come to the right place. Adding a fresh new look to any room can come in the form of colorful and unique accents, rustic charm, textiles, and lighting.
Worried that farmhouse décor might not be your thing? Don’t worry. All these décor ideas can be applied to any style. Simply use them to get your creative juices flowing.
Here are my favourite farmhouse décor tips and tricks that you can use to transform any room right now. These ideas will get you inspired to create the perfect farmhouse feel in your home.
Ready. Let’s go.
Decorate with Wood
Wood is versatile and durable, which makes it one of the best materials for home décor ideas. It’s ideal for rustic farmhouse style as it brings the outdoors inside. Handmade wood crafts, unique decorative wood items, and wooden crates are a great way to bring warmth into any space.
And if you love DIY wood is the perfect medium. It’s easy to work with and you don’t have to be a carpenter to create beautiful decorative items. Try painting, carving, or even hollowing out wood. All these techniques are simple and easy to learn.
Decorating with wood has been around for years, but it is only now that people are starting to be more interested in farmhouse style décor that they are cherishing the true beauty of wood.
Wood surfaces are quite common in farmhouses and cottage homes in general. We see wood in flooring, kitchen cabinets, countertops, and even shiplap on the walls. But how do you incorporate wood into your home décor?
Here are 5 simple solutions:
- Add furniture made of barn board or driftwood.
- Create a wood feature wall in your bedroom or living room.
- Add oversized wooden trays to your dining room table or sideboard.
- Decorate your walls with wooden picture frames.
- Add lighting fixtures to any room made of wood.
Lighten it Up
Lighting is everything when it comes to decorating your home. How you experience a space, how you feel within that space, and how you live all revolves around lighting. Dim lights are calming and create a Zen like ambiance, whereas bright lights fill a room and give you energy and make you feel more active.
When it comes to farmhouse style, we often see lighting fixtures that are more industrial. Rustic, vintage, antiques frequently combined with various metals and wood are customary. However, you will also see lots of white and neutral colors with this design style. Throw in some barn wood, Mason jars, and Edison bulbs and you will create the perfect inviting farmhouse style atmosphere for any space.
Here are some quick farmhouse lighting décor ideas:
- Arrange candle lanterns in a semi-circle to frame a cozy nook in the living room.
- Add quirky farmhouse-style table lamps in unexpected places throughout your home.
- Create a table centerpiece for a formal dinner with vintage pottery bowls and pendant lighting.
- To add a romantic touch to a dining table, arrange a collection of candles in a unique shape on a small table or wooden rustic tray.
- Add fairy lights to wine bottles or Mason jars to create ambiance both indoors and outdoors.
Less is More
Sometimes less is more. When you have finished decorating your room, scan the room and ask yourself ‘is there something in this room that I could remove?’. I always find that I go a little overboard and add too many decorative items. So, this is my all time favorite tip…remove one or two pieces and you’ll probably be pretty close to perfect.
Farmhouse décor style is not necessarily minimalism, but it’s also not clutter. You have to find that balance between having space for breathing and carefully placed items that create the ambiance and feeling you want.
When I’m adding decorative items to a tabletop, mantle, or shelf, I like to use the rule of ‘two to five’. This rule is something I created years ago and one that I have found serves me well.
What is the rule of ‘two to five’?
This means that I will take similar items in quantities between two and five to decorate a surface level. The larger the item the smaller number of pieces.
For example, let’s say I am decorating the top of a sideboard or mantle and I have a few beautiful large candle holders. They are exactly the same, therefore in this instance I would use only two. Three identical candle holders would be too much. However, if they were of different heights then three may be the ideal number. Whereas something small like tea lights seem to look better with three or five.
Accent with Flowers and Plants
Don’t let that summer garden fade away on you! Get some hydrangeas, a few begonias or a bouquet of whatever blooms are in season right now. Add them to rustic baskets, antique planters, or vintage iron buckets to get that farmhouse style look.
And if real plants and flowers is not your thing…that’s o.k. Artificial flowers have come a long way from the days of cheap hard plastic, which were so obviously fake. But due to advancements in technology artificial flowers today look incredibly real. In fact, you may not even be able to tell the difference up close and personal. Silk, latex and foam are some of the materials being used with faux flowers today.
Next you want to arrange your flowers in a beautiful vase. It’s amazing what you can find in the bargain bin at your local department store or the thrift shop. Look for a vintage glass or metal jug with a light wood or metal handle. Maybe even spice it up with a bit of contemporary elegance mixed with the rustic vibe to get the farmhouse look you want.
Create a Cozy Atmosphere
Most farmhouses were originally built for more than one family. As there were no modern conveniences, the owner’s family would live in one section and the other families would live in another section of the house. This could be workers on the farm or extended family members.
Why is this important?
Because the construction and layout of the house meant that it had a lot of small rooms and one large dining area. So, when you are decorating you have to take that into consideration. How do you create cohesion? How does one room flow into the next? Does your décor tell a story?
It’s important to take advantage of all of these small spaces. Your farmhouse will feel much more welcoming to you and to your guests when it has lots of cozy little nooks and crannies that let in light and air. This is the perfect opportunity to incorporate natural materials like brick, wood, and stone into your design.
Think about the things you love most in life and make them part of your farmhouse style. The more cohesive your farmhouse feels, the more welcoming it will be.
Creating a cozy atmosphere begins with textiles and accent pieces. That means blankets, throws, pillows, curtains, and rugs coupled with carefully chosen wall art and nick-knacks. Think about large rustic bowls, baskets, animal figurines, and so on. Anything with a bit of country flare.
Add Some Storage
Opting for rustic, barn-inspired décor can come at a cost. You’ll need to furnish each room of your farmhouse with ample storage space.
When choosing your furniture step out of your contemporary home ideals and into a farmhouse inspired interior. Regardless of where you live think about how you would furnish your home if you lived in the country.
To get the full farmhouse look mix in rustic and industrial furniture. But know that not all farmhouse furniture needs to be cute and cuddly. Try adding some modern pieces to bring contemporary style to your design.
Here are some quick storage ideas you can use right now:
- Rustic wooden baskets can be used in any room, but why not add them to the entryway or mudroom to store mittens and hats during winter.
- Live edge floating shelves for dishes and extra kitchen storage.
- Vintage crates and wire baskets are great for storing your favourite books and magazines.
- Mason jars for easy storage of flours, rice, beans, etc. and don’t forget to label them with stickers or a Sharpie paint pen.
- Wood or metal ladder in the living room for storing throws or in the bathroom for towels.
Incorporate a Touch of Rustic Charm
Rustic décor is all about making a home look lived in. It’s about comfortable furniture, mixed with natural materials, nestled in neutral colors. Think about wood beams on the ceiling, shiplap walls, and heavier fabrics like canvas and burlap. Rustic décor also includes a lot of stone elements, so that could be an exposed brick wall, or stone fireplace.
Visit your local farmers market and thrift shops. They really are a treasure trove for lived in pieces. Furniture, wall art, and knickknacks can be easily found.
So, how do you add a touch of rustic charm to your home without having to tamper with the physical layout?
Start by adding a handmade, unique piece of furniture to any room in your house. What about a reclaimed wooden stool or an oversized rustic dresser for your bedroom? What you are looking for is heavier furniture, that is unfinished and natural. Reclaimed wood like barn board, driftwood, and logs are the most common.
But if budget is an issue there is a simple solution. Here are 7 items you can add to your living room to bring instant rustic charm:
- Printable wall art in an old wooden frame
- Text based wall sign made of antique metal
- An oversized mirror with natural wood frame
- Twine or raffia balls in a large wooden bowl
- Large wooden rustic lanterns with white candles
- Throw pillows made of a heavy material
- Wooden table lamp with Edison bulbs
Mix in a Little Bit of Fun
Turn your living room or kitchen into a mini-orchard, with fruit-tree wall hangings, signs, and other farmhouse-themed décor. Use knickknacks and think outside the box.
Even though this décor style is neutral it does not have to be boring. Find ways to incorporate fun into your space. What about an antique bicycle, old suitcases, or a vintage enamel teapot? And text-based wall art.
Find items that are rare and unique. Statement pieces without being clutter. Discover new uses for those old jigsaw puzzles and paper maps. Create a collage, wall art, etc. Get creative!
And even though the color palette is subdued find ways to add pops of color. For example, faux flowers made of blues, greens and yellows carefully arranged into a large wooden or glass vase. What about decorative pillows with patterns, text or pictures?
Concluding Thoughts
Use natural materials such as wood, stone, glass, or metal to bring the rustic, farmhouse style into your home. And don’t feel limited by the typical farmhouse décor – you can add your own flavor by mixing in pieces that align with your personality.
What style of home do you most feel inspired by? Not ready to get started? Try creating an inspiration board where you collect pictures of different farmhouse décor ideas. That’s exactly how I started. I would look at those pictures over and over and draw inspiration into my own design and space.
As you can see, it’s not hard to make farmhouse-style décor work in any type of home, from modern to transitional and everything in between. If you don’t already have some farmhouse décor items in your home, now’s the time to make some updates to your space. You can even add some gingham, rocking chairs and worn-in-the-middle-of-the-prairie décor to your home if you’re feeling adventurous. Mix it up. Be creative!
I hope you have enjoyed some of my favorite farmhouse décor tips and tricks in this post. When your home is a reflection of who you are on the inside it really does make all the difference.
I love that so many bloggers, writers, and photographers are referencing farmhouse style this year. Because let’s face it – farmhouse style is the perfect combination of old and new, rustic and modern, simple and sophisticated, yet cozy and charming.
What are some of your favorite farmhouse décor tips and tricks? Let me know in the comments.
