Farmhouse style: Our top tips
What is farmhouse style?
Farmhouse style is an interior design style that mixes rustic and vintage elements with modern comforts to create a cosy and inviting ambience in your living space. If you're looking to incorporate this style into your own home, there are many easy ways to do so. Here are some of our best ideas to help get you on your way to your dream farmhouse style home.
1. Use natural materials
Natural materials, such as wood, stone or metal, bring a rustic feel to any farmhouse style home. To incorporate these materials into your home, make sure some of your key furniture pieces are made from wood with - such as your dining table and coffee table. Add other natural materials with rattan storage baskets or a gorgeous rattan trunk for storage behind the sofa that can store your extra throw blankets or toys and also double as extra seating. Rustic metal can be incorporated in your light fittings, wall hooks and also by adding vintage everyday items like tin jugs or milk pails. Using stone or brick around your fireplace would not only be a wonderful way to bring this natural material into your farmhouse decor but also create a stunning focal point in a room. All these natural elements add warmth and texture to any space, giving you that cosy farmhouse look.
2: Add vintage accents for farmhouse
Vintage accents are an essential ingredient in creating the farmhouse style in your home decor. Whether you are creating a traditional or modern farmhouse style, you will want to include a few vintage decor pieces. Also consider decor ideas for itemsthat might always have been in a living room, such as antique clocks, look for pieces that were in everyday use for people's work - such as wooden shoe lasts, brick moulds and wall signs. Reclaimed wood can also work well. One or two vintage kitchenware items such as rolling pins, mixing bowls, old weighing scales, teapots and jugs are great design ideas and will be perfect to display on open shelves. Adding vintage style home accessories will add character and charm to the space and really create that farmhouse feel in your farmhouse design.
3: Use neutral colors with style
Neutral colours are key to creating that cosy, inviting atmosphere which is so central to the farmhouse style. Think white, beige, cream or grey. These colours allow the beauty of your furniture and decor items in natural materials to be the hero of the space. They serve as the perfect backdrop and create a calm and serene environment. With soft, neutral wall colours and sofas, you can then add your pops of colour with your cushions, rugs, artworks and floral arrangements.
4: Embrace handmade
Handmade pieces are the heart of farmhouse style. When reviewing your decor ideas make sure you include one or two pieces that have been made by hand. These can be large or small. Try choosing a rattan armchair as a feature chair in your living room to add the handmade touch. Or, pop a couple of handwoven storage baskets under the coffee table or next to the sofa. Pick up a chunky knit throw blanket for your sofa or bed. Handmade items are perfect for evoking the traditional farmhouse lifestyle and farmhouse design. They are also perfect for adding texture visually interesting elements to your space to give your home a cosy, lived-in feeling.
5: Mix and match with design ideas
Farmhouse style is all about mixing and matching different styles, patterns, textures and colours to create a unique look. In your design, don't be afraid of mixing different patterns or materials as it gives your space a cosy natural atmosphere. You could pair a leather sofa with a velvet accented chair or you could mix and match different throw pillows on your bed. Be daring with design styles. A classic farmhouse look will include a mix of fabric patterns so when you are choosing cushions for your living room, pick a mix of checked, striped and floral patterns to place together. This variety is what gives farmhouse style homes their warm, lived-in atmosphere, which is what makes them so inviting.
6: Add greenery to your farmhouse kitchen
A farmhouse style home needs to bring the outdoors in. This home decor style references the natural world through the interior use of natural materials like wood and through the use of floral patterns. Plants are a fantastic way of bringing life and color into any space, helping to create a fresh, inviting atmosphere with your farmhouse design. You can add a few pot plants throughout your space, hang a few vines off a shelf and make a small indoor herb garden on the window sill of your farmhouse kitchen. If you don't have a green thumb, choose artificial flowers and foliage for everlasting beauty in your farmhouse interior. Choose flowers and foliage that reference your own environment. So here in Australia, choose eucalyptus leaves and banksia flowers to display as they reflect our countries homes.
7: Farmhouse design
Incorporating farmhouse style into your home can be easier than you think. By using these tips you can create a warm and inviting atmosphere that's perfect for relaxing and entertaining. Give it a try and see how easy it can be to transform your home into a cosy farmhouse haven.
