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It doesn’t actually matter that much whether your home is a real country pad, a house in the suburbs, or a city apartment.Let’s, for the sake of the argument, assume your home is a bit on the citified side ...
... with straight walls, crisp lines, chrome appliances, wall-to-wall carpets, and not a single exposed beam in sight.
Even if all you can see from the windows is a modern Western city skyline - you can still create a ‘country-life’ feel for your home.
Country Style Decorating
in the City
The secret is not to pretend.
Trying to make a modern condo look as if it was a Tuscan farmhouse almost never works. Instead, try using subtle country style elements to evoke country living, and you will create a credible country charm and feel for your home.
Just pick & choose from the list of country style decorating ideas below!
(You'll see that country style decorating needn't be expensive, either. There are many ways to produce a rustic look without spending a fortune on original, antique furniture. If you can’t get originals, get creative ... create your own country look!)
Getting the Look, Part 1:
Color & Texture
Choosing appropriate ‘country’ colors is really important.
- Generally, keep the color scheme mellow and soft.
- Choose colors that have a hint of white/gray (or of their complementary color) in them.
- Keep patterns on a small scale if you're going for a traditional country decorating style – choose larger designs if you want a bold look.
- Colorwash the walls if that is appropriate for your home, but keep the wash very light and subtle.
- Generally stick to one color family for the walls.
- Go with colors that express the "spirit" of the countryside - to you.
The next step is to combine textures that suggest a handmade quality:
- rush matting, wicker (furniture or baskets), woven straw
- wood that’s oiled rather than varnished
- things with soft, rounded edges
- things with ‘scrubbed’-looking surfaces.
Country style decorating can work even in the most nondescript city apartment if you combine interesting, irregular, ‘nobbly’ textures that have a natural, 'artisan' feel to them.
You’ll find more ideas - and pictures of examples - in the following articles:
- Country style living rooms,
- Country decorating 'on a shoestring',
- Rustic country decorating, and
- Interior rustic pictures.
Getting the Look, Part 2:
Fabrics
Textiles are beautifully versatile and useful for country style decorating. They have a way of softening hard lines. And in a modern home you do get plenty of hard lines!
So use textiles ... - ... on windows, and
- ... as blankets and cushions in seating areas.
- If possible, create a window seat or two with plush cushions and a throw.
- heavy linens
- woollen blankets
- loosely woven, crinkly sheer linens for the window
- cotton prints
- knitted and hand-woven fabrics.
A few embroidered pieces can add a lot of flair to your country style decorating (make them yourself if you have the time and inclination!)
Consider sheer, plain curtains for the windows. They let the light in but help to mask out ‘non-country’ views and colors. Layer them up with heavier but informal-looking drapes for a more substantial look.
If you like white lace, show it off
- at the windows
- on the table
- on a special, 'best' pillow
- on a bedspread.
You'll find pictures of country style window decorations in the chapters on
Getting the Look, Part 3:
Images & Produce
Pictures can evoke a landscape or a region beautifully – photographs or paintings of
- a view across the countryside of your choice, or
- portraits of people in traditional dress, or
- historic pictures of village life ...
Country produce makes for great country style decorating as well. Choose fruit, preserves, or honey that’s typical of the country or region you want to conjure up in your home.(The photo here was taken at a lovely little hotel in Provence, Les Sardines Aux Yeux Bleus in Gattigues).
If you’re inspired by a foreign country style, you could nick this idea and use (poetic) labels in Italian, Swedish, French … write them yourself if originals are hard to come by, or cut them out of magazines!
Last not least, add a few items of everyday use that were made (or could have been made!) in that country’s rustic tradition:
- a ceramic dish or bowl,
- a quilt,
- something made of wood.
And there’s more!
Click here for some fun information about country style decorating on a shoestring (most of that is completely free!)
And if you want to create a slightly more rough-hewn look for your home, click here for rustic decorating ideas and pictures.
In case you’re looking for ideas for specific rooms/areas, the following links will take you to country style decorating ideas for
- individual, original country bedrooms,
- European-style country windows,
- Chic French country curtains,
- creative country style living rooms, and
- ideas for choosing the perfect rustic sofa.
For information about particular country styles, click on these links to read up on
Last not least, here’s a little story along some interior rustic pictures for you. Enjoy!
Alternatively, you could of course ...
... return from Country Style Decorating - Get the Look to Country Decorating, or ...
... return to the Dream Home Decorating Homepage.
