How to Decorate a Home in the Country
Comfortable and inviting, a country home should get back to basics, with a style that reflects the nature and community around it. A country home gives you a chance to expand your decorating style. Here's how to get started. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Subdued wall color
- Paintbrushes
- Rustic coffee table
- Leather or overstuffed furniture
- Butcher-block table
- Wrought-iron candle holder
- Antiques and collectibles
- Country crafts
- Driftwood
- Cookbooks
- Pottery
- Colorful glass vases
- Woven baskets
- Copper pots
Instructions
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Select subdued paint colors for the walls. The walls in your country home should reflect warm light and create a backdrop for your accessories and furniture. Depending on your country home style--rustic, cottage or Tuscan, for example--you'll want to select rich but muted colors that coordinate with your furniture. Beige, tan, rich brown or sage green may be good paint colors for your country home.
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Add furniture. Select items that are comfortable and not overly patterned. Match sofas and chairs with large, rustic side tables and coffee tables made of wood. The rustic look also works in kitchens. Use a heavy butcher-block table as an island and a distressed wood table for dining.
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Toss in some wrought iron. Wrought iron works well in a country home kitchen or bedroom. A wood-and-iron bed frame looks great with an old quilt on top, and wrought-iron curtain rods and candle holders can tie a rustic-looking room together.
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Accessorize with found items and antiques. A few well-placed collectibles or rustic antiques can add a lot of interest to a room. For example, old butter churns add interest to a kitchen, while an antique train lantern can dress up a family room fireplace mantel. Driftwood and smooth stones from around your home make nice interest pieces in bathrooms and bedrooms.
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Limit your use of country crafts. Country-style painted boxes, wall art and accessories are available at many flea markets and antique malls, but if you use too many of those items, your home can look kitschy. Use one or two items that reflect other elements in your home. For example, use a rustic painted box with a star on it if you have iron stars hanging on walls or displayed in other areas.
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Make the kitchen area special. The kitchen traditionally is the heart of any country home, and a little extra effort here will make your home feel more inviting. Use a brighter paint color on the walls and accessorize the kitchen with a display of cookbooks, colorful glass vases, woven baskets, antique pottery and copper pots and kettles.
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Tips & Warnings
Be realistic. An ultra-sleek modern interior style does not fit a country home, so even if you enjoy that look, this is not the place for it. Instead, allow your country home to reflect its natural surroundings in a more comfortable way.
Do not spend too much on accessories. Shop at flea markets and yard sales for baskets and other rustic items.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Tammy Manet flickr.com, Last image: thekitchendesigner.org flickr.com,
