How to Decorate a Living Room in a Primitive Style

If you prefer the timeworn to the trendy, the weathered to the glossy, then primitive style home decor may work for you. In the living room, a primitive decor creates a textured, colorful backdrop for displaying favorite collections, artwork and heirlooms. Every artwork and accessory may have a story behind it, sparking conversations and stories. Primitive decor blends well with many other decorating themes, including tropical, shabby chic, cottage style, French country, Asian fusion, Japanese-inspired wabi-sabi simplicity, rustic, Mexican colonial and American country.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Paint
• Paintbrush
• Furniture
• Accessories
• Textiles

1. Establish a color palette for your primitive style living room. Pale earth tones, sage green, eggshell, antique white and mellow yellow work well on all four walls while an accent wall might feature a brighter pop of color in mango orange, saffron yellow, poppy seed black, espresso brown, cobalt blue or bottle green. You can also opt to paint a folk art-style trim along the baseboards using stencils.

2. Invest in some rustic style furnishings. Avoid icy pastels, glossy whites and shiny blacks for more natural tones. A wooden cabinet with oxidized metal hardware in a chunky style looks perfect in this setting. Look for living room furniture that has artisan details such as engraved borders, hammered tin insets, wood joinery or hand-painted scenery on doors, tabletops or shelf backings. Add a dash of texture and pattern with a zebra-print fabric on an ottoman or footstool or a chair with a bold print of leave or tropical flowers.

3. Accessorize with primitive arts and crafts. Cover the wall behind the couch with a patchwork quilt or an old wooden door that you have painted with a Henri Rousseau-inspired leafy green landscape or an outsider art-style depiction of loved ones. Hang floating shelves to display a collection of vintage Fiestaware dishes or homemade dolls. Remember that in a primitive decor many objects can function as art, such as rusted tin signs, an empty bird cage, a shadowbox holding your baby slippers, pieces of hardware and found items.

4. Integrate nature and natural materials into your primitive style living room. Green leafy plants add a verdant backdrop, while rusted tin buckets, Mason jars, glass water bottles and chipped teacups can hold wildflowers, sprigs of herbs, bunches of leaves or a twig with blossoms. Add a touch of the sea with a tableau of shells, coral, sea glass and sand dollars, or bring in the desert with a terracotta pot filled with cacti and succulents.

Tips & Warnings

• Make a primitive living room reflect your unique style by incorporating family heirlooms, do-it-yourself projects and photographs into the decor.
• Avoid matching all your upholstered items and textiles, which muddies the look.

References

• HGTV: Primitive Living Room