How to Decorate Your Home With Farmhouse Country Style
The farmhouse country decor style has been around for many years. In that time it has been interpreted many different ways. With so many competing interpretations, not to mention the sometimes confusing similarities to other design styles, it can be a challenge to define. Whether you’re new to farmhouse decorating and are interested in transforming your home, or you’re well-versed but want to learn a bit more about farmhouse decor at Lakeside, this guide has what you need to get started!
What is Farmhouse Country Decor?
Farmhouse country decor is a design style that emulates a warm, welcoming environment through country-themed patterns and elements. Its rustic and vintage nature brings a charming appeal to any room in a home, and can even be applied to outdoor decorations as well. Additionally, it has touches of modern and fresh aspects that make a room feel both relevant and comfortable.
The farmhouse country decor theme can be incorporated by using simple furniture, accent pieces, and a combination of other wooden and metal home accessories. Farmhouse country decor can be applied to one room or an entire house, based on preference. It’s flexible when it comes to individual style because there are multiple types of farmhouse decor. Your design vision isn’t limited to just one simple look or one general element.
Farmhouse Country Decor Characteristics
While the overarching theme of farmhouse country decor imitates barn decor style designs that transform your house into a distinct countryside oasis, there are many detailed elements that form the farmhouse decor style.
Through specific materials, symbols, colors, and patterns, the characteristics of farmhouse country decor contain a large range of components that define this unique style. Its characteristics are each a cog in the farmhouse machine. Farmhouse country decor wouldn’t be what it is if one of these pieces were missing.
Farm Animal Themes
Farm animal accents provide the true, authentic feel of farmhouse country decor. With cows, roosters, pigs, and more, these animals are some of the main symbols of this decorating style.
Having a variety of farm animal accent pieces can help you establish a solid farmhouse country decor theme throughout your home. You can use farm animal accents as a way to enhance the farmhouse style in any room of your house.
It’s fairly simple to incorporate these animals into your decorating plans both indoors and outdoors. Opt for wall decorations, bathroom accessories, and hand towels inside your home for a more subtle farmhouse animal look. For outside, instill more bold pieces such as large farm animal yard stakes, porch decorations, and welcome signs.
Galvanized Metal Accents
Galvanized metal is a common material found across all farmhouse country decor items. Simply put, galvanized metal is is a type of iron or steel that has been layered with an outer coating of zinc, a process known as galvanizing.
This results in a unique, rustic look of tattered metal that happens to blend in nicely with other farmhouse decor items. Galvanized metal decorations also pair well with other materials and are often already combined with rope or wood.
The great thing about galvanized metal is that there are so many options of displaying it with the rest of your farmhouse decorations. Use galvanized buckets and boxes to store items as a subtle way of incorporating this metal into your home. Bring in larger galvanized pieces such as shelving units, wall decorations, and tables to have a more profound galvanized metal style.
Traditional Country Charm
Country charm is the heart and soul of farmhouse country decor thanks to the homey feelings that it radiates. It gives your home that finishing touch of welcoming energy that makes for a calming and ‘charming’ environment.
Country charm has a lot of characteristics of its own; however, it is more clearly recognized through its patterns and colors. Red and beige are a couple of defining colors that give country charm its warming appeal. Checkered patterns, along with stars and hearts, are often seen on country charm decor as well.
In order to fulfill the country charm aspect of farmhouse country decor, put a lot of focus on the fabrics in your home. This includes table linens, towels, pillows, blankets, and more. Wall decorations and other ceramic and metal accent pieces can also be included to give off even more country charm.
Distressed Wood Materials
Distressed wood is also commonly seen in farmhouse country decor. This material provides a natural and rustic addition to your house decorations that gives you a vintage and old-fashioned effect.
Distressed wood, along with other wooden elements, matches well with the other characteristics of farmhouse country decor. Natural-colored wood decorations tend to go with galvanized metal decor, while white or red-colored wood decor pair well with farm animal accents and country charm items.
From furniture pieces to wall hangings to shelving units, many distressed wood items fall into the farmhouse country decor theme. With wood decorations, you can find many different shapes, patterns, and symbols that can help instill variety into your home’s overall farmhouse aesthetic.
Variations on Farmhouse Country Decor Styles
While almost all farmhouse country decor includes a similar mixture of patterns and materials, there are various types of farmhouse decor styles that each have unique elements and defining characteristics.
These different types of farmhouse country decor are most often combined with one another; however, they are also each capable of standing on their own as a defining style under the entire farmhouse umbrella.
Rustic Farmhouse Country Decor
Rustic farmhouse country decor typically has a tattered and tarnished appearance. This style gives off a more natural feeling as opposed to a man-made design.
This design style tends to be very flexible in its appearance. Rustic farmhouse country decor can give off a vintage and old-fashioned effect or a more fresh and chic look, depending on how it is coordinated. It can also be either casual or sophisticated based on the way it is styled.
Opposites attract when mixing rustic farmhouse country decor with modern farmhouse country decor. These two opposing styles work well together because they each provide a special charm that completes the look. The rustic look provides a familiar feeling while the modern look gives off a fresh feeling. The two of them combined results in a satisfactory environment.
Industrial Farmhouse Country Decor
Industrial farmhouse country decor is the merging of two noteworthy design styles that are very similar yet completely opposite at the core of their meanings and messages.
Traditionally, the industrial decor style on its own mimics the appearance of old factories through revealing wires, metal caging, and exposed brick walls. This style is all about the ‘unfinished’ look, emphasizing on an old and vintage decor aesthetic.
When adding farmhouse country decor to the mix, it doesn’t stray too far from the original concept. Industrial farmhouse decor is a slightly toned down version of traditional industrial decor. The spin is that it is a modern take on the old factory vibe. The old industrial look gives it character while the farmhouse country aspect of the decor makes it feel more like home.
Modern Farmhouse Country Decor
Modern farmhouse country decor is all about the simplicity and sleekness of the design. While it continues to be similar to the other types of farmhouse country decor, it typically has a more clean and minimalist appeal to it.
The simplicity of modern farmhouse country decor is found through neutral colors and minimal patterns. It mixes the old barn decor style with new age visions and concepts, along with fresh visuals.
This modern style features many crisp, white-stained wooden decorations that emphasize the clean and ‘new’ characteristics. The purity of its appearance exudes feelings of rejuvenation, which balances well with the overall farmhouse feeling of warmth.
Farmhouse Country Decorating Ideas from Lakeside
Now that you have the basic elements and pieces of farmhouse country decor defined and laid out, it’s time to start creating your personalized farmhouse look and style for your home!
Here is some farmhouse country decor inspiration that may spark ideas and concepts for decorating various rooms in your house such as your living room, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and even your front yard or backyard.
Farmhouse Wall Art
Farm Bathroom Collection
Farmhouse Fresh Kitchen Runner
Rustic Barn Door Photo Frames
Farmhouse Garden Accents
Homestead Quilt Collection
Looking for even more inspiration? Check out our full Farmhouse Country Decor section to find unique accent pieces, wall hangings, kitchen accessories, outdoor decorations, and more!