Your Guide to Rustic Design

Imagine yourself coming home to a relaxing place that brings to mind a remote cabin retreat in the mountains far from civilization. Rustic design can do just that and you don’t have to live in a chalet overlooking a mountainside to do it. Sometimes used as a catch-all term for anything from Farmhouse style to a Tuscan Villa, or even a coastal cottage, Rustic design is its own aesthetic. However, whether decorating yourself or explaining what you are looking for to a designer, you need to have an idea on how to decorate with rustic design. This guide should help clarify things.

What is Rustic Style?

How to Decorate in a Rustic Style

When decorating in the Rustic style you can’t go wrong with wood. Rough-hewn wood on the walls like shiplap, natural wood, sticks, logs, and planks handmade into large furniture, wide plank wooden floors. Everything should be large, the cushioning overstuffed, and comfortable. Finishing details like tufting, wrought metal, and weathered nailhead trim will go nicely here. Use textiles of differing textures instead of using pattern. Layer faux furs with linen, leather, and fleece for a cozy feel. Go with the warm colors that nature provides. Fallen leaves, warm and honeyed wood tones, natural stone colors – the pallet should run in the browns, greys, and greens with warm undertones. And finally, your lighting. While it’s important to have enough light to work with, you should be able to turn things down so that the space is left with a cozy glow like that smile you get when you are under a blanket with your favorite book or movie and a hot cup of cocoa. When you are looking to decorate with a Rustic feel look for:

• Pieces that are handmade

• Accessories should reflect wild areas or have an antique feeling

• Natural materials, wood, stone, metal

• Avoid excessive patterns and bright colors

• Warm colors pulled from nature

• Go large and natural

• A wide variety of textiles for layering

• Live edge wood, unfinished looking

• Natural beauty

• Should give the feel of a retreat from the hustle and bustle of modern life

• Hardware should resemble antique brass, hammered copper, oiled bronze

While natural neutral colors like creamy beiges, earthy browns and warm greys, or natural reds like cinnamon and turmeric are easy choices for a Rustic design, color can be a scary thing to have to choose. White can be an easy backdrop for a Rustic room. From there you can easily bring these hues into a space with the furnishings and textiles.

Rustic Style and Your Fireplace

At the center of it all, when it comes to a Rustic home, should be the fireplace. When living a Rustic lifestyle the fireplace is where gatherings are held, it is the heart of a home, and its source of warmth. An oversized wood-burning fireplace would be ideal in this instance. However, deep in the big city, that may not be feasible, so realistic logs in a gas or electric fireplace or stove would be another option. When designing in the Rustic fashion, making a fireplace the heart of it all will go a long way to pulling the space together.

Rustic style is a little rough around the edges but it is warm and practical. So whether you’re bringing the wilderness into your condo in the big city or creating the perfect retreat in suburbia, decorating in the Rustic Style is definitely the way to go when you want a cozy and warm atmosphere. Share your Rustic styled spaces and decorating stories on our social pages like Facebook and Instagram, using the hashtags #RusticStyle and #NapoleonFireplaces.