If your heart beats to the natural rhythms of the great outdoors, you can bring that feeling inside by creating a rustic design for your home or office.
Contrary to popular belief, rustic home design has many faces. It’s not just using Adirondack furniture or hanging all animal-themed wall decors.
Rustic decors may be centered on earth tones and wooden pieces, but the variety in the ideas that you can use are plenty. You can choose among the cabin log look, in the middle of the forest or clearing, mountainside dwelling, cattle and ranch style of the Old West and the Wild Wild West.
Wood paneling is of course the best way to start your rustic home decorating. An alternative is to paint the walls in earth tones that give an appearance of wood material – beige, tans, and browns. Ivory, ebony and cream also look nice. For many rustic homes, wallpapering is no stranger. So, if you wish to have more intricate designs for your walls, use wallpaper instead.
Move next to accents, which are wood-inspired or outdoor-themed. Instead of using colorful flowers, go for the more untamed look of grapevine wreaths, tree branches, wildflowers or wood shavings.
For furniture, choose fabrics meant to stand up to a true rustic environment, such as duck cloth or other canvas, corduroy and denim. Get rid of the wall-to-wall carpet and flooring of some kind. It could be wood flooring or wood-grain laminate if the budget requires, for a mountain-cabin style. Another option is to choose Southwestern-style floor tiles, if your decor heads west.
To bring together all the decorative elements and make your interiors more appealing, use suitable area rugs. Navajo and other kinds of Native American rugs are perfect.
Now bring in the animals. No, we’re not talking mounting Bambi and his woodland pals on the walls. Instead, use animal images in fabric and nature-themed artwork for paintings and photos. Audubon bird prints or Ansel Adams reproductions work wonderfully depending on the style.
Display your collectibles and vintage items for a more personal touch.
An essential item to have are quilts. Smaller quilts make nice coverings and cushions for chairs and sofas, while the bigger ones can be wall hangings, similar to a beautifully braided area rug.
Take your cue in decorating from the things you use in your outdoor activities. Highlight a specific idea, say cattle and ranch lifestyle and use objects that depict it. Mixing and matching is also okay as long as you don’t transform your home into a warehouse-like place. Decorate moderately.
Put your personality into your rustic decor, and you’ll have a home that you and your guests will love for a long time.
Don’t be ripped off by imitations. Be sure to buy authentic outdoor area rugs directly.
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