Farmhouse décor for the living room creates a warm, inviting ambience. The living room is often the largest, most spacious room in the house used for entertaining and relaxing. You can recreate rustic farmhouse charm with little cost and effort.
I’m sure that no matter what stage of life you are at, there has definitely been one time or another when the farmhouse design has caught your eye. In this article we take a look at farmhouse decorations for the living room.
There are two main styles of farmhouse design. The traditional farmhouse theme is more floral and proper. Think of your stereotypical Country Women’s Association member’s home :)…Scones with jam and cream in the kitchen, dried lavender in white washed milk pails and rose patterned fabrics and pressed cotton.
Then there is the modern take on farmhouse living decor. This can take the form of more industrial touches like wrought iron touches on barn style doors and coffee tables. For the modern take on farmhouse interior decorating, use dried grasses instead of flowers and crumpled linen in natural tones instead of pressed floral cotton prints.
Now lets talk about how to create that authentic look within your own home.
Hand Painted, Carved, Moulded, or Designed
Farmhouse is all about designs that are close to the earth and nature based. That’s where upcycled or vintage pieces do very well in farmhouse styled rooms. Anything that’s been handmade is almost an instant go to in a farmhouse style living space. You will never see flashy items that obviously look like they were made in a factory.
Authentic Personal Art
Although farmhouse décor is a world-wide trend, the basis of it as a design is refined personal design. So find special things that mean a lot to you and make a collage of them, frame the sheet music you learnt on piano as a child or from a song you were obsessed with as a teenager. Find special things that mean a lot to you and incorporate them into your design in a simple and stripped back way.
Add quirky touches to let your personality shine through like cow hide ottoman below or pops of colour in botanical art.
Wood Framed Sign or Hand Written Wooden Sign
Reclaimed or exposed wood are almost always incorporated into farmhouse design spaces, no matter what room of the house you are in. Reclaimed wood is a great way to incorporate upcycling into your farmhouse inspired space and stay ‘close to nature’ as you’re renovating.
When you’re updating or renovating a space it can be temping to just buy everything new. But actually, the whole concept of farmhouse relies on reinventing a lot of the things you have and making them feel new again.
Antique or Vintage Trunk Coffee Table
Another great way to incorporate the upcycling trend into your renovation is to go antiquing and nick-nack shopping! Vintage trunk sales and antique stores can actually have some great finds if you take your time and make sure to look in the right places. Its kind of like trying to look through a charity shop for a nice dress; you need to put in quite a bit of effort to find something, but that one time you do, it’s the most perfect piece.
Finding an item like a trunk and repurposing it as a coffee table by sanding it down and putting a glass top on it is a great way to reinvent an old piece of furniture.
Natural Driftwood Shelf
The farmhouse look and style might seem overly put together, but I can assure you that it doesn’t need to be. The best thing you can do when picking out accents and décor for your farmhouse space is grabbing things which don’t have sharp and clear cut edges or bold colours and shapes.
Rusted metal and jagged wood are two things that you would usually avoid but are more than accepted within this design style and décor family.
Rustic Wooden Feature Wall with Wallpaper
Everyone loves an accent wall don’t they. Whether it’s a modern floral or colourful block, wallpaper can add a depth to a room that was otherwise dominated by white walls.
The rustic look screams farmhouse and laid back comfort and style. Try out the look of a wooden accent wall to bring the rustic touches you want straight into the fabric and being of your home.
Metal & Wood Combined
This idea is often associated with the New York loft look, but moulds and fits into other genres of design such as the farmhouse style design family. Combining metal and wood has a similar effect on a space as putting in a feature wall.
The look and feel of the both of them are so different and unique from each other that they actually stand in their own right while also complimenting each other. Reclaimed wood relaxes the sharp edges of the metal and those same sharp edges define the more relaxed wood look.
Farmhouse Dining Table
If your living room is part of an open area that combines with the dining area, the farmhouse theme can be carried through by selecting a traditional style dining table. First, consider the type of farmhouse theme you have planned so far.
Is it going to be a rustic wooden table or are you more interested in something more modern? To get the traditional farmhouse look, go for a solid wood dining table with turned legs ( these look like they are curved calved in with a wood turning lathe).
These can often be found in second hand stores and refurbished by sanding back and finishing with a rough white wash. If it is a wooden table with an antique look to it, the more rustic rough finish will work well. These old wooden tables come in a wide variety of sizes and styles from large rectangular extendable versions to small circular types.
However, if you are looking for a modern table, then there are many options available for you. To modernise the style, look at wooden tables that incorporate concrete tops or wrought iron legs.
Create Calm with Layered Lighting
Another way to make such a dining room feel more authentic is to get the lighting correct. With traditional styled tables and chairs, it is necessary to have proper lighting. The dining area will be well lit, creating a cozy, warm, comfortable atmosphere. Layer the lighting with accent, task and ambient lighting; for more tips on lighting take a look at this article.
Taking the Chalkboard from the Classroom to the Living Room
Trying out a chalkboard is not only a great practical idea in terms of writing out messages or changing the design you have on them; it also brings a rustic and old-timey look into a space. Chalkboards are associated with old schoolhouses, and can make a space feel really nostalgic.
Repurposed Farmhouse Vases
Rustic decor touches like metal milk jugs repurposed as vases and natural materials like white-washed wood are an affordable way to decorate your living room with the farmhouse theme.
When buying vases for a farmhouse kitchen space, you can try upcycling an old tin can or repurposing an interesting shaped glass that you found in a flea market, for example.
With the right farmhouse decorations for your living room you can easy transform the space. Whether you love it or hate it, no one can deny the way this design theme transforms a house to a home. Make your living room feel that little bit more warm and inviting by adding subtle touches and accents of farmhouse charm here and there. Even if all you have is an extra hundred in your pocket, you can still add a little slice of farmhouse heaven to your living space.
Turning your living room into a farmhouse design dream does not have to break the bank or be overly complicated. Try out some of these top tips and get started today!