Traditional Farmhouse Decorating

A home decorated in traditional farmhouse style evokes the past and a simpler life while providing modern comforts. Farmhouse decor is casual and inviting. It is a mix of furniture styles from functional to relaxing. You don't need to own a farmhouse to decorate in this cozy fashion. It works just as well in a city loft, a mid century ranch or a brand new home. Use farmhouse decor to reflect your personal style no matter where you live. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Study books that feature homes decorated in traditional country style like "Country Living's Farmhouses; Stylish Decorating Ideas for the Classic American Farmhouse" by Marie Proeller Hueston. Cut out pictures from magazines about country decorating like "Country Sampler." Keep them in a folder or notebook to refer to when you are ready to decorate.

2

Choose wood flooring. Wide planks are preferable but any wood floor will capture the farmhouse style. Distress or paint the wood for a more authentic look. Leave the floors bare or use large braided rugs for a cozier feel. Stencil the floor with a checkerboard pattern.

3

Paint the rooms. Pick muted colors like those used in Colonial period homes. Some paint manufacturers offer a line of historic colors. At your local craft store, buy a stencil in a colonial design like a pineapple or weathervane and stencil a border around the top of your living room wall.

4

Select furniture. Mix comfortable upholstered pieces with primitive antiques. Overstuffed sofas dressed with white slipcovers paired with a pine farm table shortened to act as a coffee table and a small antique trunk taking the place of an end table combine to create an informal farmhouse feel. Place a worn bench boasting some of its original milk paint at the foot of your bed. Use an old pie safe to store canned goods. Surround an enamel top kitchen table with mismatched painted chairs. Install a claw foot tub and pedestal sink in your bathroom. Substitute kitchen cabinets with a Hoosier cupboard. Place a caned back rocking chair close to a fireplace. Use a primitive cupboard as an entertainment center.

5

Add accessories. Throw a homespun blanket over the back of a sofa. Hang a quilt on a wall. Choose throw pillows of cotton that reflect the quilt's colors. Pile oval, wooden Amish style boxes on your coffee table or mantel and use them to corral small items like sewing materials or playing cards. Hang baskets and herbs from a beam in your kitchen and line your counter with crocks to hold kitchen items. Collect vintage porcelain kitchen items like coffee pots and bread boxes. Display them on the top of an antique cupboard. Make a lamp from a Mason jar and top it with a stenciled shade. Hang tab curtains from the windows.