Country Home Interior Ideas

Country decorating can be casual, formal, traditional or modern. There's French country, cottage country, garden country and shabby chic. Country interiors run the gamut from the simplicity of a Shaker cupboard against a white wall to the clutter of an English country cottage. Does this Spark an idea?

Traditional

Quilts can double as wall art.

If you're looking for a traditional country feel in your home, hang a quilt in your living room for visual interest or brighten the bedroom by dotting the floor with colorful rag rugs. Scour flea markets and antique shops for pickle crocks to display on top of an antique cupboard in your kitchen. Welcome visitors with a grapevine wreath on the front door. Display a weathered duck decoy on your fireplace mantle and hang a collection of baskets on your dining room wall.

Cottage Style

A country cottage bedroom.

You can evoke the laid back feel of a lakeside retreat or the shabby chic comfort of an English country cottage in any type of home. Layer a chintz covered sofa with pillows in a floral print. Mixing prints is fine as long as the same color appears in each print. Repurpose an old steamer trunk as a coffee table display a collection of platters on your kitchen wall or brighten up your dining room with a bouquet of sunflowers casually arranged in an old porcelain coffee pot.

Garden

Make use of plants and garden furniture.

Garden country style brings the outside in so you can enjoy a sunny garden atmosphere all year long in all kinds of weather. Paint a wicker rocker deep green, pile it with overstuffed pillows in a yellow floral print and place it in a sunny corner for a piece of summer in the dead of winter. Use a weathered garden bench to provide extra seating in your dining room. Cover a footstool with an needle point floral motif. Float roses in tea cups and place one in every room. Fill your house with plants in all shapes, sizes and colors.

Modern

Modern country style blends old and new.

Modern country style is pared down. It's uncluttered and ecelctic. To achieve it you must adopt a less is more philosophy. Clear that collection of spatterwear bowls off the side board in favor of just one filled with Granny Smith apples used as a centerpiece on a rustic farm table. Relegate that overstuffed arm chair to the bedroom in favor of a expresso colored leather club chair. Marry a farmhouse sink with a marble countertop. Replace that whirlpool tub with a deep, sleek soaker model.

Farmhouse

Farmhouse style is down to earth.

You don't need to live on a farm to bring this quintessential country style home. Pull up the wall to wall carpet to expose the wood floors underneath or have wood floors laid. Dress your windows simply with cotton curtains in natural fabrics. Neutral colors work well but tiny calico prints and muted plaids also evoke a simpler life. Use free standing furniture in your kitchen. A Hoosier cupboard with its porcelain counter, numerous drawers, flour sifter and spice rack can take the place of built in cupboards and a rustic pine table serves as a kitchen island.

Tips

Read magazines that are devoted to country style.
Cut out pictures of country interiors that you like and keep them in a notebook.