The Best Farmhouse Decor

Buying Guide

Colorful, polished vases and marble floors have their place. Trendy artwork and neon signs are great if you’re trying to spruce up a dorm room. But when it comes to evoking a warm, homey feel, there’s nothing quite like farmhouse decor.

If you’re new to this aesthetic, it can be hard to pin down with hard and fast rules. Just like good art, you’ll know it when you see it. Farmhouse decor doesn’t have to make your home look like a farmhouse per se, but it should eschew modern sensibilities and loud colors in favor of antique pieces and natural hues.

If you’re trying to transform a room (or your whole home) with a farmhouse look, start with the walls. No matter what kind of wicker baskets or roll top desks you bring in, they’re going to clash with loud purple surroundings or marble patterns. in general, bright neutral colors will provide the best canvas for your farmhouse makeover. Think off-white, beige, or gray. Soft blues like navy can also work well. Wood paneling can of course give your room a log cabin feel, but darker wood will work best with a lot of natural light to brighten it up.

When it comes to furniture, wood is definitely going to be the default, at least when it comes to chairs and tables. Chipped paint can lend a little charm here, whether you’re getting it from an authentic antique or a new piece that’s been strategically distressed. Couches can look a little more modern if you like the smoother feel, as long as they’re not too ostentatious. Dress them up with patterned throw pillows that have a bit of texture — think canvas, flannel or jute.

Antique rugs can really be a centerpiece for farmhouse living rooms, and here’s where you can make an exception to the “loud colors” rule. The right wall art can also warm up any space, and can be a lot of fun to shop for. Look for pictures or mirrors with distressed wooden frames, wagon wheels, wreaths, or you can even fill up the walls with old advertising signs or flags. In the kitchen, you can hang up antique cookware or use chalkboards for a fun and functional statement.

For your accent pieces, ceramic trinkets can add a delicate balance to all that rustic wood. You can also say a lot by repurposing old items in new ways. Try using crates to keep shoes in the foyer, or keeping your flowers in old soda bottles wrapped in canvas. You can never have too many books in most any room, and the older they are the better.

Finally, don’t forget to illuminate all that rustic goodness. Again, natural sun is best but you’ll want to make a smooth transition to softer light in the evening hours. Pendant lamps with oversized “Edison” bulbs can set the tone both indoors and out.

If you’re trying to bring a little life to your farmhouse decor, try some plant life. Any kind of fauna is a natural fit for the farmhouse feel, and it doesn’t even have to be green. Sunflowers in a ceramic vase can brighten up entryways or kitchens, and stalks of dried wheat are both eye-catching and easy to take care of in the right vase. Golden pothos, creeping fig or other hanging vines can be a great way to soften the hard edges of a room, and they provide a counterpoint to all those wood tones in your decor.