Rustic style – a recipe for an idyllic atmosphere in your home

Do you get up at dawn to prepare sandwiches for the kids for school, then rush to work and save yourself a morning sip of coffee? Do you come back in the evening and no longer have time or strength for small pleasures? In our daily rush, we often forget about what is most important – family warmth and a cosy atmosphere, which fills us with optimism. Introduce the rustic style into your interior to stop for a while and fill your home with an idyllic atmosphere. Natural fabrics in light colours, fresh flowers, wooden furniture and other elements of rustic style will appeal to all lovers of slow life!

The rustic style was born in the USA in 1903. It was then that an American gentleman named Thomas Lee designed a wooden chair called ‘Adirondack’. Although it was initially intended to decorate only his cottage terrace, in a short time it gained worldwide recognition. The furniture was definitely different from the popular Victorian models of the time. The chair was not only much cheaper but also maintained a characteristic country atmosphere. With time, the use of such elements in the interior became known as rustic style. How to decorate your home in a rustic style? Here are some inspirations!

How to decorate your home in a rustic style with patterned fabrics?

The name rustic comes from the English word ‘rustic’, which means ‘rural’ or ‘homely’. It is hard to find a more precise definition of this trend – rustic interiors are filled with the atmosphere that many of us remember from our childhood, from holidays spent in the countryside. Fortunately, you don’t have to move out of town to get a rustic home – all it takes is a few interior design tricks. One of them, of course, are fabrics, thanks to which you can make an easy and quick metamorphosis of your interior.

Light fabrics in natural colours (beige, grey, écru, brown), partly made of linen or cotton, are the basis of the rustic style. However, to introduce a truly idyllic atmosphere into the house, it is worth enriching it with colourful fabrics covered with prints – e.g. in the form of cushions, sofa covers, tablecloths, small carpets or woven rugs. Vertical and horizontal stripes, checks and various geometric patterns, for example, will work well in a rustic style. When choosing cushion covers or tablecloths, go for brightly coloured fabrics that bring to mind folk art patterns – this way you can easily break the monotony of a subdued background.

An alternative to geometrical patterns is… flowers. Although spring and summer have already passed, it is worth enriching the rustic style of your home with floral motifs in the form of cushions or sofa covers. Don’t wait until winter – a sofa or armchair cover made, for example, from a colourful fabric will go perfectly with autumn decorations in the interior, such as fresh and dried flowers, herbs and bouquets of colourful leaves!

Rustic style – the magic of lambrequins, bedspreads and lace

While decorating a rustic interior it is worth to reach for a special kind of fabrics, i.e… traditional lace. Their delicacy harmonises perfectly with colourful and patterned accessories, and at the same time gives the interior a more folk character. However, it’s worth keeping things in moderation – too many accessories can make your rustic home look incoherent and chaotic.

When decorating your home in a rustic style, it is worth finding the so-called golden mean, which will allow you to achieve a country atmosphere in the interior without unnecessary excess of colours and patterns. The easiest way to achieve this effect is to combine fabrics from the same colour palette, but with different patterns, e.g. checkered and geometric.

If you have no experience in combining colours, choose 3 or 4, around which you will build the whole arrangement. These may be colours taken from traditional folk costumes – e.g. red, navy blue and green – broken with fashionable shades of brown and écru. Such fabrics will go well with curtains and napkins in various shades of beige or white, enriched with delicate lace. This will give you a harmonious, rustic interior.

Interestingly, you can make many lace accessories yourself – the necessary accessories can be found in any haberdashery. 

Lace is also a good way to decorate your windows – for this purpose you can reach for rustic curtains with lace. For a rustic kitchen or dining room, traditional window decorations such as lambrequins and curtain rods will also work well. This gives you a cosy, homely feel and adds a touch of feminine lightness!

Time for wood! Rustic furniture and wicker accessories

What else can you not miss in a rustic interior? Wood, of course! If you’re planning a major renovation, look for wooden floors and panelling, which will give your home an idyllic cottage feel.

Rustic furniture should also be made of wood. Remember that rustic style is all about simplicity – so for your home décor choose furniture with simple shapes or those that resemble elements taken from nature. A good example of such furniture could be a handmade table whose base resembles a tree root.

And how to enrich a rustic interior? It’s simple – use traditional wooden or wicker elements that you remember from your childhood. A good idea is to buy a rocking chair or a wooden bench, which can be a seat and a shelf at the same time. Wicker baskets are useful for storing things. Your rustic home is ready!

If you need a breather in your daily rush, rustic style is perfect for you. Bright colours, airy lace and natural wood are elements that are sure to soothe your senses. So you can simply enjoy life at any time, even when the weather is not so good!