Country Decorating Ideas – A Few Tips on How to Bring the Countryside Style into Your Home

I simply adore country style homes. They just have this unique charm about them that makes the house feel warm, homey and safe. The kind of house where you just feel like you can kick your shoes off and relax. Country style decorations help you capture the spirit of country living during modern times. If you are restoring a country home, simply keep the original woodwork, windows, floors, fixtures and cabinetry unless they are beyond salvaging. However, for those who are decorating a new or existing home, there are choices you can make that will provide you with the charm and comfort of life in the countryside.

These are a few country style decorating ideas that you could consider:

1. Dining Rooms – Not so long ago, a dining room is the place where families and friends gather around, enjoying good food and having a quality time with each other. This kind of warmth is the kind of feeling that we want to capture. Use a large rectangular table made of pine, oak, walnut or mahogany with wooden chairs or old benches that are similar in style and material. A corner cupboard, plate racks, dresser or sideboard will provide perfect storage and serving area for the dining room as long as they match the style and the materials of the table and chairs.

2. Bathroom - country bathroom floors are made of wood, ceramic tile, linoleum, vinyl or natural cork. Carpeting used in the country bathroom is not appropriate. Wood and brass accessories are perfect materials to use in a country bathroom. Plain white towels instead of patterned or bright modern patterns are better. Wicker or wire baskets keep your sponges, loofas and shampoos handy near the tub or shower besides looking great.

3. Kitchen – Personally, for my kitchen, I would very much adore a country style design. Just give you the idea of folks back then, cooking for their family, making delicious home made meal from scratch. Ok, try to give your kitchen a calm, elegant country atmosphere with soft colored walls, antique-looking lighting (chandeliers with wrought iron arms), wooden antiques or antique reproduction cabinets, plate racks and stone or wood fireplaces. Kitchen cabinets made of wood, aged surfaces, natural materials, rough finishes and round knobs provide a country style. Cabinets or kitchen furniture made of pine, even painted, can be beautiful key elements in the country kitchen. Country kitchen countertops use ceramic tiles or even hand painted tiles, slate or marble. If you want to use laminate materials, go for plain colors for coverings. Terracotta tiles, brick, stone and wood are very popular materials for country kitchen floors.

4. Kids Rooms - use wicker baskets, wooden chests and wooden bookshelves for storing books, toys and stuffed animals. When using tall bookshelves in your kid’s room, anchor them to the ceiling or walls so they would not tip over. Keep in mind that bright colored plastic boxes simply doesn’t go with the country style, obviously! They don’t have plastic furniture back then.

5. Furniture - furniture with simple lines, perhaps made of lacquered pine wood works great. Give furniture a rustic look by finishing it in a distressed, aged way. For example, brush on a coat of paint, then rub most of the paint off with a sponge or cloth. When dried, apply wood stain sealer unevenly. It will be perfect! Or use two paint colors and sandpaper to create a distressed look for unpainted or previously painted surfaces. Get free country decorating ideas by visiting your local home decorating or paint store for help with materials and techniques. Have fun looking for antiques, reproductions and handmade products when buying furniture for your country home.

6. Sofas or Love Seats - country decorating ideas can transform your love seat or sofa. Add a beautiful loose floral print slipcover for a romantic country look. Include padded stools and ottomen for comfort and as a place to set your drinks or newspaper. Add one or more rocking chairs. Traditional country chairs and sofas have high backs. And if the living room has a bay window, consider building a window seat with several cushions, a perfect place for reading and relaxing. High tripod side tables are appropriate next to the sofa or love seat for country home decor.

7. Antique Cupboards or White Cabinets - use a white cabinet or antique cupboard to show your ceramics, pottery, yellowware bowls, glass jars, or a collection of enamelware from 75 years ago to give your home a beautiful country style. Open shelving not only provides storage, it gives the room a country look, especially when earthware, stoneware and rustic items are displayed.

Use country style decorations to help recreate the ambience, peacefulness and pleasures of this closeness to nature without having to endure the hardships. Read all you can find about country style decorating ideas. From using old furniture to the colors and fabrics you choose to how your things are arranged, create the country atmosphere in your home that celebrates the lifestyle that used to be.