Rustic Country Decor - How to Decorate Cottage Style Homes

Rustic country decor and how to decorate cottage style homes are extensions of American country style decorating. In addition, traditions are borrowed from French, English and some Swedish country looks. Rustic country decor can be defined as coarse, charmingly simple, unfussy, unfinished and yet with endearing qualities. Rustic country decorating includes the use of natural woods, aged surfaces, rough finishes and simple lines. Cottage style homes are comfortable, modest, quaint homes that can be made of thick stone or log wood.

Floors in rustic country decor and cottage style homes are made with stone or wood materials. Wooden floors were traditionally constructed with boards that were bare and simply waxed and hand-polished (high-gloss varnishes did not exist). Sometimes the boards were painted with light colors. If you like floor coverings, use oriental rugs and throws for visual warmth and color. Rustic country decor is about handcrafted objects, simplicity, furnishings that you enjoy and connecting back to nature.

Rustic cottage furniture is commonly made with pine and perhaps painted with hand-painted designs such as flowers, birds, animals, country scenery or leaves. Use ladderback chairs, rocking chairs, benches, wicker furniture and Windsor chairs. A large rectangular table made of pine is a good option for your kitchen or dining room table. To give your furniture a rustic look, brush a coat of paint on the furniture piece, then rub most of the paint off. After it dries, apply wood stain unevenly for an older weathered appearance. It will be perfect and rustic looking!

Baskets can be used to store wood, pine cones, flowers, plants and needlework. Brass candle holders, oil or kerosene lamps, sconces, hurricane lamps, tin lanterns, recessed ceiling fixtures or a vintage wrought-iron or metal chandelier provide successful lighting for rustic country decor and cottage style homes. Colors used in rustic country decor or cottage style homes are neutral tones ranging from white to bone, earth tones, red barn, blues and greens.

For rustic country decor in the kitchen, use open shelves, hutches, buffets, plate racks and cupboards for storage. Often, country kitchen storage is crammed with stoneware pots, plain glazed earthenware and glass jars. Kitchen pots should be made of copper, steel or cast iron -- cookware tends to be large and plain. Use open shelving in the rustic country kitchen to display plates, dishes and dinnerware collections. Natural woods, light colors and bright fabrics work great for window treatments. Adding a rustic butcher block island creates a wonderful visual effect as well as provides useful functionality.

A rustic country decor bathroom has neutral tones or soft colored walls, antique-looking lighting, and wooden antiques or antique reproduction cabinets and vanity. Knowing how to decorate cottage style homes and bathrooms can result in creating a calm and elegant atmosphere. Clawfoot tubs, pedestal sinks, country style antique brass faucets and old-fashioned country cabinets provide the kind of atmosphere that makes you want to spend time there. Plain white towels are recommended instead of patterned or bright modern patterns. Use wicker or wire baskets to keep your sponges, loofas and shampoos handy near the tub or shower.

Understanding how to decorate cottage style homes means including items like quilts, antique furniture or reproductions, flea-market pieces, trunks, chests, armoires, stenciling, wallpaper, adirondack chairs, flower wreaths and bistro chairs. These types of elements give cottage style homes the kind of rustic country decor that is simpler, very personal and warmly inviting.

Whether in a seaside setting, an urban environment, a countryside location or a wooded mountain retreat, cottage style homes are cozy and unassuming, combining the past with the present. Read all you can find and learn what creating the rustic country cottage means to you no matter where it's located. Enjoy expressing your personality and showing what the definition of home means to you.

David Buster is VP of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.yourdreamloghome.com - visit the website and learn more about rustic country home decor and design, rustic kitchens and bathrooms, log cabins, fireplaces and firewood and much more.

More resources:

RELATED ARTICLES

Granite Tile Countertops
The beauty and warmth of granite makes it an ideal material for aesthetic appeal in home design. Granite has been a popular choice of designers for decades.

Pass the Salt - Its a Hot Collectible
Part of the attraction of any collectible is the story that surrounds it, and salt-cellars have a tale to tell. Here's what you need to know about this condiment collectible.

Tuscan Style Decorating - Three Essential
If Under the Tuscan Sun left you breathlessly and hopelessly in love with tuscan style decorating you're certainly not alone. The rolling hills and the call of the earth itself seem to have imparted their presence into the psyche of those who either read the book or saw the movie.

Grandfather Clock Repair
A well-made grandfather clock is an heirloom piece, designed to be handed down from generation to generation. As such, they are made to last over several lifetimes.

"Too Much Stuff" Syndrome or How Decorating and Organizing Can Help Your Sanity
This area of home life is different from others in that it involves all the senses and to that degree it is successful, engendering varying emotions. Decorating isn't really a hobby, nor is it merely an activity; it's a driving force of many people to live in comfortable and pleasing surroundings while they regenerate from a stressful world.

The Increased Popularity of Granite Kitchen Countertops
The popularity of granite kitchen countertops has increased dramatically in recent years, with the media focus on kitchen remodeling and personal incomes rising. Originally the choice for granite countertops was limited to wealthy individuals.

How to Brighten Your Decor with Hand Painted Ceramic Tile
At one time, ceramic tile was only for the wealthy. No more.

Pendant Lighting Layout - How To
Pendant lighting has gained a great deal of popularity for use in kitchens over the last few years. A common place to install them is over an island or peninsula.

Home D�cor for First Timers (no matter what your age)
If you're like most people home d�cor is a puzzling subject. Unless you are innately artistic and have an eye for color and texture, home d�cor can become quite a challenge.

An Introduction to Bamboo Flooring
A little known fact: bamboo is technically not a tree at all, but a grass that includes over 1,000 species. Even without planting, bamboo naturally grows back, and it reaches maturity in only four to five years.

Custom Mini Blinds
In the mini blind market, you have three types of options: You can buy what is ready-made and is widely available in retail stores; buy ready-made but cut to fit blinds; and one-inch slat mini blinds that can fit one-eighth of an inch near your required specifications.In the first option, you get the general size of your window and find the blind that closely fits it.

Why Posters are Great Gifts
Posters make great gifts. They are large but easy to ship, wrap, and give away.

Contemporary Floor Lamps - Add Functional Modern Lighting!
If you are thinking about updating the look of a room in your home consider the addition of a contemporary floor lamp. There are several types of floor lamps designed to provide decorative and task lighting to your home and any room is fair game for adding a lamp.

Decorating With Art
A Little Savvy with Framed Art Prints and Photographs Can Help Successfully Pull a Room TogetherMaybe you're restricted by an older living space with existing furnishings, or overwhelmed by the possibilities a stark new space may offer. Maybe you're decorating with unlimited funds, or on a shoe string budget.

Bar Stools and Counter Stools Complete Your Space
There is something to be said about a space that has been lovingly designed down to the very last detail. Oftentimes, it is the small details, not the large pieces of furnishings, which truly tie a room together and make it work.

Wood Baker's Rack - Add Style to Your Kitchen
Is your kitchen or dining area missing that little bit of extra something to make it truly unique and a place that you are proud to show off? Are you looking for that one special design element to bring it all together and capture the feeling of warmth and hominess that you have been trying to create? If so, you should think about incorporating the use of a wood baker's rack into your d�cor.Decorating with furnishings made from wood, such as a bakers rack, has always been a great way to add warmth and intimacy into any space.

The Benefits of Dried Fruit Baskets
Usually combined with varieties of nuts, dried fruit baskets have become the second most popular version of the original fresh fruit basket today. According to growers and manufacturers, dried fruit baskets have soared in recent years due to the amount of time one can take to consume the dried product and still have it taste as delicious as the day it arrived.

A Look at Solid Hardwood Floors
Solid hardwood floors should neither be installed over a concrete slab nor below ground level because of high moisture sensitivity. Unsightly gaps appear when moisture dries and the floors contract in the winter heating months.

The Beauty of Copper - Copper Kitchens
Versatile, strong & attractive, it's not surprising that copper has been used for centuries and is today, the most frequently used metal! One of the oldest metals known to mankind, the beauty of copper is classic & timeles..

How To Install Window Treatments Like A Pro
Tools needed: a battery operated screwdriver, screwdriver bits (Phillips and standard), hex head driver, tape measure, and scissors. Although no special tools are usually required when installing window treatments, it is suggested that you use a battery operated screwdriver or drill to make the job easier.