- What is Farmhouse Style?
- What is Farmhouse Style Furniture?
- History of Farmhouse Style?
- Major Elements of Farmhouse Style
- Farmhouse Style Decorating Ideas
- Farmhouse Style Living Room Ideas
- Farmhouse Style Kitchen Ideas
- Farmhouse Style Bedroom Ideas
- Farmhouse Style Dining Room Ideas
- Farmhouse Style Home Office Ideas
- Farmhouse Style Home Decor Ideas
Designing your home isn’t always easy, especially if you don’t know which interior design style you want to incorporate. Now that we’ve covered traditional, modern contemporary, and transitional interior design styles, it’s time to take a closer look at farmhouse style.
What is Farmhouse Style?
Farmhouse style is an interior design style that prioritizes practicality, simplicity, and rustic charm. While farmhouse style tends to reflect the aesthetics of rural architecture, it also embraces modern comforts, creating a look that feels both cozy and stylish. Modern farmhouse style has gained popularity over the years, especially through HGTV programming and the wildly successful Magnolia furniture line.
What is Farmhouse Style Furniture?
Farmhouse style furniture tends to be practical in both form and function, with simple flourishes and a weathered, worn look. When it comes to modern farmhouse style furniture, expect to see lots of natural materials and textures, sleek lines, warm neutrals, and vintage accessories.
History of Farmhouse Style
Farmhouse style originated out of necessity, not as a deliberate response to other dominating styles. Early farmhouses were built with what was easily attainable, including wood, stone, and other natural materials. Once the industrial revolution hit, farm life became easier, which took farmhouse style from a necessity and elevated it to a coveted aesthetic. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, farmhouse style became mainstream and spread to homes that were not part of a functioning farm. Modern farmhouse style owes much of its popularity to the hit HGTV show Fixer Upper, starring Chip and Joanna Gaines, which showcases rural and urban homes that were elegant, yet cozy. Today, modern farmhouse furniture can be found across the country.
Major Elements of Farmhouse Style Furniture
Wondering if modern farmhouse style is right for your home? Here are the major elements of farmhouse style furniture so you can incorporate them in your home décor.
Practicality in Form & Function
One of the most dominant elements of farmhouse style is practicality. When farmhouse style originated, people decorated with whatever was handy and useful. In wasn’t easy to obtain furniture, so everything that was built was built for an explicit, practical reason. This practicality isn’t just about function, it also extends to form. Unlike traditional furniture which features ornate detailing, the form of farmhouse furniture tends to be simple, with more focus on functionality than decoration.
Natural Materials
Unlike original farmhouse style, you don’t need to exclusively use materials that can be found directly outside your home. However, modern farmhouse style still favors natural materials, including reclaimed wood, stone, wicker, and cotton upholstery. If you’re decorating your home in the modern farmhouse style, the more natural-looking the material, the better. To replicate the country-chic feel of the modern farmhouse, go for matte finishes and low-shine materials to create warmth and style.
Variety of Texture
Because modern farmhouse style tends to be simpler in style, you’ll want to try incorporating a variety of textures in order to add visual interest, contrast, and depth to your home. From stone walls and distressed wood furniture to canvas upholstery and metal accents, layering different textures throughout the room is a great way to keep the room from looking flat, especially when you’re dealing with the typical neutral color scheme of modern farmhouse décor.
Mix & Match Furniture
When farmhouse style originated, people furnished their home in fits and bursts as they built or acquired more objects. That’s why modern farmhouse style favors a less planned and coordinated look. Rather than buying matching furniture collections, mix and match your favorite pieces in a unique and interesting way. Not only should you be mixing and matching new furniture with vintage-style furniture, but you can also mix and match more natural elements like wood with newer ones like stainless steel. When decorating in the modern farmhouse style, make sure to take your time. It may take some patience, but if you stay committed, you can choose the exact right furniture to complement your style and showcase your personality.
Natural Color Palettes
When you’re decorating in the modern farmhouse style, there are a few natural color palettes to choose from. In general, farmhouse color palettes tend to be simple and natural, including either warm neutrals, cool neutrals, earth tones, or natural blues and greens. From there, add in wood and metal accents to create a rustic, yet utilitarian look that combines the natural with the industrial.
Warm Minimalism
Like other modern and contemporary interior design styles, farmhouse style is also based in minimalism. Modern farmhouse style embraces simplicity in form and a lack of clutter, but it also invokes a warmth that isn’t always present in other modern styles. While there shouldn’t be an excess of furniture or flourishes, farmhouse style furniture does tend to be cozy, comfortable, and functional.
Embrace Imperfection
Modern farmhouse style embraces the charm of imperfection. In fact, when you’re choosing wood furniture, scratches, knots, and nicks can add to the authenticity of the look, as can distressed finishing. When choosing metal accents, you might consider a more weathered metal look that alludes to a long, illustrious history.
Big, Comfortable Furniture
While minimalism is still at the heart of farmhouse décor, farmhouse furniture tends to have a larger scale, with an emphasis on comfort and function. When decorating a modern farmhouse living room, for example, you’ll likely want to choose big, comfortable furniture over sleeker, more aesthetically focused objects.
Mixed Metal Accents
The mixed metals trend has been gaining popularity, and it’s found another home in modern farmhouse design. Not only does farmhouse style combine the old and new, but it combines rustic wood with weathered metals for an industrial, utilitarian look. Try choosing a few different metal accents for your farmhouse décor. Matte finished metal can be especially striking next to natural wood furniture and stainless steel appliances.
Farmhouse Style Decorating Ideas for Every Room in the House
Wondering how to decorate farmhouse style? The interior design experts at Star Furniture cover farmhouse style decorating ideas for your living room, kitchen, dining room, bedroom, and home office.
Farmhouse Style Living Room Ideas
(Pictured Above: Lily White Slipcovered Sofa)
Decorating a living room involves a lot of moving parts, but once you’ve determined your budget and chosen an interior design style, it’s time to start choosing furniture. Here are some farmhouse style living room ideas to get you started.
Consider Slipcovers
Whites, creams, and beige sofas are incredibly popular, especially when you’re decorating in the modern farmhouse style. Unfortunately, the lighter the couch, the more dirt and pet hair that will show. That’s why slipcovers are so popular in farmhouse design. Not only are they incredibly practical, which is perhaps the cardinal rule of farmhouse design, but they also give a relaxed, cozy feeling to your living room. And you can easily wash you them whenever you need.
Mix & Match Finishes
When choosing accent pieces, large furniture items, and detailing, try mixing and matching a variety of different finishes. Not only can you pair distressed wood with weathered white paint, but you can even mix different matte metals for a modern, industrial look.
Farmhouse Style Kitchen Ideas
Farmhouse style kitchens should be welcoming and functional, striking a balance between the traditional and the contemporary. Here are some farmhouse style kitchen ideas to consider when decorating your home.
Kitchen Islands
Looking to add a touch of country charm to your kitchen? Try a kitchen island. Not only do kitchen islands serve a practical purpose by providing extra storage, extra prep space, and extra seating, but you can also choose an island that adds to the farmhouse style of your kitchen.
Mix Old & New
Farmhouse style blends the vintage and the contemporary, creating a charming and unique style all its own. When you’re decorating your kitchen in farmhouse style, you’ll want to find exciting ways to combine the old and the new. Try pairing new stainless steel appliances with reclaimed wood cabinets and vintage décor.
Farmhouse Style Bedroom Ideas
(Pictured Above: Magnolia Manor Upholstered Bed)
When decorating a farmhouse style bedroom, you’ll want to strive for a room that’s bright, airy, and serene. These farmhouse style bedroom ideas can help!
Upholstered Headboards
Layering different textures is incredibly important in farmhouse décor, and upholstered headboards are a great way to vary the textures in your bedroom. Not only to upholstered headboards add texture and visual interest to your bedroom, but they also promote the coziness and charm that’s so important in farmhouse décor.
Bedroom Benches
Because farmhouse style favors an uncluttered look, you don’t want to overload your room with superfluous furniture. That said, since practicality reigns supreme in farmhouse style, bedroom benches can be a great addition to your bedroom. Not only do they add a functional spot for extra seating and storage, but they can also add texture and depth to the room.
Farmhouse Style Dining Room Ideas
(Pictured Above: Weatherford Round Dining Table)
Trying to decorate a farmhouse style dining room? In addition to choosing the perfect dining room table, you’ll also need to consider other items, like hutches, rugs, décor, and more. These farmhouse style dining room ideas will help you get started.
Upholstered Chairs & Dining Benches
In modern farmhouse style, coziness and comfort is key. That’s why upholstered chairs and dining benches fit so well in a farmhouse style dining room. Not only are they inviting and comfortable, but they also add texture to the room.
Hutches & Buffet Servers
While you don’t want to add unnecessary furniture to a farmhouse style dining room, hutches and buffet servers can offer the storage you need without causing the room to feel untidy. Not sure what to display? Try decorating your hutch by choosing a theme, combining the old and the new, and following the principle of “less is more” so you don’t end up with décor that makes the room feel cluttered.
Farmhouse Style Home Office Ideas
(Pictured Above: Trisha Yearwood Home Collection Writing Desk)
When decorating a farmhouse style home office, you’ll want to create a study that’s bright, cozy, and uncluttered. These farmhouse style home office ideas will help you find the look you’re searching for.
Distressed Wood
One of the most important aspects of home office design is choosing the perfect desk. Not sure how to choose? In addition to considering the type of desk you need, you’ll want to pay special attention to style. Distressed wood desks, for example, will provide the modern farmhouse style you’re hoping to achieve. To keep things bright and airy, you might even consider a wood desk that’s painted white.
Reading Nook
Farmhouse style is all about practicality, and depending on how you use your home office, it might make sense to include some comfortable seating and storage in the form of a reading nook. Not only will this give you a comfortable space to read over those important documents, but it also adds texture and makes the space more visually inviting.
Farmhouse Style Home Décor Ideas
(Pictured Above: Ryland Bar Cart)
Farmhouse Style Rugs
Choosing the right rug can take your living room to the next level. Not only should farmhouse style rugs add warmth and depth to your living room, but they’re also a great place to layer in different textures. Whether the texture comes from the material, like in a woven rug, or in the pattern, like in a geometric design, you’ll want to consider how the different textures complement the rest of the room.
Rustic Bar Carts
Looking for some rustic home décor to add style to your home? Why not try a bar cart? We recommend something that features distressed wood, matte metal, or some combination of the two. Not only will a farmhouse bar cart add some sophistication and style to your room, but it also serves a practical purpose when you’re entertaining guests or making a drink after a long day.
Whether you’re decorating in the modern farmhouse style or are still trying to find the right interior design style for your home, Star Furniture can help. Check out our extensive selection of living room furniture, dining room furniture, bedroom furniture, home office furniture, and home décor. In the meantime, check out our interior design blog, where we cover everything from living room lighting ideas to what you need to know about accent furniture.