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Country Decorating
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Published: November 29, 2006
Does country decorating just mean you live on a farm in the middle of nowhere? No way!
Country decorating is often about creating a comfortable, inviting living space. Even if you are decorating your tiny apartment in a crowded city, country decorating incorporates this cozy ideal.
The soft colors - blues, butter creams and straw-hued tones – combine with pale woods, soft textures and variety of visual interests - collections, knickknacks and natural elements – to create a comfortable charm.
Country decorating is about taking pieces that mean something to you and combining them to give a room authentic character
Though all country decorating has this heart-warming character running through it, there are many different types. Styles include elegant French country, Swedish country, Southwestern country, cottage style, sophisticated Victorian farmhouse, English cottage, traditional country and American colonial country.
Some specific elements you will want to include when decorating in these country styles are:
Weathered furniture. These pieces can either be antiques or new, purposely beaten pieces made to look old and worn. Woods and painted woods are an especially charming element of country decorating. Cracks and rough textures add character to the pieces and give a warm, lived-in look to your room. Tarnished metals, like brass and iron, also add a layer of vintage elegance to fixtures and furniture.
Round, soft lines. Furniture with curves adds to the soft look of a country room. Country decorating is the opposite of clean and modern. Soft materials and a variety of textures on loveseats, pillows, throw blankets, rugs and walls help to create added visual interest and comfort.
Vintage features. Clawed-foot tubs in the bathroom or old irons on the mantle often are used for decoration in country styles. A Singer sewing machine from the early 1900s, stacks of old books, paintings of animals, old American flags and dish collections are other commonly-used articles. This is the beauty of country decorating; it is not about hiding things. It is a celebration of your belongings and how they uniquely fit together in your home.
Comforting color combinations. Overpowering, dramatic color palates are generally avoided in country decorating. Hand painting adds a personal touch to furniture and walls.
With so much visual interest, many different colors, vintage pieces and creative clutter, how do you make country decorating harmonious?
This can be difficult, but there are some basic guidelines to help carry the look. The trick is to make mismatched objects fit cohesively in one space.
First, start with a neutral or light palate. So much variety works only if it rests on a hushed and harmonious foundation.
Second, do not try too hard. Yes, display your collection of vintage hats on the wall, but not next to a collection of irons, teapots, plates, ladders and paintings of wild animals. Do this and you will wind up looking like you are trying to have a garage sale in your living room. On the same note, do not try to include too many competing prints or bright colors. Some solids and a little simplicity can go a long way to help unite the intimate character of the room.
If you have too much going on in one room, your most prized pieces will get lost in the clutter. Concentrate on creating character through selected surprises. Yes, it is a celebration of you belongings, but some of your belongings are more beautiful and deserving than others. For example, include a beautiful dark, wooden chair that was your grandmothers with a rustic vase you found at the spring market and flowers in an otherwise empty, simple, tiled bathroom. Limit your focus to a few favorite larger items, and then make the other touches small and complementing.
One tip on making collections look less cluttered and more beautiful: frame and carefully arrange items on wall shelves or shadowboxes. For example, individually frame your collection of antique hankies and hang them in rows. This will emphasize the variety and uniqueness of your collection while at the same time adding an element of consistency.
Finally, pay attention to the flow of the room. Rugs can help connect and blend varied furniture. Harmonious art can help balance the room. Vintage pieces should be beautifully weathered, without looking like they are falling apart. Country decorating should be about comfort.
Source:
http://magazines.ivillage.com/countryliving/deco rate/country/photo/0,,291399_293544,00.html
www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=learn-cat& amp;id=cat293&navLevel=3&rsc=bottomnav
Country decorating is often about creating a comfortable, inviting living space. Even if you are decorating your tiny apartment in a crowded city, country decorating incorporates this cozy ideal.
The soft colors - blues, butter creams and straw-hued tones – combine with pale woods, soft textures and variety of visual interests - collections, knickknacks and natural elements – to create a comfortable charm.
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Though all country decorating has this heart-warming character running through it, there are many different types. Styles include elegant French country, Swedish country, Southwestern country, cottage style, sophisticated Victorian farmhouse, English cottage, traditional country and American colonial country.
Some specific elements you will want to include when decorating in these country styles are:
Weathered furniture. These pieces can either be antiques or new, purposely beaten pieces made to look old and worn. Woods and painted woods are an especially charming element of country decorating. Cracks and rough textures add character to the pieces and give a warm, lived-in look to your room. Tarnished metals, like brass and iron, also add a layer of vintage elegance to fixtures and furniture.
Round, soft lines. Furniture with curves adds to the soft look of a country room. Country decorating is the opposite of clean and modern. Soft materials and a variety of textures on loveseats, pillows, throw blankets, rugs and walls help to create added visual interest and comfort.
Vintage features. Clawed-foot tubs in the bathroom or old irons on the mantle often are used for decoration in country styles. A Singer sewing machine from the early 1900s, stacks of old books, paintings of animals, old American flags and dish collections are other commonly-used articles. This is the beauty of country decorating; it is not about hiding things. It is a celebration of your belongings and how they uniquely fit together in your home.
Comforting color combinations. Overpowering, dramatic color palates are generally avoided in country decorating. Hand painting adds a personal touch to furniture and walls.
With so much visual interest, many different colors, vintage pieces and creative clutter, how do you make country decorating harmonious?
This can be difficult, but there are some basic guidelines to help carry the look. The trick is to make mismatched objects fit cohesively in one space.
First, start with a neutral or light palate. So much variety works only if it rests on a hushed and harmonious foundation.
Second, do not try too hard. Yes, display your collection of vintage hats on the wall, but not next to a collection of irons, teapots, plates, ladders and paintings of wild animals. Do this and you will wind up looking like you are trying to have a garage sale in your living room. On the same note, do not try to include too many competing prints or bright colors. Some solids and a little simplicity can go a long way to help unite the intimate character of the room.
If you have too much going on in one room, your most prized pieces will get lost in the clutter. Concentrate on creating character through selected surprises. Yes, it is a celebration of you belongings, but some of your belongings are more beautiful and deserving than others. For example, include a beautiful dark, wooden chair that was your grandmothers with a rustic vase you found at the spring market and flowers in an otherwise empty, simple, tiled bathroom. Limit your focus to a few favorite larger items, and then make the other touches small and complementing.
One tip on making collections look less cluttered and more beautiful: frame and carefully arrange items on wall shelves or shadowboxes. For example, individually frame your collection of antique hankies and hang them in rows. This will emphasize the variety and uniqueness of your collection while at the same time adding an element of consistency.
Finally, pay attention to the flow of the room. Rugs can help connect and blend varied furniture. Harmonious art can help balance the room. Vintage pieces should be beautifully weathered, without looking like they are falling apart. Country decorating should be about comfort.
Source:
http://magazines.ivillage.com/countryliving/deco rate/country/photo/0,,291399_293544,00.html
www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=learn-cat& amp;id=cat293&navLevel=3&rsc=bottomnav
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