Adding Rustic Touches to Your Home

My decorating style is mainly modern – I love clean lines and more neutral tones. But I think rustic accents really warm up a more modern space. And while “rustic” sometimes means “country,” you don’t have to decorate with roosters (for example) to add some rustic touches to your home. Here are some ways I added rustic accents to our home.

Adding some rustic wood to your decor warms it up. For example, I found this worn, wooden bench at a furniture consignment shop. The seller explained that it had been outside of a principal’s office; it was where the kids waiting to see the principal sat. I loved the story behind it and the worn wood and chipped paint.

Adding it with the wood table in front of a more modern fireplace – with its clean lines and cool travertine tile – really gave some warmth and texture to the space.

That bench has moved around our home a lot. Now it resides in our dining room, which also leans to a more modern style. The wood table and this bench give it more of a rustic feel.

Vintage items can also add a rustic feel. I found this Coke crate at a resale store. I’ve used it on this more contemporary table:

But also as craft storage in my workspace:

It would be a great holder for remote controls in a family room, too.

And speaking of family rooms, in our family room, behind our couch, an old ladder holds quilts made by my husband’s great aunt.

She made the quilts from her mother’s dresses. The wooden ladder is from a thrift store. Both add a warm, rustic, country accent to our living room, while also adding the function of storage (and a stand for our phone).

Another way to add rustic charm to your space is with fabric.

Here, burlap fabric takes a modern table with a glass top…

…and turns it into a piece with more visual weight and a touch of country:

Of course, you can always add a rooster or two to your decor as well!

I hope these ideas inspire you to add some homey rustic accents to your space.