Wicker baskets double as storage and decorative accents.
A country-style home is warm and welcoming. It has a lived-in look that invites people to get comfortable and stay awhile. If you have recently built a new home and you're interested in furnishing it with country decor, achieving the look is relatively easy. Careful choice of natural materials and a soothing or cheerful color scheme will infuse your new home with country style. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Choose a color palette. Either soft muted colors or neutrals accented with bold hues work for country decor. For a bedroom or bathroom, you may want to opt for a combination of soothing pastel colors. In a living room, dining room or kitchen, consider bright yellow and apple red coupled with tan, brown or beige. Incorporate your color scheme in your choice of textiles, accessories and wall color.
2. Select furniture for your country-style home. Furnishings that have an antiqued, time-worn look are ideal for this type of interior design. In the bedroom, use a brass headboard and white-washed or white wicker dressers. Place a hope chest at the foot of the bed. In the living room, provide seating with a large sofa upholstered with gingham fabric and wooden rocking chairs. For a dining table, consider a reclaimed wood table flanked by benches or mismatched chairs. The furniture should be welcoming and comfortable, not formal and stuffy.
3. Bring in textiles. Cover floors with braided area rugs. Dress beds with patchwork quilts or a coverlet that features a French toile design. Cover windows with sheer draperies that feature embroidered designs or gingham curtains. Place chenille or hand-knitted throw blankets on the backs of chairs and couches.
4. Complete the look with decorative accents. Wicker baskets displayed on shelves, tables and counters are useful for decoration and also serve as storage for papers, toys and other materials. Hang arrangements of dried flowers on the walls. Display your china on the walls of your kitchen or dining room. Use wrought-iron or brass lighting fixtures. Make a collage of your favorite family portraits or pictures from nature.
Tags: color scheme, country decor, country-style home, decorative accents, dining room
