At this time of year, as the seasons change from hot summer to cool autumn, I really get the urge to snuggle down at home and feather my nest, getting ready for the cold winter ahead. I start thinking about hot drinks, casseroles and blankets, and the design inspirations that I’m continuously pinning on Pinterest shift towards warmer colours, natural textures and tonal palettes. I don’t know what it is about autumn that makes me want to surround myself with wood and wool, but it has at least influence this interior design trend blog post, so that can only be a good thing! Today I’m looking a rustic and natural interiors..
Rustic homes possess a charming coarseness that is growing ever more popular and (like me at this time of year!) are chiefly influenced by nature. The style is inspired by French, English and Swedish country looks and is undeniably rugged – full of texture and natural materials. This trend incorporates sun-washed shades and muted tones reminiscent of earth and wood, and if you want to create your own rustic hide-away, here are some ideas to help you:
Walls – Walls should appear textured. Rough, bare stone and wood both help to enhance rustic décor, bringing the outdoors inside. Plaster walls should be painted. Roll the paint on lightly and unevenly to create an aged look and feel. Traditional hunting lodges – the absolute epitome of rustic style – traditionally feature animal hide rugs and wall mountings, so if you really want to go the whole hog, mount faux animal heads, or search your local antique store for the real thing. As you’ve probably already seen from my recent bathroom makeover blog posts, I’ve been adding more wood into by using cheap shuttering to clad my bathroom and I’ve been white-washing floors and walls for a neutral finish.
Floor – Your floor should be timber or stone for a natural, earthy feel. I’ve glued cheap wood to my bathroom floor to create a rustic beach-hut inspired look, which feels warmer underfoot than tiles or vinyl. If you want to soften the space in a bedroom to make it a little cosier, pick up some woven rugs from a second-hand shop or have a go at making your own. Use vivid contrasting colours or pattern to really highlight the patina of wooden floorboards and furniture.
Colour Scheme – A rustic colour scheme should be natural and earthy so look for tones of dark slate, warm tan, brown, green, watery blues, and grey. To make the room feel warmer and look brighter incorporate caramel tones and shades of cream, which I chose to do in my own bedroom. This palette should be used for all furnishings – and any walls which are not stone or wood should be painted a light colour, with perhaps one accent wall in a shade taken from your colour scheme.
Wood Burner – A wood-burner instantly adds a rustic look to a living room, and can save you a lot of money on your heating bills in winter. During the colder months, your home will feel warm and cosy, and the firelight will lend a rich reddish shade to your wooden features. I would love to have a woodburner, but at the moment the old fireplace is still boarded up, so in the meantime I’ve added an iron fire surround on the fireplace wall to give the impression of a rustic fireplace.
Décor – In a rustic-style home, the key element should be wood, so absolutely fill your space with wooden furnishings. If you know someone who’s good at DIY, save money by buying some logs and having them transformed into tables or seating. Pine is probably the best timber to use for your décor, stained with a mid to dark tone to really enhance the rustic beauty of your home. The rustic look should be layered through with rough timber accessories, fur or woollen fabrics, and soft lighting evocative of the cosy feeling of firelight playing on the walls should be used.
You can add a further interesting twist with metal worked furniture. Try having metal seats at a wooden table, softened with cushions which match the rest of your colour palette. The materials work together to enhance the wood in the rest of your home, and their deviation really draws the eye, making them fantastic centre pieces. Make sure that the metal is a subtle tone, as the neutral shades will complement each other and provide a harmonious feel to the space.
