When planning a renovation in your home, it’s likely you’ve got an idea in your head about how you want the finished product to turn out. However, you may not know how to achieve the look you’re after. I recently redecorated a few rooms in my house and it’s been a process. Everything is clean and minimal, however, that’s not always easy to get right.
Rustic is a style that’s quickly coming back on trend because it’s an easy and effective way of achieving a cosy looking home without lots of effort. One of the best parts about the rustic aesthetic is that it eliminates the need to have things symmetrical in your home, and the less-than-perfect finish means that no matter what you do, you can’t really go wrong. So, let’s take a look at some rustic decor ideas for you to try in your home.
Use artex
Rather than wallpapering or painting your walls, why not use Artex? Artex is a surface coating that’s used (normally on ceilings) to add texture to a surface. The great thing about artex is that it can really help give off that rustic look because you don’t have to be perfect when applying it. You could look online at some rustic Artex design ideas for your walls if you’re not quite sure where to go with it.
Rustic looks often come hand in hand with warm and natural colour schemes. Once you’ve applied your Artex and are happy with it, you can paint your walls in a warm colour like wine or terracotta. These warm colours work well because it’s similar to natural brick colouring. I grew up with artex on the walls as a kid, so it definitely has some nostalgia.
Utilise exposed brickwork
Speaking of brick colouring, if you have any exposed brick in your home, don’t cover it up! You can use it to make a feature wall in your living room, or even add a hanging rail for your clothes in your bedroom. Bricks are very easy to dress up or down, and can be a great addition to any home going for the rustic vibe.
Add unusual artwork
A great way to tie together any rustic look is by looking around for some unusual and striking artwork. Because rustic leans on a more historic and “older” look, finding historic pieces of art to hang about the place will really bring the look together. If the artwork has generic frames, consider finding or spraying the frames gold or bronze to really help finish off the aesthetic.
Use different materials
As mentioned earlier, the whole idea of rustic is the mismatched look, and another way of making your home look rustic is by using different materials. Things like metal and wood are a great way of contrasting the materials to achieve this look.
You could also choose new throws to cover your chairs and sofas in. Why not head to your local charity shop or second hand store and see if you can find some throws or fleeces that tie in with your colour scheme. Find fabrics that have unusual and charming patterns on them. The whole idea of rustic comes from when people didn’t have enough money to decorate their homes and had to make do with what they had or made, so any kind of fleece or throw that’s been handmade would really look great.
Upcycle pieces of furniture
Speaking of making do with what you have, why not save yourself some money and upcycle pieces of furniture? You can add a “distressed” look to wooden dressers and cabinets by using sandpaper, and you could upcycle that old wooden toy box into an ottoman/window seat for your bay window.
It’s really easy to do, and if you’ve got a generic set of tools you don’t really need much more to achieve a beautiful homely and rustic looking piece of furniture. If you’re not sure how to upcycle, there are lots of ideas on Pinterest or in interior magazines that you could draw inspiration from.
Install a log burner
Finally, a wonderful way of adding a cosy and rustic vibe to your home is by installing a log burner. They add an immediate focal point to the room and are wonderful to cosy in front of during the winter months.
One thing to be wary of is that you can’t just burn any kind of wood you come across. The wood needs to be dried out thoroughly so that it doesn’t let off a bad smell and most importantly, keep going out. Some people choose to burn coals instead which serves the same purpose and gives the room a really cosy glow. Make sure you have your log burner installed by a professional to avoid any fire hazards.
