How to Incorporate Modern Rustic Design into your home

July 26th, 2023
Design

Rustic design in simple terms is ‘bringing the outside in’ and it’s all about creating a cosy, inviting and comfortable place to live in. Often associated with the countryside, it features wood, stone, and other natural materials and includes anything from farmhouse and coastal through to industrial and modern-rustic design. It can suit most homes, whatever their age or size, so, if you love the sound of this interior design style, Alle Interiors are here to show you how to incorporate Modern Rustic design into your home.

To give you a history of Rustic design, it was originally derived from the lifestyle of US homesteaders in the early nineteenth century, which was a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. Characterised by subsistence agriculture and home preservation of food, it involved the small-scale production of textiles, clothing, and craft work for household use or sale. As a result of their daily tiring work, the homesteaders wanted nothing at the end of the day than a warm inviting space they could relax in.

Modern rustic design is one of the most requested styles on home makeover shows and its popularity is partly due to the restaurant industry. Their use of reclaimed wood, barn doors, neutral paint colours and chalkboards, amongst other elements, helped to increase its attractiveness and its thereafter move into people’s homes. Alongside this, there is the shift towards eco-design and trying to make our homes sustainable, which is where rustic design really comes into its own as it uses natural materials and is timeless. Therefore, there is no need for the constant changing of furniture and accessories to try and keep up with the current interior design trends.

Rustic Design has 5 main characteristics, which are:-

Raw materials: By teaming rough materials such as terracotta and stone with softer materials like blankets or furs, it helps to create a rustic living room. Natural wood is at the core of this design, particularly by using reclaimed wood, repurposing vintage furniture or by maybe adding old, stripped back doors to your home. When it comes to accessories think seagrass, rush, wicker, and natural materials, which could be in the form of baskets, bins, crates, table mats, candles etc.
Earthy Colours – When you think of rustic design what normally springs to mind is an earthy, warm colour palette that includes shades of brown, green, and red. This could also be combined with neutral colours on the white to brown spectrum, and bare plastered walls are also often a popular choice.
Greenery: To create a forest effect, live plants will add a pop of colour and help open up the space by bringing the outside in. This can be via living walls, which are very in fashion now or simply by hanging vine-style plants above your kitchen or a wreath to enhance the greenery of your wall decor.
Animal Inspiration: Adding a leather chair or sofa to your room can be a more subtle look, but if you want a real statement piece, you could hang antlers above the fireplace, or use animal rugs to help bring the outdoors inside. However, this also depends how you feel about the items in question.
Warm ambiance: The most important element of a rustic living space is that it should feel cosy and inviting. If you are lucky enough to have a working fire or wood burner, this can be the focal point of your room and decorated with logs in a wicker basket and a cosy rug in front. If you don’t have a fireplace, just light a cinnamon wood wicked candle and add some twinkly lights to bring the feeling of nature into the room.

Modern rustic design is an inspiring yet cosy style to create as although minimal, it’s not as stark as minimalism and so, can still feel lived in, comfortable and cosy. It’s all about making do with what you already have and repurposing objects. Reclaimed wood is very popular at the moment for kitchen tables, sideboards and coffee tables and works so well with the black industrial metal to give a modern feel.

If you live in an older property, you may also be lucky enough to have exposed beams, which immediately give you a cosy feel, especially combined with a real fire. However, there is so much you can do to create rustic design in any home, by just really considering the materials you use and the accessories, lighting, and artwork. You can find ideas for statement pieces or reclaimed furniture in antique shops, or on social platforms, many of which just need a little bit of love and of course you can also buy furniture already handmade to this style. Its essential to make sure you avoid putting too many things into the same space though, as its all about balance and keeping things modern and fresh.

Rustic Design is an easy way to bring a cosy, but modern feel to your home, and by sourcing reclaimed wood for your furniture and accessories it means you are also upping your sustainable living credentials. Alle Interiors are passionate about sustainability both in the way we work and the products we offer to our customers, and we particularly love this cosy, natural design style.

For more information on the services Alle Interiors offer; please go to www.alle-interiors.co.uk where you can also look through all the interior design products and collections, we offer to help make your house a home.

Notes: –

Alle Interiors is a small creative team providing a one-stop-shop for all your interior design and soft furnishing requirements with customer service their utmost priority.

Image Credits: Jeffrey Dungan, Architectural Digest, Shelter Interiors, Nicole Franzen, Ecru studio, Michael Clifford, shade Deggs, Maria Flora