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How to Lend Your Home A Rustic Decor Theme
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Jared Winston
Rustic decor is a look that many people aspire to or choose as a
theme when decorating or redecorating part of their home. They
choose the style because it is homely, simple and can lead to a
warm and welcoming space.
The first thing to examine when looking to decorate in a rustic
style is what the term 'rustic decor' means to you. For many
people it conjures up visions of log cabins, country farmhouses
and Shaker style kitchens. However, most of us now do not have
exposed wooden beams in our houses, and so we must tailor our
rustic decor to suit the architectural style of our surroundings.
True rustic decor comes in various different themes and time
periods. You could, for example, choose a colonial or country
theme, or pick a romantic Victorian theme.
Colonial and country rustic decor is based on a very utilitarian
style. Items are practical and useful, and decoration and themes
are simple and clean. A country or colonial themed room can be
dressed with items such as handmade quilts and tablecloths,
earthenware pottery, and 'folk art' style paintings. For the
more extreme decorator, you could choose a conversation piece
such as a stuffed moose head or pair or antlers!
Victorian style rustic decor is more romantic and not quite so
utilitarian. Try dressing your room with wicker baskets, and
look for flounced or ruffled curtains, tablecloths and bedding.
Think beautifully embroidered white bedding on a dark framed
wooden bed, or delicate flower sprigged curtains in a kitchen.
The advantage of rustic decor as a theme for your interior
design project is that you can do as much or as little as you
like. The whole room or house can be rustic themed, or you can
simply use a few carefully selected accent pieces to bring a
rustic feel to a neutrally decorated room.
You can even use functional rustic pieces to recreate the
lifestyle of the period - many old fashioned pastimes are
getting a new lease of life and can be integrated into your
theme. For example, why not purchase an old fashioned table
based sewing machine, or even a spinning wheel? Or for a less
extreme solution, how about a wicker basket in your room to keep
your knitting wool and knitting needles in?
One of the keys to a rustic theme is to include plenty of
natural materials. These can be functional (wooden blinds,
wicker baskets) or decorative (a dried flower centerpiece, or a
spray of twigs in a vase). The natural materials can be used to
achieve the impression of 'bringing the outside inside,' which
is used to great effect by many of the decorators and room
designers on television design programs.
The key to rustic decor is to do what works for you. Don't shy
away from including something in your theme because you don't
feel it counts as traditional rustic; just integrate it into
your overall design. There are no hard and fast rules for a
rustic theme, so get designing and enjoy it!
Copyright © Jared Winston, 2005. All Rights Reserved.
About the author:
If you are interested in learning more about rustic home decor then you will definitely
want to drop by Rustic Adornments.com, a resource that offers
tips and advice pertaining to country-themed homes. http://www.rusticadornments.com
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