If you love the look and feel of an old farmhouse, then using some of these ideas will give you that feeling in your own house--even if it is brand new!
Add a Dutch Door - Also called the double-hung door or half door, the door was originally designed to let the fresh air in and keep the barnyard critters out! Whether a salvaged old door or a newer painted one, it will add some charm to your home.
Use a Slip Cover - A simple plain fabric allows your other antiques or pieces to stand out, and your modern sofa fade away a bit. Even drop cloth covers can give a rustic look. Plus, they are durable too!
Add Old Signage - Using old trade signs are an easy and inexpensive way to add rustic charm to your home. Older steel ones are more durable so take a magnet to see if they are authentic (reproductions are not made of steel). They will continue to last forever!
Use Mixed Materials - You can use just about any earthy material in this design choice. Wood, metal, stone, jute and wool will all work. To keep things cohesive, keep them in neutral tones. If you need to get newer pieces for the room, keep them in the neutral zone as well and they will work with the older pieces you may have.
Add Industrial Accents - Add old farm tool pieces and parts. An old weather vane, wood handle from an old ax or a pitchfork will give your home some history as well. Embracing the farmhouse flair is embracing it's humble beginnings.
Use Open Shelving - There were no huge rows of cabinets in an old farmhouse, so adding open shelving instead in some places will give it that feel as well. Put functional and beautiful pieces on display on the shelves. Mason jars, stone crocks and glass canisters would all look beautiful out in the open.
Add Re-finished Farm Supplies - Adding that farmhouse touch outdoors by using old troughs for a garden or other pieces for an outdoor table. There are so many things you could do outside, but also some nicer refinished farm supplies (like a metal bucket or old window) will look nice inside too.
Use Milk Glass Lighting - The opaque white glass used on light fixtures can be found in a lot of places and is still popular now, so a lot of stores have some retro looking pendant lights and other fixtures you can add to your home.
Add Cast Iron Bed - They were generally smaller than beds today (full, twin and 3/4 half bed) so using this in a guest room would be a good option. You may have to get a similar "look" for a newer King Size bed, but it won't be the cast iron most likely. In the 1970s there were headboards/footboards that were gold-brass looking. If you find some of those, spray paint them white and it will have a similar look! It's all about the older, rounded style.
Use a Trough Sink - This may be found in a salvage yard. Using updated nickle faucets and fixtures will help it be modernized. Also, the large "farmhouse" sink is popular in kitchens now too. If you don't like the one big sink idea for your kitchen, then an older trough sink in a bathroom may be a better option. For your kitchen, in the 50s and 60s there were 2 large porcelain covered metal sinks with ridges flanking each side. This sink in your kitchen would be a big statement piece, but would add that old farmhouse charm as well. Maybe you will lucky to find one of these too!
Add Soulful Salvage - Adding pieces from churches like old stained glass, a gothic window or a wooden pew, will get a second life being used in your farmhouse decor. Pews as a foyer bench or an old window pain as a piece of art will be functional and beautiful.
There are many more things you can do to get that farmhouse feel. You can probably buy new things to get that feeling as well, but, giving an old piece a second chance to shine will mean more in the end when you put your heart into it.
This blog was inspired by an article in Sept 2017 Country Living Magazine by Kim Leggett and her book City Farmhouse Style.
