When you hear “country-style decor” you might automatically think of overly patterned wallpaper, ceramic roosters, and bright reds and blues, and, yes, this form of cheesy country decor does exist. However, when done properly, country-style living rooms can have a rustic, cozy feel that is both modern and trendy.
Here are some tips on how to achieve that homey country-style in your cattle ranch living room without feeling like you’re stuck in a child’s nursery rhyme.
Bring the Outdoors Indoors
The key to a rustic feel is natural accents, so bring some of the beautiful nature that surrounds your ranch indoors. Reclaimed wood is a recent trend that works great as furniture, such as a statement dining table, or you can create a rustic feature wall by adding reclaimed wood paneling. You can also get creative and use tree stumps as side tables or a unique coffee table.
If your living room receives natural, direct sunlight, houseplants add a truly natural feel. Succulents and cacti are relatively low maintenance plants that can add color and life to a space without needing much attention.
Choose Comfort Colors
Rustic country-style living rooms all have one thing in common, and that is comfort. While the furniture you choose plays a role in the overall comfort of the room, the colors you choose to incorporate are just as important. Stick to deep rusty-reds, browns, and warm yellows to make you and your guests feel like they can kick up their feet and relax.
Don’t Forget the Area Rug!
Accents and accessories bring a room to life, so don’t forget to add as many as possible! If the decor throughout most of your room is toned-down and simple, add some texture with a patterned area rug that ties in the color pallet you’ve used throughout the other parts of the room. Other trendy area rug ideas include cow-hide patterns or fuzzy, white or cream colored teddy rugs.
The rest of the accessories you choose to include in your room are up to you and how creative you can be! Don’t want to waste the antlers from your latest trophy buck? Use them as a conversation-starting chandelier. Or, you can intertwine them in a fun fire-wood holder or bookends.
Old firearms also make great statement mantel pieces. Carefully place an old rifle or even a fishing rod on your mantel or above a fireplace to add a personal touch. Horseshoes, repurposed whiskey or wine bottles, and ammo are other fun accessories with endless living room decor possibilities.
Fun and Functional
While it’s great to find an aesthetic and stick to it throughout the entire room, don’t forget that you’re decorating a living room that people want to actually hang out in. You don’t want to put a lot of work into making your living room look perfect only to have everyone avoid using it in fear that they’ll mess it up. So, select furniture and decor that will allow you to actually live in your living room.
Modern entertainment centers come with a great amount of storage space for TV boxes and game consoles, so you can hide all of your bulky technology while still being able to use it. They also make it easy to conceal electrical cords.
Splitting the room up into different sections also allows for greater functionality. A large couch in front of the TV makes a great media center while a large, comfy chair in a quiet coroner makes a perfect reading nook. A small card table by a window or in another corner also creates great functionality while still keeping the flow of the room.
So, now you have some ideas to create that comfy, peaceful, rustic country-style living room without the cheesy roosters and obnoxious colors. And, you can use these tips throughout the rest of the house to create the ultimate country-style escape.
