Rustic Living Rooms: How to Get the Look
Nowadays, the concept of, “the traditional” is all the rage in the world of interior design. You no longer need to leave the city to find a home with a rustic living room.
Cottages usually have a country feel to them, with direct ties to nature and the outdoors, and to our own family history.
So why can’t we incorporate this type of design into an apartment in the heart of a city? It may not be easy to match this dream with the urban exterior. But the interior can transport you somewhere else entirely.
If you live in a village or a house in the suburbs, it’s easy to give them the rustic look. The difficulty comes when you try to get this effect in an apartment in a building in the middle of the capital. How can you apply this style to your living room here?
Rustic = classic
There’s absolutely no need to change the layout of your furniture, no matter what style you’re going for. The rustic look doesn’t mean your living room should be uncomfortable or unwelcoming. Essentially, it’s about creating a timeless look that conveys a sense of tranquility.
Remember, adding a fireplace can give any living room that extra touch of style and warmth. Bed warmers have long since gone out of fashion and are rarely used these days. Plus, fireplaces are safer than ever.
Country cottages usually have a fireplace. This not only adds a natural heating system to the living room, but you can even cook on it or use it to heat water. This is a great way to save energy.
It isn’t easy to add this element to an urban environment, as most buildings aren’t designed for them. However, adding a fireplace to urban living spaces is all the rage among designers, even if it’s just as decoration, or to improve the look of the living room.
What color should the sofas be? Colors like gray, navy blue or brown can add lots of character to your room. A great example of this is the leather Chesterfield sofa.
You can also put a table in the center of your living room, just in front of the fireplace, where it won’t be too conspicuous. A pastel or white table will look great with this style.
Flooring
As for the flooring, a wooden floor can really complement the whole look. Don’t forget that this material is great for keeping in heat, so your feet won’t get cold.
If you want to add more rural and informal elements to your home without compromising on quality, limestone tiling is a great flooring option for adding that rural feel. Can you really put this type of flooring in your house? 100%.
Warm colors
When thinking about creating a rural environment, remember to choose elements with warm colors. So what are the most common warm colors?
Warm colors include the following:
- Ocre
- Brown
- Yellow
- Maroon
You can break up this color scheme with another color like black, gray, or navy, as long as you can make it match the rest of the room. Trying to force other colors to work, or adding different colors with no real direction can ruin the whole look.
Can you use greens? Obviously, the color green calls to mind all things natural, and creates a feeling of well-being and energy. So while greens definitely have their place in the urban living room, just make sure they don’t take over completely.
For example, you’ll find it difficult to find matching elements for a living room painted entirely green. On the other hand, things like plants, blinds, paintings, ornaments, cushions etc. will bring a natural, fresh feel, without letting green dominate the room.
Walls and ceilings
Other elements that will help to give that rural feeling are the walls and ceiling. Generally, stone is the material which will best complement the whole look, and which is best suited to living room walls.
This material is – and always will be – the most common element when it comes to rustic decoration, as much for its durability as for its style. It conveys a sense of spontaneity, giving a fresh, country feel.
The stonework design helps to give the interior a more dynamic and natural feel, with none of the artifice of straight lines found in reticulated structures.
For the ceiling, plaster or hardwood can help to create a modest and comfortable space. There’s no point in having an overly showy ceiling with lots of extra details, unless they have some practical function.
However, there’s one important material you can’t forget when it comes to walls: weathered brick. The texture and warm tones create an authentic rural feel. However, you shouldn’t use it excessively.
Finally, brick can be used to create arches over the doorways, or for alcoves in your living room. The great thing about this material is how easy it is to use and how powerful an impact it can create, so it can also be used for decoration.