As warm and welcoming as a farm-to-table family meal, this look is laid-back – and loved. Here are some simple tips to bring farmhouse style home.

This relaxed style is classically all-American. An homage to its homegrown roots, a farmhouse home has a well-loved look, complemented by vintage-inspired prints, distressed woods, and antiqued touches. Keep reading for all you need to know about farmhouse design and decor.

Farmhouse Basics

• Sturdy, timeless furniture handcrafted from distressed woods and wrought iron.
• Neutral color palettes in white, gray, cream, navy, and sage.
• Large, inviting, family-friendly furniture that creates a relaxed feel. (So you can put your feet up.)
• Open shelving that showcases collected pieces and treasured heirlooms.
• Old becomes new with a focus on reclaimed woods, upcycling, and repurposing.

Farmhouse Color Palette

Use a mix of soft neutrals to create a classic foundation that brightens the room – and feels comfortable. Pair muted earth tones like slate, sage, and fawn brown with lighter shades of beige, gray, and white. Use textiles and plants to bring in pops of color like natural greens, navy or cornflower blue, and lavender. But use color thoughtfully – you don’t want to detract from the softness of farmhouse style.

Farmhouse Materials & Textiles

Farmhouse style is a mix of form and function, with plenty of warmth. To complete the farmhouse look, pair natural, handwoven textiles with sturdy materials featuring aged finishes, such as reclaimed or whitewashed wood and wrought iron. Light, unfinished solid woods (birch, oak, and pine) complement the neutral palette and introduce natural elements. Deeper woods, like walnut and cherry, can add variety and depth to the design, but should be used sparingly. Wicker-rattan furniture, left natural or painted, adds to the lived-in feel of a farmhouse living room or dining room.

Breezy, low-maintenance fabrics like linen and cotton lend softness and a relaxed feel to window dressings, seating, headboards, and more. Sofas are typically slipcovered for easy wash-and-wear care. Natural jute, sisal, burlap, or lightly colored, low-pile synthetic fiber rugs layer farmhouse floors. Decorative pillows and throw blankets in striped cotton fabrics and vintage knits are perfect as casual, comfortable accents.

Farmhouse Spaces: Made for Family

Farmhouse kitchens and dining rooms are the heart of the home. They’re all about function, and most importantly – family.

Deep, apron-front kitchen sinks, overhead task lighting, and large butcher-block islands for food prep (plus bar stool seating) make life for the home cook and hostess a little easier. Painted wood cabinets with vintage hardware and a white subway-tile backsplash line the walls, while open shelving or glass front cabinets showcase antique dishware and other accents.

In the dining room, mix-and-match seating (benches, stools, and accent chairs) pulled up to a long, distressed solid wood table creates a warm, welcoming spot for family and friends to gather.

Farmhouse Architecture

High-quality craftsmanship is always highlighted. Reclaimed wood beams, hardwood floors, built-in cabinets, bright windows, and shiplap (wide, horizontal wood paneling) are standard. An open layout (where the kitchen, living room, and dining space are one big room) creates an ideal space for large family gatherings and holiday hosting. This seamless transition from room to room is ideal for gathering.

Farmhouse Decor

Repurposed woods and flea-market finds are ideal as farmhouse decor. Instead of throwing out old pottery, baskets, and wooden crates or rusting pitchers, cans, and buckets – reuse them! Leave them looking a bit worn, or paint them white, and transform these old favorites into planters, decorative accents, or storage bins. Vintage wine and milk bottles, apothecary jars, well-worn books, and coffee cans look lovely displayed on exposed shelving and coffee tables. A farmhouse home is also the perfect place for vintage signs and antique fixtures. Curate a collected look that’s meant for you and your family.

Table lamps, with white or off-white bases and simple white shades, or chandeliers, made of light wood or dark metal with little additional ornamentation, are ideal for farmhouse lighting. Candles perched atop simple bases make the perfect farmhouse light fixture.

Keep wall decor simple with black and white photographs, pencil or charcoal artwork, framed vintage maps or dried plants and flowers, and mirrors with simple frames. If you want more color, opt for paintings of farm animals or flowers. Or go for a gallery wall!

Bring your farmhouse living room or dining room together with natural centerpieces and faux florals. Vases of light green plants or flowers in classic blue hues freshen the space and perfectly complement farmhouse furniture. Bursting hydrangeas or sprigs of fresh lavender and olive branches in round vases, or bushes of herbs like sage and basil in terracotta pottery, make the perfect farmhouse finishing touch.

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