I fell in love with this Image on Cote de Texas’ post yesterday; click here to read and see the before, it’s such a transformation! Even my favourite leather sofas are here! The drama of the urn on the tree stump table is the best part of this room in my opinion.
Then my House & Home Magazine arrived in the mail and one of the headlines was ‘The Fresh New Look of Rustic’ with the front cover carrying a similar feel as this room (below):
Can rustic be fresh? Usually you don’t see those words together but I thought this was interesting because it relates to this post I wrote about ‘Where Colour is Going Now’ from the Colour Marketing Group Conference in the Spring. When I wrote my newsletter article on ‘Injecting unexpected style into your home’ the other day, I should have included a tree stump or two as well 🙂
Organic, rustic and eco-friendly looks like they are fast become the buzz-words of the 2010’s. What do you think? Will you be adding some rustic elements into your space?
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Hi, I saw this post over at Joni's and I loved what was done in this rustic space. It truly inspired me, not to do rustic but just to go outside the box. I am not a rustic girl at all,the most rustic thing in my house is probably a basket or two but this whole house was inspiring.It will be interesting to see if this look takes off!! Great post and an eye opener, thanks ,Kathysue
I think the answer is yes- I have already been coveting a big slab o' wood table and stump side tables, and have my (recycled cardboard) deer heads ready to go.
mmmmm…. that is a good question! I did see Joni's post …wow..what a transformation.. I am trying to incorporate a little more "cozy" into my spaces… I feel everythings a little "tight".. anyway… good thought provoking post!! As always.. I love coming here and leaving with something new to think about! Happy Weekend Maria!
I haven't been over to Joni's yet, but the tree stump table brought back a memory of a friend of mine who used this concept years ago and dressed hers with a round glass top. If I recall correctly she had applied a high gloss shellac to it. It was absolutely stunning and fitted in well with her modern furniture at that time. -Brenda-
Rustic can lean soooooooo many ways. Love how it looks field gathered.
Will be amusing to see how it becomes comoditized for catalogue consumption.
Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
Big no from me… It's too cottagey for me.. But I can appreciate looking at it. Just doesn't do anything for me.
xx
dagny
ps – the leather sofa's are amazing though!!!
Yes yes yes!! I always add a touch of rustic to my interiors. Maybe because i am a huge fan of animals and nature. This is another way of expressing my love of nature. I have antlers, nests and i am now on the beach on the hunt for drift wood. Plus i think adding rustic into a decor gives the room balance for the man in the family. Makes them happy so you can keep your pink 🙂 !
yes to the clean rustic look.
a blend of wood, of textures and of neutrals.
pve
feel really comfortable in a warm rustic room, preferably if it is on the sparse side.
This is beautiful to look at, but I don't think it fits my current house at all. Probably would have worked in my last home. It is fun to look at though. Hugs, Marty
Most likely. I like to have rocks and stuff around me. I like the look of rustic, as long as it is not too rustic.
absolutely, the repurposed design elements of my home are the things I love most.
I love a mix of rustic with contemporary. I have to finish my stump table project so that I can have one in my living room!
Victoria
For our next home we are going to incorporate some of the elements…but I am not planing on going over the top. It still has to be marketable since we plan to sell it within a year or two.
It is a fine line to walk, trends and what will last…after all, I recall many showhomes with pink carpet, mini-blinds, and walls.
We're giving it a try at the shop with our spin on rustic. The customer response will let us know whether people love it or leave it.
cheers
Susan
I knew if I kept ignoring the wood beams, red brick and leather sofa in my house long enough, it would eventually become hip again! All kidding aside (well, actually, all of that actually do exist in my home), I do like the play of opposites and the down-to-earth yet sophisticated sense of this approach. If it is a homeowner's taste, it can remain fairly timeless and easy to switch things out here and there.
Rustic is not my cup of tea, but eclectic is. and for that i like to add rustic elements. i believe rustic can be fresh, and the secret is the color palette. don't you think?
I have already added many rustic elements to my home. My neighbours call my decorating style "French Country Surf and Turf". French Country because I have painted Louis XV and XVI-style chairs, tables and beds. Surf because I have numerous seashells, pieces of coral, barnacles, starfish, vase sponges and finger sponges. Turf because I have a drftwood table, three stump tables, two "faux bois" tables, antlers, horns, feathers and minerals. And I'm not done yet!
I can see elements of rustic styling creeping into even the most contemporary or glam spaces lately, and I like it! I probably wouldn't do a very literal take on rustic, but a piece here and there sure adds character…for example I am in love with Victoria's (at DesignTies} stump tables, and there from trees in her own yard, how cool!
Nancy
I love the rustic look from time to time! I especially love the white fireplace that stands out in the first photo. Have a good weekend!
I don't think I'll go all out with it. I like the idea of elements, creating an eclectic space, but I won't ever go to "themey" again. I'm still getting rid of Tuscan!
e-gad!
I love the idea of bringing some natural things and rough edges into our spaces. SO often the interior of our homes can be so sterile that we start to forget we are still animals. I suppose that's why so many people love flowers, it's a classy way of pulling the outdoors inside. These images remind me of my in-laws "cottage". It is a wonderful mix of exposed beams and floor to ceiling windows so you can see the lake. When you are there you really forget where the line between indoors and outdoors is drawn. Constantly open windows and doors and large outdoor sitting rooms only lend to that sense of blurring lines.
It may not be exactly what you were going for with the post but when I look at these spaces, I can imagine the beautiful trees and gardens, patios and lounge chairs that are definitely on the property. It makes me want to take a stroll.
Good Sunday morning Maria!
The tree stump from Joni's post is all the buzz and I just spotted another one in your column to the right in "What Everone Should Know About Gray."
I like incorporating rustic into unexpected places. Lexington tends to be a bit gentrified & when we moved here from LA I raised a few eyebrows (i love doing that) when I hung the back of an old weathered wooden garden bench above my formal mantle and tossed our deer antlers along with fresh hydrangeas atop my china cabinet a la Carolyne Roehm.
Back to the tree stump look…have you seen short stumps painted glossy white for casual seating? Can't remember exactly where but I love that idea. We lost so many old, and I do mean, OLD trees during our ice storm and everytime I saw stumps stacked at the curb, I wondered….how could I re-use & recycle & paint those old guys glossy white???
Thanks Maria for another thought provoking post. I'm off to read more…oh and I've been drooling over your new powder blue bedroom furniture!
xoxo Lisa
I personally love this eclectic trend. In fact, I wrote about it on my own blog several months ago and you can check it out here. http://www.onlinefabricstore.net/blog/rustic-luxe-design-the-new-game-in-town/
Love the idea and perfect for your part of the world.
Nice post, thanks.
how fun!was not awre it was "trend" as it has alwys been a part of my "style." A wedding gift we received 36 years ago was a collection of barbed wire on an old barn board…I have always used organic materials mixed in with others. I will comment that what bothers me about the urn on the stump table is that the proportions seem off. It looks like each element is the same size such that the "composition " is broken into even thirds…it would be better if the table and urn were not the exact height….
love your site! wish you were in san diego!!
Does this mean that my rough carved paneling is going to be back in style? Looks like barn wood. Thank goodness that I hung on to our leather couch, it is very worn.
I love the touch of rustic in any home. I would love to get the lamps that are fitted and designed with branches.
Hi Maria, I'm so glad you posted this. I think rustic does add some pizazz to an otherwise mostly modern style home. It reminds us of the great outdoors and our 'roots' as a culture. I think rustic things bring some added texture that is sometimes missing in modern decor.
Of course you know that I have the other problem..a completely rustic home. So I've been adding some modern items here and there for a little 'wow' factor. :o)
By the way, I just posted a problem about the counter top I painted. They didn't have forest green and in a rush I took the Rosemary. They lightened it for me because they wouldn't take it back for anything else, but I'm afraid it won't go with the Grass Cloth color we had picked for the bathroom. Is there a color I could stir in that would change the tone a little so it's not so bright? Maybe I should just buy new countertop paint. I'm in a bit of a quandry. But I do remember you saying that you could sometimes stir in just the right color to change the paint's tone. I'm not worried about the shade.
I've got lots of painting and texturing to do with the white before I start with the green, but I'd love to hear what you think. The photos of the problem on are posted this morning.
Thanks so much! And I'm so glad the two-tone counter top is NO MORE!
You are wonderful!
xo
Donna @ Comin' Home
Doesn't that mean my kitchen will be cool very soon? If my counter tops and cupboards become any more scratched up they will go from looking beaten up to organic and cool. Yay.
Hope your Seattle trip is going great.
i love rustic touches… both of these rooms ar so beautiful to me
xoxo
Maria:
I have enjoyed reading your blog and the comments, as well. I should probably keep my mouth shut, but I thought it would be fun to join in the discussion, I hope that's ok. One of the reasons I used the root table is that the context of the clean, pristine, painted floors seemed to call out for something raw and organic to contrast with them. Also, I do not have a feminine aesthetic, but the architecture is undeniably cottage, so using all the white was new for me, and the roughness just seemed to keep the whole picture from being too unapproachable. By the way, the table is Cypress, and was found in Louisiana after it washed down a creek during Hurricane Katrina, so it is an object of rescue and redemption, as well!
Rustic done right is so relaxing. Joni's post showed it at its best.
I just wish they had hid the stuff for the TV on the mantel.
A great bit from Penelope Trunk's blog: only non-farmers like farmhouse chic: you don't need an old bench in your house when you have four in your barn
thanks for this. i fell in LOvE with that image too!! loved the table, the art work- just wonderful. thanks for the shout out!
Joni