Country style decorating embodies coziness and comfort

With it's roots in the past, country style is timeless and always in fashion

Country style decorating embodies all that is honest and charming in America. It evokes our history, industriousness, our stability, and our desire to remember and emulate all that was the best of our ancestors and our past.

There are many styles of country decorating. For most of us, country style decorating isn't just a way of selecting and arranging furniture or accessories. More than any other decorating style, country decorating is about creating a feeling and an ambiance that evokes our past. It is a nostalgia for simpler times and simpler lives. Country style decorating helps us imagine a time when we lived closer to nature and life had a natural order to it.

Country Style Decorating has its Roots in Early America

In the not too distant past, country style was called "Early American" style decorating. It has it's beginnings in the start of this country. Pioneers, farmers, trades people all contributed to the style we today call "Country".

All aspects of country decorating derive from the simple cottages on the shores of Massachusetts to the stark log cabins of the West. At that time homes were simply decorated with items that were used for everyday chores.

Spinning wheels, butter churns, quilting racks were all used for practical reasons. Today they are the decorative accents we search out in antique malls and flea markets.

Characteristics of a Country Style Home

Houses in the country were simple and constructed from local materials. Exposed beams and rough plaster was the norm. Windows had small panes.

Home styles included simple cottages, Cape Cod homes, saltbox styles, garrisons, and log cabins. Fireplaces dominated the main room and storage space was scarce. Rooms were often small and dark. Glass was scarce and lack of central heat drove the construction of small spaces.

Wide planking was often used for flooring, as was brick and stone. Wood flooring was often left unfinished, but softwoods were often painted to resemble hardwoods.

Country Style Decorating Fits into Any Style Home

One of the reasons for the popularity of country decorating is the fact that it fits anywhere. Whether you live in New York City, small town America, or the rural country, the country look always looks right. It has a timelessness that fits in any architecture or any locale.

Color Schemes for the Country Style Home

There are no rules for choosing colors in country style decorating. However, red, white, and blue are always fitting in this decorating style. Earth tones are found to fit well into this scheme as are the historic colors used in Colonial Style Decorating. Terra cottas to match bricks and neutrals to match stone work always work well in country decorating.

Sponge painting and color washing techniques give a patina to walls and woodwork and help with give the illusion of age to a room.

Furniture Styles that Work Well in Country Decorating

Simple oversized sofas and soft chairs are the perfect choice for country rooms. The look of country is one of comfort and charm. No hard chairs here. Look for upholstered pieces you can sink into. Informality and curl-up comfort are what you are looking for in this decorating style.

Trestle tables, welsh cupboards, canopy beds, and antique sideboards are all used in county homes. Look for used, utilitarian, painted furniture in antique malls and flea markets.

Chairs can be upholstered, caned, or wicker. Old wooden chairs are easily available in many areas of the country. With county furniture, the older the better.

Accessories Used in Country Style Decorating

When searching out accessories, try to find authentic pieces rather than depend on modern reproductions. Metal fireplace accessories that are handmade are always good and used in conjunction with bellows make an attractive display.

Exposed beams were decorated with baskets and herbs. Antique photos adorned the mantelpiece. Blue Willow English china filled the antique hutch.

Earthernware pottery was used for everyday meals. Enamelware and cast iron was used in the kitchen and many practical kitchen items were used for decoration. Butter stamps, rolling pins, and wash boards were on display.

Once you start looking around, you will be hard pressed to stop buying authentic accessories for your country home.

Fabrics Used in Country Style Decorating

Natural fabrics of cotton, linen, wool and homespun were the choices available in colonial times. The most popular fabric of the time was chintz. This was a fabric patterned with fruit or flowers on a light background and with a glazed finish.

Ginghams, plaids, and tickings were also popular. Stripes were also widely used.

Most importantly in country decorating, don't forget patchwork quilts. Nothing says country as much as quilts. Use them as bedspreads or tablecloths. Throw them over the back of a sofa or over a rocking chair. Display them in open cupboards or on the wall. This is a sure way to anchor your country decorating style.

If You Love Informality and Have a Passion for History and Collecting, this Style is for You

The joy of creating a country home is in the recreation and recollecting of times past. It is in the search for the perfect piece of furniture and just the right accessory for the living room.

If you love an informal style of living and cozy, comfortable surroundings, look further into using country style decorating for your home.