When I was single, I never really thought about home decor.  If I could find what I wanted and the place wasn’t a total hole, that was enough.  Being married though led the way to my learning a few things.  My wife is not high maintenance at all, but occasionally we will end up with some type of decorating magazine sitting around.


I started looking at one of these one day and actually started getting interested.  Once the intitial horror of that realization passed, I decided that one of the “themes” I really liked was country home decor.  Our house doesn’t exactly fit that right now with all of the cast off shoes and bookbags lying about, but I learned a little bit as I read and some day, when I’ve got an extra home out in the country, I could see myself liking it a lot.

The article I was reading included plenty of country home decor pictures.  Country home decor has a sort of cottage feel about it.  Lots of hardwood floors and a very rustic feel to the whole thing.  I started thinking about what my cottage home will look like.  After studying a bit, I think I’ve developed a pretty good image.  You may use it for your own designs at will!

My country home will be a log cabin design but with plenty of stone included in the plans.  I don’t know why, but the image of the old guy on the front of Led Zeppelin’s Zoso Album pops into my mind when I type that.  That isn’t quite what I mean.  When I was back in college, one of my best friends invited me to spend a weekend fishing at his grandparent’s house, which was located way the heck out in the country.  I think it was Potter County, Pennsylvania.  When you walked out the front door and across the yard, there was an old dirt road, then a small hillside, and then the river.  I think it was the Allegheny.  The place was beautiful and I can still remember what it looked like when you faced that ancient house from the river.  It was the definition of rustic.  It looked weathered, but it had a strength and charm about it that could not be denied.  I think that sort of defines country home decor for me.

When you approached the house, it felt welcoming.  The screened in porch was made from wood and had been painted a light gray.  On this porch sat antique wicker furniture and a couple of rocking chairs that I think had been purchased from some Amish craftsmen across the state.  When you rocked in those chairs, the floor squeaked, but it was like music when it blended with the sounds of crickets, birds, frogs and the other local wildlife.

Inside, the furnishings were pretty plain, but the decor certainly was not.  All around the kitchen there were images of farm animals.  I can remember roosters, cows and ducks being stenciled along the top edges of the wall and even on some of the shelves.  There were a couple of cookie jars (with cookies in them).  One was an apple but I cannot remember what the other one was now.  It might have been a strawberry.  There were blue gingham curtains on the windows.  I think they really completed the country kitchen decor for me.  I also remember that the kitchen smelled like cinnamon.  I could easily imagine some great apple or pumpkin pies coming out of the old oven they had.  Even the old stove looked rustic.  It wasn’t made of iron or anything.  It actually looked like the one I’ve seen on older episodes of Rachael Ray’s cooking shows, except it was white and I think Rachael’s was sort of a light yellow color.

I don’t know if all of the country home decoration was entirely on purpose or not.  It seems to me that part of the charm of the whole “country cottage” decor is that it is so simple and unpretentious.  My friend’s Grandma actually made the cross stitched wall hangings and there really was a “Home Sweet Home” needlepoint hanging above the doorway.

If you are going to go for this type of country decor in your own home, I think you could use some of the things I just described as a start.  Basically, it is a simple theme.  In my opinion, it is one of the easiest overall decors to grasp.  It is essentially very simple and I think that is part of why people are so attracted to it today.  In case you haven’t noticed, a lot of people are running around like they have just consumed three pots of very strong coffee.  All of the wonderful technology that has become available has just given people more “stuff” to keep track of and handle.  Thanks to all of the “smart” innovations, you can barely escape the sound of ringtones and I think it is starting to get to people.

If you’ve got some antiques, they go great with this decor.  You do not want to have a bunch of shiny laminated surfaces.  Think more neutral or muted colors and finishes.  That doesn’t mean boring by any means.  Just not very flashy.

One of my hobbies is hitting estate sales and auctions from time to time.  I have seen some amazing old wooden tables that would fit perfectly into a country decor dining room being sold off for rock bottom prices.  The reason is usually because the sellers want to get things out that very day and if you are not prepared to haul away such a large piece of furniture, you are out of luck.  When I say cheap, I mean seriously cheap.  At one recent auction I saw an antique oak table sell for around twenty dollars and I heard a few people commenting that they would have bought it if they had a truck.  Make a note to yourself to visit these events and bring a truck!


You are probably getting the gist of how to decorate with a country style by now.  Use quilts, maybe get yourself a couple of old hook rugs.  Look for vintage hardware for your cabinets.  Use your imagination and think country!