15 Reclaimed Barn Wood Decor Ideas to Add Rustic Charm to Your Home
A trend you can get on board with
You’re probably familiar with all the new things you need to buy for your home, from replacement fixtures to plumbing parts to appliances. And while no one yearns for the oldest refrigerator on the block, having something vintage in your home can be a good thing, especially when it’s beautiful home decor made from reclaimed barn wood.
Like your house, reclaimed wood has a unique personality and a story to tell. These 15 barn wood decor ideas will help you reclaim a piece of the past for your own space.
1. Give Interest to Modern Pieces
Using salvaged wood brings character and dimension to woodworking projects and can take an everyday object and elevate it to heirloom quality. Because you are working with aged wood, every piece has a unique quality, texture, and color, allowing the wood to take center stage.
While often seen in raw and rustic pieces, barn wood can also be used for something more refined and modern, like this side table made by Torrey Johnson of Buffalo Wood Design. This particular piece is made from century-old reclaimed wood he salvaged from a barn on his parent’s property.
2. Mix Up Your Materials
Barn wood takes center stage when it comes to meaningful home decor ideas, but it also pairs well with other textures and materials.
Consider using barn wood in subtle ways like textile artist Kate Rose of katerosethreads did with this piece she lovingly crafted for her boyfriend’s grandmother, using a piece of barn wood from his grandfather’s barn. You can use a single piece of barn wood like this to hang decorative textiles or use a piece with hooks for keys or coffee mugs.
3. Use Barn Wood in Your Love Story
Because barn wood comes with a history, it makes a perfect material for making sentimental decor and gift items, like ornaments or wall hangings. As reclaimed wood, the wood's type, thickness, and patina can vary from piece to piece, which means you can make truly one-of-a-kind objects.
Take inspiration from these barn wood hearts from The Farm Porch. When craftswoman Ambre Wald and her family moved to a country farmstead complete with an old barn, she and her husband decided to carefully dismantle the barn one board at a time. Their children even helped pull the nails out. Ambre fell in love with the beauty of the wood and was inspired to start creating one-of-a-kind items from them, like these hand-cut hearts.
4. Try a Porch Pot Holder
Barn wood can also be used outside of your home in the form of porch decor and garden additions. From benches to planter boxes, the already-worn look of the wood makes decorative items look like they’ve been there all along.
Carlene of Organized Clutter shows this off in one of her creations. She made this reclaimed wood flower pot holder in just a few hours with basic materials you can pick up at any hardware or home improvement store, creating a piece that both showcases plants and adds interest to the porch.
5. Opt for Unique Shelving
Of all the home decor trends the last decade has seen, open shelving is one that will never go out of style, especially when crafted from planks of beautiful barn wood. The right kind of open shelving can make your display beautiful kitchen items that would otherwise be hidden inside cupboards.
Lancaster, PA-based Urban Legacy builds a variety of handcrafted wood products from reclaimed wood. Working with the Amish community, they make products like these reclaimed barn wood floating shelves. Even if you’re not an expert craftsperson yourself, you can get inspiration from their shelves, which show simplicity at its best: the design and cut of the wood allow the wood to speak for itself.
6. Take a Stand
Using reclaimed wood for remodeling projects can empower homeowners because barn wood is forgiving. The time-worn imperfections mean it’s easy to disguise any DIY mistakes when hanging.
Tennessee-based Historic Flooring gives reclaimed wood a new life on floors and walls alike. Using wood for accent walls, like this Appalachian reclaimed barn wood shiplap shown above, can transform any room into a rustic retreat.
7. Say It With a Sign
From wine-and-paint nights to social media photos, there’s no shortage of ideas when it comes to using barn wood to create wall decor like a simple, painted sign. If you’re repurposing barn wood for a home improvement project, save the smaller scrap pieces so you can assemble them into wall signs. If you’re not confident in your freehand painting skills, use stencils or online templates to get the exact look you want.
8. Make Your Fireplace a Focal Point
No matter the size of your room or your hearth, a simple reclaimed wood mantel above a fireplace is a way to give your fireplace a quick makeover. The washed, organic tones of barn wood go well with various materials and colors. The texture of the wood draws the eye, making it a focal point and setting the tone for beautiful modern farmhouse decor.
9. Use Barn Wood to Make Everyday Pieces into Art
Even a utilitarian item becomes an elevated piece of home decor when using barn wood. A basic bookshelf becomes anything but basic when the wood itself can be a conversation piece, like this barn wood shelf handcrafted by Torrey Johnson of @buffalowooddesign.
Though simple in shape, the finish brings out all of the textures and colors of the wood. One of the best things about bringing pieces like this into your home is the individuality of each piece. Johnson’s shelf is not just a place to hold art but a work of art into itself.
10. Go for Patterns
Working with barn wood is not only about reusing wood but embracing its flaws and variations. When arranged into a pattern, the variations become an asset. Creating items like serving trays with barn wood arranged in a pattern allows you to not only have a sturdy place to set your things or serve your guests but also adds an instant decor piece.
Urban Legacy uses carefully removed wood from barns no longer in use in Lancaster County, PA, and surrounding areas to create uncommon but useful home decor pieces, such as this beautiful herringbone ottoman tray. “Each piece has its own unique character from what it was used for in its life in a barn for 50 to 100+ years. Nails, nail holes, dents, dings and chips etc., make each piece one-of-a-kind and tell its own story,” says Seth of Urban Legacy.
11. Embrace the Great Outdoors
Barn wood makes a durable material for outdoor use. It’s already weathered, so it wears well outside and will last for years. When designing your dream outdoor space, incorporating a few bold pieces like a reclaimed wood bar makes a memorable gathering space.
12. Make an Elegant Entry
Using your headboard as a focal point in your bedroom is a standard element, but having a showpiece door offers a new take on bedroom design. Hickory Grove Carpentry crafted the sliding barn door to beat all barn doors with a horizontal pattern of reclaimed pallet wood. By adding such a striking element, you can transform an ensuite bathroom doorway from ordinary to the main attraction.
13. Design a Colorful Table
While most barn wood decor stays true to the natural color of the timber, using bright washes of color can highlight the personality of the wood. By keeping the tones muted, the outdoor table stands out but still has an organic element that marries well with the surrounding landscape.
14. Try Bathing in Barn Wood
Barn wood accent walls need not be confined to bedrooms or living rooms. Wood in bathrooms adds warmth and personality that tile and paint alone cannot achieve. Because bathrooms are subject to moisture, high humidity, and temperature variations, there are certain precautions to take when hanging wood in bathrooms, such as adequate ventilation and applying a wood protectant.
15. Make a Modern Vanity
Larger barn wood furniture pieces can feel heavy in a small bathroom setting. By using thick barn wood pieces to create an open and airy design, the vanity appears modern and fresh. Most vanities are often enclosed (because of storage), so towels and even toiletries could be disguised in baskets to keep the lighter appearance while still being practical. Work with a local carpenter to rethink how you can incorporate reclaimed wood into your bathroom design.