Slow down with a slice of rural life—even if you’re living in an urban apartment
Rustic interior design is a casual, relaxed style with a warm ambiance.
Many styles fall under the rustic umbrella, including modern farmhouse.
Key elements include natural materials, raw textures, and earth tones.
Wood, stone, wrought iron, and leather are common rustic materials.
Rustic color palettes stick to earth tones like brown, beige, green, and gray.
The idea of rustic interior design style conjures images of log cabins, countryside cottages, and classic farmhouses—but in reality, it’s a little difficult to nail down. A rustic home can look like a lot of different things, from the Tuscan kitchens that dominated the early aughts to the viral cottagecore aesthetic.
What unifies the look is an emphasis on the natural and organic. It’s curated, but undone (and don’t worry, it doesn’t require you to move into the forest and give up your central air). Here’s everything you need to know about rustic interior design.
It’s hard to say exactly when rustic decorating style came into fashion. Some people insist it rose to popularity in the mid-18th century as Victorian-era Europeans embraced rural simplicity. Others claim the aesthetic was modeled after the lifestyle of American homesteaders in the 19th century. Either way, most interior designers agree that rustic house decor is casual, undone, and never fussy. Here are some key elements.
Rustic interior design uses primarily natural materials. Textiles like burlap, canvas, and wool are common along with sturdier materials like natural stone and wrought iron. Still, nothing defines rustic style more than natural wood—especially pine, cherry, and hickory. The more wood grain, the better.
Rustic style celebrates rough, worn-in textures. You’ll see a lot of raw wood accents or reclaimed lumber with antique finishes. In coastal homes, you may even find driftwood or sea glass accents.
Rather than jewel tones and primary colors, rustic interior design favors muted earth tones. Typically, this includes shades like white, beige, brown, and cream, but it could also include mossy greens, deep reds, or autumn oranges. In coastal homes, you’ll tend to find more slate blues and green-tinged grays.
Elements from nature are often used as decorative accents. This could include branches, pressed flowers, seashells, potted plants and herbs, and even taxidermy.
Unlike Bauhaus or industrial style decor, lines in rustic interiors tend to feel organic rather than geometric. Rustic design also favors decor that looks handmade as opposed to manufactured.
Rustic design should feel welcoming and warm. Sometimes, this involves using heavy accents like oversized leather furniture, stone fireplaces, or large wooden tables. It’s not always streamlined, but it is always cozy.
You don’t need to be an interior designer to give your home some rustic flair—you just need to think like one. Whether you’re creating a rustic garden or planning a modern rustic kitchen remodel, here’s how you can incorporate rustic interior design into your home. Prioritize coziness over perfection, don’t worry about clean lines, and keep it casual.
Banish bold pops of color in favor of muted earth tones that create a warm, welcoming space. Don’t be afraid to go for darker styles with a heavy look (think: a dark leather couch or clunky farmhouse table). It can make a space feel cozy.
On the other hand, if you prefer French country style or modern farmhouse style, keep your space sun-filled and airy. Reach for whites, creams, and beiges (think: unfinished or antiqued pine furniture).
If your house has good bones, show off the skeleton. Natural wood beams make a home automatically feel rustic (and save you some cash on paint).
If you live in a cabin or country cottage, you may already have a stone fireplace or wood-burning stove. These features are common in old homes, but you can hire a local fireplace company to install one in a new build as well.
Wood paneling may conjure images of your grandmother’s 1970s-style living room, but this is very modern rustic decor. There’s actually wood paneling for every type of rustic interior. Shiplap lends itself most to rustic farmhouse style, whereas beadboard suits a classic French country-style home.
Natural, organic materials are the hallmark of rustic interior design—but you should also celebrate texture. Try blending the textures of organic materials by adding:
Reclaimed wood furniture
A leather sofa
Burlap throw pillows
Wool blankets
Wrought iron stools
A jute area rug
Don’t smooth out rough edges or repaint a fading finish. With rustic design, age is a feature, not a flaw.
To get a true rustic feeling, bring some of the great outdoors inside. Choose decorative accents that come from nature. Try:
Hanging a dried eucalyptus wreath
Putting houseplants in raw terracotta pots
Arranging deer antlers or a piece of driftwood on your mantle
Laying a faux-fur throw blanket over a chair
Shaker cabinets are so popular they almost define modern rustic decor. Often, you’ll see this type of cabinet painted white or light gray, but if you want to go with a traditional design, choose a clear finish that shows off the natural wood grain.
Rustic design is the opposite of manufactured. Your decor should feel handcrafted, even if that means it’s imperfect. Consider crafting some of your own decorative accents—like a crochet throw blanket, a cross-stitch sign, or an upcycled indoor herb garden.
