Lately, I have had a fascination with modern rustic interiors. They are simple, clean and warm, but they are filled with raw textures, organic materials and a mix of old and new. Amidst all the doubt with the economy, I find these interiors comforting, reassuring and surprisingly accessible as they rely heavily on pairing down and finding a few nice things that are either handmade, antique or both that you can mix in to your home....
Here are my tips. Take what you've got and get rid of anything that's made of chipboard or plastic or that has simply become clutter. Fix anything that's broken. Pare down to the minimum and see where you stand. Don't worry if your kitchen table is from the home you grew up in (ours is too).
Now, take your time and look around for a few things to put back in - things you love, which are well made and which are useful. Just a few things. Things that make you happy. Things that sing the song you want to sing. And if it doesn't work out, sell it or give it away. Keep your home flowing.
I went hunting on Etsy to see if I could furnish a room from amongst their many shops and was delighted to find furnishings in great supply. Here is a collection of picks that combine the rustic with vintage, antique and mid-century modern. These are all items that would fit well together in a room of new or modern furnishings and which would take the "edge" off of any newness.
There were a few notable shops that I spent more time in: Blue Bell Bazaar (accessories), Anosila (bedding) and Lorimer Antiques (tables).
Here's My Full List of Cool Stuff I Found (all of which is in the small pics below):
• Mango Modern Lamp at JalexStudios
• Shetland Sheep Rug from Callwool
• Linen Duvet and Shams from Anosila
• Ted Cluster Lamp from Domestic Construction
• Prints by JennSki
• Prints by Wexfordgirl
• Antique Butcher Block Table by JoFineArt
• Mid-Century Plycraft Eames Era Lounge chair and Ottoman from TheVintageSupplyCo
• Large Numbers from Blue Bell Bazaar
• Modern Wood Tray by Dansk at Blue Bell Bazaar
• Rustic China Hutch by The Rustic Store
• Vintage Maps at Blue Bell Bazaar
• Old Board Farm Table at Lorimer Antiques
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I aim for 'modern rustic' in my home and, when it works, it is wonderfully serene. Nothing is more reassuring than the heft and warmth of a hunk of wood or a slightly battered but still stylish table. I don't want to be one of those posters who is always linking to his own blog--really, I don't--but this post totally reminds me of a house I featured last week which was the perfect modern rustic abode:
http://northernwestchesterhome.blogspot.com/2009/02/colonial-charm-house.html
view djs's profile
Not getting at all how the second picture with the wine rack in the cluttered dining area supports the point of this post...really, it would have taken 30 seconds to sweep off the table and "stage" the room for a picture. I look at that after the gorgeous top photo and want to scream!
view madsarah's profile
I've been a fan of this style for years- I just redid my dining room and living in a more rustic modern style.
I just posted some on my flickr site
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigred40/
view lorijo's profile
No offence lorijo, but that doesn't look like modern rustic to me. It looks sort of like urban country.
Modern rustic is big exposed, raw beams, raw wood and finishes and natural colours.
view peachpie's profile
Gotta say - I just took the plunge (economy be damned) and splurged on Wishbone chairs. I didn know it was possible for a chair to be this good - but it is. And it goes with EVERYthing - my modern furniture and my boyfriends colonial/victorian antiques.
view Modfan's profile
And - if you look at more Danish/Scandinavian interiors you will find much more of this style - with warmth, natural materials etc.
view Modfan's profile
I'm kind of confused by the article. These are nice things, sure. Go ahead and scare us about the economy... again. Inform us that these rustic things provide the calm atmosphere we need to feel safe in these troubled times. Then, instruct us to throw out plastic and chipboard stuff and buy new pretty stuff.
I mean, I get the whole promotion to replace our dingy, awful, starter furniture and buy something real, but not as a direct reaction to the economic forecast. And then for some reason, a picture of Maxwell's table and wine rack. This isn't something you were right near when you wrote this and could have bothered to upload a current and relevant picture of? We're using the same table we grew up with, and here's a picture of it with a pile of work on it, and a paint program circle featuring the wine rack we think is so hawt. I like the rest of the article and the things you found to suggest, but not in favor of all the sloppy extraneous details.
view K T G's profile