Farmhouse Design Style: What is It and How to Get It
Farmhouse design style has been made popular by shows like Fixer Upper and is a throwback to the iconic American farmhouse from days gone by.
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It’s classic and cozy quality exudes warmth and gives the style a welcoming charm. But what defines farmhouse style design and how do you implement it in your home?
Not sure what your style is? Scroll to the end of this post for tips on how to discover your decor style!
What Defines Farmhouse Style Design?
There are several characteristics that define a classic farmhouse style design. They can include:
- A warm, neutral pallet
- Exposed wood beams
- A mix of woods and whites
- Exposed brick
- Shiplap
- Reclaimed wood
- Apron sink
- Butcher block
- Barn doors
But while these are the foundations of a classic farmhouse style, there are many types of farmhouse styles out there.
Vintage Farmhouse Style
Vintage farmhouse style incorporates original antique pieces in the aesthetic. You’ll find vintage patterns in rugs, antique furniture like wood tables, chairs, etc. dating back to the 1950s and before, and vintage farmhouse decor.
Vintage farmhouse decor can include:
- Old photos
- Antique scales
- Reclaimed architectural pieces like corbels
- Vintage crocks
- Grandfather clocks
- Old typewriters
- Antique printer’s trays
- Blue Ball jars
- Vintage rolling pins, mashers, and spools
- Antique books
How do I get a Vintage Farmhouse Look?
To achieve a vintage farmhouse look in your home, start with the basics of the classic farmhouse design and then add in your favorite vintage pieces.
Choose a paint color like Chantilly Lace by Sherwin Williams or China White by Benjamin Moore.
The best places to find vintage decor and furniture are antique stores, flea markets, thrift shops, Facebook Marketplace, and estate sales.
RELATED POST: 15 Ways to add Vintage Farmhouse Charm to any Home
Cottage Farmhouse Style
Cottage farmhouse style adds more color to the palette. You’ll see more blues and greens and pops of colors you would find in a beautiful flower garden.
You’ll find painted furniture, a lot of times with a weathered chippy look either purchased that way or designed intentionally to reflect the style.
You’ll find natural-fiber rugs like jute and beadboard walls and ceilings. Mix and match chairs at the dining table add interest.
For cottage farmhouse decor, baskets are a great way to add texture.
Ruffled slipcovers for pillows, benches, and sofas add charm, and fresh flowers can be found throughout.
How do I get a Cottage Farmhouse Look?
To get a cottage farmhouse look, start with a neutral paint color. You can go with white or even a gray-blue or blue-green hue on the walls. Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams, Gray Leaf by Glidden are great choices.
You can also add pops of color to furniture pieces, cabinets, or interior doors. Paneled wainscoting is a popular wall treatment in the cottage farmhouse look.
Add some ruffled slipcovers to chairs, sofas, or throw pillows and fresh florals in a wicker basket for some cottage charm.
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Modern Farmhouse Style
Modern farmhouse style combines the simplicity of the classic farmhouse design with more textures. Whites and woods, metal, and leather are all characteristics of the modern farmhouse style.
The color black is used more frequently throughout the modern farmhouse design and you’ll see it on dining chairs, light fixtures, kitchen knobs and pulls, and stair railing.
You’ll also see leather frequently used on throw pillows and upholstered chairs.
In modern farmhouse kitchens, you might see open wood shelving with white cabinets and a black island.
How do I get a Modern Farmhouse Look?
Keep your paint color a neutral white like Pure White by Sherwin Williams or gray like Owl Gray by Benjamin Moore.
Choose modern black light fixtures. Pair leather dining chairs with a solid wood table. White oak wood flooring is characteristic of the modern farmhouse style and goes great with white kitchen cabinets and black pulls.
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Country Farmhouse Style
Country farmhouse style used to be what most people pictured when talking farmhouse design.
Patterns like the popular buffalo check and ticking stripe are characteristic of the country farmhouse style and neutral wall colors with pops of reds, greens, blues, and yellows.
You’ll see chickens, cows, and other farm animals as well as pastures used in wall decor and ceramic knick-knacks on wood hutch shelves.
How do I get a Country Farmhouse Look?
A neutral white on the walls paired with cabinets painted in green like Agate Green by Sherwin Williams and a butcher block island would be characteristic of a country farmhouse kitchen.
Buffalo check or ticking stripe would be ideal fabric for window treatments and throw pillows.
Use slip-covered sofas with natural fiber area rugs and weathered oak wood furniture accents for a country farmhouse living room.
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Boho Farmhouse Style
Boho farmhouse style is a more recent rendition of the farmhouse design style and has similar characteristics to the modern farmhouse style.
You’ll see a lot of woods and whites, leather, and black throughout boho farmhouse style.
But you’ll also see a lot of green in the form of indoor plants. Fiddle Leaf Fig trees are popular, as well as ferns, cacti, and succulents.
Macrame is also a huge characteristic of boho farmhouse style. You’ll see it used in tapestries, plant hangers, and throw pillows.
Tassels on throw pillows, area rugs, and baskets are also popular boho looks.
How do I get a Boho Farmhouse Look?
To get a boho farmhouse style look in your home start with a neutral white on the walls like Pure White by Sherwin Williams.
Hang a cluster of two to three indoor plants from the ceiling with macrame holders.
Layer a black and cream patterned area rug over a larger natural fiber rug for depth and texture and add tasseled throw pillows to a leather-look accent chair under a rattan light.
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Rustic Farmhouse Style
Rustic farmhouse style builds on the classic farmhouse style and adds more distressed wood, metal, and copper.
Open wood shelving with galvanized pipe, distressed shutters displaying a wreath, and wood and metal light fixtures are frequently seen in rustic farmhouse decor.
Wood stained headboards and dressers with clean lines and black metal hardware can be seen in rustic farmhouse bedrooms.
How do I get a Rustic Farmhouse Look?
Rustic farmhouse style starts with a neutral wall color like Pure White by Sherwin Williams.
A white or stained shiplap ceiling with white cabinets and butcher block countertops with an apron sink would be characteristic of a rustic farmhouse kitchen, along with a metal hanger over the island for storing pots.
A brick or stone fireplace with a wood stained mantle, jute area rug, and wood and metal coffee table and side tables would be seen in a rustic farmhouse living room.
For an outdoor extension of the rustic farmhouse look, check out these rustic fire pit ideas for your patio or deck!
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Coastal Farmhouse Style
Coastal farmhouse style, like cottage farmhouse style, uses a lot of blues and greens. If a neutral is chosen for the walls, you’ll see more pops of color in the decor.
White oak is characteristic of coastal style and you’ll see it in the flooring, furniture, and cabinetry.
Bold blues in area rugs and throw pillows are popular in coastal style along with natural fibers like seagrass or ratan in light fixtures and baskets.
Glass is also a seen frequently in coastal farmhouse style in lamps, vases, and decorative jugs, often filled with sand and seashells.
How do I get a Coastal Farmhouse Look?
Start with a neutral white like Pure White by Sherwin Williams on the walls and paint the interior doors or barn doors in a gray-blue like Summer Shower by Benjamin Moore.
White shaker-style cabinets and a white oak island with marble countertops would be characteristic in a coastal farmhouse kitchen.
Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams could be seen in a coastal farmhouse bedroom with white oak bedroom furniture, a piece of art featuring a beach or water scene and glass lamps on the nightstands.
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What’s my Decor Style?
Not sure what your decor style is? Here are a few tips for discovering your preferred design style:
- Browse Pinterest and Instagram: Start by searching different styles like Traditional, Modern, French Country, Farmhouse, Glam, Cottage and more to see what draws you in the most.
- Google it: Search different styles using the Image tab to see photos of different designs.
- Look through magazines: Head to your local Barnes and Noble. They have just about every home decor magazine you could want. Browse the different styles and make note of what you like most.
- Look at what you already have: Most likely you purchased your current decor because you liked it. Use the images from your research to match your current decor and learn your style.
- Take a quiz: Check out this quiz from HGTV to discover what styles you’re drawn to most!
FARMHOUSE DESIGN STYLE Wrap-Up
As you can see, the farmhouse design style is pretty comprehensive and there are several styles within the farmhouse look.
Each style builds on the original classic farmhouse look, giving it a fresh feel that evolves and keeps it from going out of style.
The fun part is that you don’t have to stick to just one look. Our home leans toward the cottage farmhouse style with vintage touches and some modern thrown in, too!
So if you find yourself drawn to more than one style, brainstorm ways to incorporate different aspects of each to create an eclectic style all your own!