Rustic refers to any style that has an inherent sense of simplicity. Rustic decorating generally utilizes themes from previous ages. This could be anything from American southwest, to primitive stone, to country cottage. However, the important factor in determining rustic is its uncomplicated and nostalgic feeling.
Why would you want to decorate with a “rustic" style?
In the modern age, things change too quickly. As technology grows the world gets faster, there’s more to keep track of, and things get more and more complicated. The connection to nature we all feel as mammals is weakening.
For many people, this is unacceptable. Those that feel the natural world is important want to reinforce that tie with the outside. Many, lost in a sea of faxes and phone calls, yearn for a simpler time.
Rustic decorating is heavily uncomplicated. It uses simple designs, simple furnishings, and simple natural decorations to enhance the style of a room. Steal and linoleum is replaced with stone and wood. Generally, natural materials are the exclusive building blocks of a rustic style.
So how does one go about designing a rustic décor?
DOWNPLAY THE ELECTRONIC Electronics are one of the nemeses of rustic design. This doesn’t mean you have to get rid of them you can simply conceal them in wooden or whicker cabinets with doors. Wooden CD holders are available at many stores and they blend the CD’s into your rustic scheme.
AVOID THE CONTEMPORARY Beware of furniture with lines that are too straight, or that have too many curves. Remember, rustic means simple. Tables made from steal should be replaced with wood or stone. Most chairs will work as long as the design isn’t too exotic. Wicker or wooden cabinets can hide contemporary clutter and add an additional accent to the room. Imagine a log cabin, and how it would look one hundred years ago.
RUSTIC IS COZY Thick carpets are a good way to cover ceramic flooring. Getting a nice animal fur (or fake fur) rug for a living room gives the room a warm homey feel. A fireplace also does wonders for making a room more natural. The smell of wood burning, the look and feel of the fire, these are things that remind us subconsciously of simpler days.
USE NATURE Rustic doesn’t have to be just brown and black. Something as simple as fresh picked flowers can go a long way to bringing color to a dull room. If you spend some time out in the woods, you will find all sorts of interesting wood and rock formations. These make excellent decorations, if you take the proper time to clean and prepare them. Adding your own artistic touches with paint or glue can personalize these into eye catching decorations. However, always check anything you bring indoors for bugs, and mold.
The rustic décor is a way to bring nature indoors. While less sleek then contemporary styles its simplicity and connection to the real world make it a wonderful choice when deciding how to decorate your area.
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Article added to SearchWarp.com on Wednesday, December 08, 2004 View other articles written by joey Lewitin(4,223)
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