Whether planning a full-scale remodel or just a simple touch of the trend, creating a farmhouse home involves different considerations. For example, you can adopt wood flooring, paneled walls, Scandinavian and mid-century-style furniture, or embrace imperfections.
Whatever your goal, it’s advisable to plan the remodel to achieve your desired look. Take the time to assess your home’s layout to determine what components you want to remove and those you wish to adopt.
In this guide, we’ll explore the farmhouse style and show you how you can adopt this style using different additions, including cedar wood products.
Essential Elements of a Farmhouse Design
Traditionally, some features or elements make a farmhouse recognizable at first glance. Knowing and incorporating these elements into your design will simplify the remodel and save you time and money.
You should also remember that there are different farmhouse styles — it’s a matter of what look you want. Examples include industrial, coastal, modern, rustic, French, country, colonial, and Scandinavian. You can still combine the elements of these styles to create your farmhouse home.
Regardless of the style, here are the essential elements that define a typical farmhouse home.
1. Reclaimed or Exposed Wood
Natural wood is usually the defining material in farmhouse designs. Exposed wooden floors, shelves, and kitchen islands help to soften your space and add character to the entire room.
Depending on your budget, you can add wooden chairs, chests, TV stands, etc. Make replacements depending on the components that would make the most impact. Wood finishes will make a difference in your space and set your desired tone.
2. Vintage Elements
You must have vintage or heirloom pieces in your home — the older, the better. This can be wall decor, carpet, textiles, antique lighting, up-cycled pieces, etc. In your kitchen, you can go with old dressers, sideboards, or buffet tables.
Basically, aim to bring antique elements into your space to create a unique charm. For example, vintage books, suitcases, antique mirrors, and table lamps make incredible additions. Some of these items might be available in your garage or your parent’s house.
3. Industrial Additions
Industrial design takes inspiration from factories built in the 19th century. Exposed rafters, galvanized metal accents, rustic lighting, and brick walls are some of the notable elements of the industrial style.
They work well for farmhouse style, too, and you can easily incorporate them into your style, especially if you have an open floor plan. The focus is to create an inviting and warm space that allows you to accomplish more.
You can also add black details, reclaimed wood, and metal furniture to your home decor to complete this style.
4. Natural Tones & Textures
The farmhouse style is about natural finishes like wood, stone, metal, and neutral paint colors. For the walls, cream, tan, beige, white, and classic gray make the ideal options — avoid painting your rooms different colors.
For seat fabric, opt for lightweight options, like linen, canvas, leather, and cotton, to complete your color theme and create a visual depth. Complement the look with sterile walls with boards or shiplap.
5. Open Shelving and Beam Mantels
Open shelving is also an essential element for farmhouse styles, and it can work for any room where you want to create storage space. It can be a finishing detail that brings dimension to your room and adds character to empty walls.
Exposed wood shelves make better options for your plant containers and pots, allowing you to add a touch of green to any space. You can also supplement your shelving with rustic ladders, which you can use to hang towels and blankets.
Cedar beam mantels are also a favorite, being very simple and beautiful in design.
6. Paint Your Furniture
Repurposing your existing furniture will even make the process less costly. If you have traditional furniture pieces, you can paint them to give them an old and chippy look. White, cream and graycolors are great.
When painting, do it subtly without completely covering the old paint — you should be able to spot traces of the old paint. Or, you can apply whitewash or solid paint and then distress the furniture to create a stunning, rustic finish.
Accent Your Farmhouse Style with Plants
Plants complement the natural tones and the light fabric of farmhouse styles. They also add rustic and organic charm to your space. You can place potted plants in your farmhouse kitchen or living room to complement other decor elements like art.
More importantly, plants allow you to include more wood products in your design. Instead of traditional planters and containers, your can opt for cedar wood window boxes, outdoor planters, deck railing planters, or wrought iron boxes.
Incorporating plants into your farmhouse design is vital to completing the style. However, not all plants will suit the style. Here are some practical suggestions if you want to add plants to your space.
Ficus Danielle
Native to Southeast Asia and Australia, the Ficus Danielle performs well in bright, indirect sunlight. It features glossy compact leaves with a small-tree appearance, making it a perfect ornamental houseplant for any space. This low-maintenance plant is resilient and will flourish in average room temperatures.
Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree
If your house receives plenty of sunlight, you can make a statement with the Fiddle Leaf Fig tree. This native African tree thrives in bright, indirect light, and you can use it to add character to empty corners. Its heavily veined and glossy violin-shaped leaves offer a distinct look to any space.
Bird of Paradise
The Bird of Paradise plant will be perfect for those spots with direct sunlight. Also known as the Crane Flower, this plant features large, blade-like leaves that resemble those of a banana tree. It thrives in 65-80°F indoor temperatures and requires a regular watering schedule to thrive.
African Violet
You can add a touch of color to your space with the African Ciolet plant. This compact plant will require watering once a week, and they bloom all year round with clusters of purple, white, red, or pink flowers. You can place it on a tabletop or the windowsill where it can get lots of indirect light.
Boston Fern
Also known as sword fern, Boston fern is a tropical accent plant that will make an excellent option for your bathroom or any other humid spot with lots of indirect light. It prefers a moist environment if you grow it indoors. The Boston fern plant is reliable and easy to care for. Plus, you can hang it on your patio if you want to grow it outdoors.
Rubber Trees
Rubber trees, such as Decora, Tineke, Ruby, and Sophia, are an excellent option for a large floor plant in open spaces. This plant needs adequate light, moisture, and warmth. You can place it near an east-facing window where a sheer drape or curtain filters the light. Avoid placing rubber trees in direct sunlight, as the leaves are likely to burn.