Getting The Country Look With The Right Country Furniture

by Adrian Adams

Rustic simplicity that is unpretentious, friendly and welcoming is the mainstay of country home decor. Typically made by craftspeople, country styled furniture has a sturdy, dependable look. Though flexible enough to include handmade pieces, natural materials, reproductions and timeworn antiques, country styled furniture will rarely use delicate designs or have a formal appearance.

Buying one style of country furniture for your whole house is an easy, safe and time-saving option. While you are unlikely to make a decorating gaffe, the very coordinated sameness of every room can get boring after a while. Better to decorate every room with a mix and match of complementary country-styled furniture.

When looking for furniture for your country styled home, it's best to focus on certain distinct country characteristics.

Wood is good. It is the staple of country styled decor. Hand-carved country furniture made of wood such as maple, oak, pine, walnut, cherry, hickory and exotic woods can fill every room with welcoming warmth. Look for furniture that is at least partly made of wood in combination with other natural materials such as wicker, straw cane.

Rustic, country styled furniture is typically plain and simple with straight lines, round knobs and plenty of chips and scratches that impart a certain character to every piece. The wood can be stained or natural, but is very rarely or never glossed to a high sheen.

Country-styled furniture is seldom made with synthetic, man-made materials and garish colors and glass tables, modern shiny metals or highly polished surfaces are rarely seen.

Here are few suggestions for giving each room in your house an inviting country look

Bedroom

Set the tone for your country-styled bedroom with a beautiful four-poster, canopy bed and complete the look with rustic wardrobes and smaller pieces of furniture in traditional shapes and materials. If your bedroom is on the smaller side, keep other furniture to a minimum.

Kitchen

Classic country kitchen decor includes kitchen cabinets made of natural materials, aged surfaces and round or ceramic knobs. Kitchen cabinets in natural-finished or painted pine add cozy rustic warmth to any kitchen. Pine cabinets with a distressed color finish can add distinctive beauty to any country kitchen, whereas antique reproduction cabinets add old-world charm.

Living room

Country style living room furniture exudes warmth and relaxation. Splurge on one or two eye-catching pieces; it could be a stunning centre table or a magnificent sofa set in a romantic country style or a seriously rustic country style. A grandfather chair is a charming addition and adds timeless grace to any country styled living room.

Visit T Maries Galleries of Fine Art, Crafts and Country Pine Furniture for what you need for your home: http://www.fineartcraftsfurniture.com/

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Decorating a Country Style Kitchen

A kitchen could be aptly considered the "meat and potatoes" of your home. It's where everyone comes together to eat and talk. It's where a lot of families will sit down and discuss their days. And it is also the place most heavily visited when having a party. If you're looking to add some country cheer to your kitchen, the following article will tell you how to accomplish this goal.

A country style kitchen has a lot of early American character. Farm found animals are very popular in this setting. Usually one animal is chosen and focused on for decoration. There might be roosters, cows, pigs, or chicks strategically placed in different parts of the room. Another chosen theme may be the colors of this country. Family is certainly important in this particular design style as well so there may be a family tree on display or alternately, there may be photos of family members placed in different parts of the room.

A country style kitchen is typically an eat-in kitchen where the kitchen table is placed within the kitchen itself. There is usually no formal dining room included in this setting; therefore, the table itself becomes part of the decor. The table will be made of a hard solid wood such as oak. A nice country touch on a table would be visible knots from the trees that the table was made out of. The kitchen table's chairs will also be made of hard wood, have high backs, and usually a padded decorated seat. Other furniture may include a china cabinet and/or hutch in addition to a buffet that may be used for serving a buffet style meal.

Accessories found in this kitchen will most likely follow the chosen pattern. For instance, if you've chosen to decorate with roosters, then many of the accessories will be in the shape of a rooster. There are cookie jars, hot pads and trivets, toaster covers, and a host of other accessories that can be designed into what you've chosen for your theme in your kitchen. If that's not enough, there will most likely be art displayed on the walls that will match the already discussed accessories. Unity and coherence will be shown through the use of the accessories and pictures that will adorn your kitchen. Some items will be functional and others will simply be pleasing to the eye, but they should all match your chosen theme.

A country style kitchen is one with a long history. It's an old favorite and still enjoyed by many. With the right items and time and effort, your kitchen will be mulling along so peacefully you might actually be tempted to use that butter churn that you bought for decor.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/decorating-a-country-style-kitchen-126162.html

Lee Dobbins writes for Home Decorating and Home Improvement where you can learn more about different decorating styles including how to decorate each room in your home with Country decorating style.