If you want your home to have a welcoming and relaxed feeling, then a farmhouse living room is the way to go. The modern farmhouse design looks clean and fresh while also looking lived in and rustic. If you’re still not sure what it’s all about, we have collected together some of our favorite farmhouse living room ideas for you to discover.
These farmhouse decor ideas will help you get inspired to decorate your living room. They’ll help you find the perfect balance between polished interior design and something a little more relaxed and natural.
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1. Embracing the Charm of Shiplap Walls
Shiplap walls are the perfect wall-to-ceiling treatment for a farmhouse. Originally, the style was born out of necessity and convenience, and it’s had a place in the construction of homes for generations.
Today, shiplap is an easy way to give your home a rustic look. You can also repurpose wood and make it authentic and environmentally friendly. For a more rustic farmhouse style, choose wood planks that have some imperfections.
To keep your shiplap looking fresh, paint it white. This will brighten your living room. If white paint is too dull, consider giving your wood a whitewash treatment. This gives you the benefit of white paint while also showcasing the beauty of the wood grain.
2. Enhancing the Character With Exposed Beams
You can create the impression of a rustic farmhouse with exposed beams. Look for salvaged or reclaimed wooden beams from older homes and barns. This helps to give your family room an authentic farmhouse rustic style. Or you could use faux beams, which will go up quickly but don’t provide any real support for your roof.
If you’re aiming for a less rustic look, skip the salvaged beams and create boxes from long planks of wood. Then stain and polish the beams. This will give them a polished and elegant look.
3. Rustic Elegance
The most authentic farmhouse design will embrace the full rustic nature of this decor idea. Look for rustic antiques such as an old armoire, a trunk, or a barrel. You can place an antique pitcher on a table as a flower vase. Hang a mirror on the wall that has a salvaged window frame over it.
Another great idea is to place salvaged shutters on either side of your window or use an old stool for an end table. Don’t be afraid to use authentic farmhouse pieces in an unexpected way.
Embrace pieces that are slightly worn and may have cosmetic damage. You don’t want broken pieces, but they shouldn’t be pristine either.
4. Blending Old and New
It sounds a bit like a misnomer, modern farmhouse style. How could a farmhouse decor style also be modern? Farmhouses are traditionally well-lived in and full of generational furniture that shows its wear. The modern decor style is clean, with limited details and crisp lines. So how do you blend the two?
Try placing a few leather chairs in your family room. The fabric can be a well-worn leather while the shape and design of the chair should be 20th-century modern. When choosing wood furniture pieces, opt for a vintage-inspired design with lots of details. But then choose furniture with wood that is highly polished, stained, and varnished. Pieces like this will blend the two for a modern farmhouse living room.
5. Farmhouse-Inspired Decor
When looking for farmhouse decor for your living room, stick with natural fibers and materials. These are the types of materials and fabrics that someone on a farm would have access to. This will give your home an authentic farmhouse feel.
Natural cotton, linen, and burlap are all materials that you should consider. They’re excellent for throw blankets, pillows, curtains, and furniture upholstery. Obviously, you can’t go wrong with wood, but there are other natural materials you can include. Porcelain or clay are common materials for pots and jars. Raffia and wicker are also good for making baskets.
Bringing nature inside is also a great farmhouse decor approach. Place fresh greens, grains, or flowers in a vase for the coffee table, side table, or fireplace mantle. Or you could hang a boxwood wreath over the fireplace.
6. Coastal Influences
Give your relaxed farmhouse feel a nautical flair with coastal living-inspired decor pieces. You can find decor made from driftwood or place plants in the room that naturally grow in coastal regions. Consider adding blue to your neutral palette. Both light and dark shades will look beautiful. Other beautiful accent pieces include boat lines used as trim, seashells, sea glass, or a round mirror with a porthole-inspired frame.
7. Capturing the Essence of Country Style
“Country” and “farmhouse” aren’t the same. For country decorating ideas, embrace wood. You don’t necessarily need farm-inspired items. You could use a wooden basket to help organize your living room. Use materials that have a plaid or floral pattern. Place a large area rug that’s either a traditionally woven design or a more primitive braided pattern.
8. Timeless Appeal
The hallmark of a classic farmhouse rustic living room is plaid. This includes plaid furniture, a pillow, curtains, or a blanket, but it’s somewhere. Another common element is warmth. This can be a fireplace, lanterns hung on the wall, or several candles placed throughout the room. You can even hang a chandelier with light bulbs that look like candles.
Finally, you need to create a cozy environment. Place several plush pillows on the couch. Then select a thick and oversized throw blanket. A classic farmhouse looks like it’s used and lived in. Place the furniture to help people gather together and converse around a central spot.
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9. Farmhouse Chic
Sometimes farmhouse living room ideas can look rustic and dated. You can address this by opting for a more chic look. To do this, look for ways you can subtly add expensive elements to your room.
An end-cut butcher block-topped coffee table or end tables will be an investment, but they’ll also be beautiful accents to your living room. Look for modern living room lighting that is farmhouse-inspired, such as lanterns, or chandeliers. When choosing wood pieces, don’t choose simple pine. Instead, look for pieces made out of more expensive wood.
10. Furniture Inspiration
The ideal furniture for a farmhouse living room is solid, rustic, and a bit oversized. It’s also primarily white or grey. But a whitewash can also look beautiful. You can have the main body of the furniture painted white and then leave the top natural wood.
When picking out chairs and couches, look for furniture that has large cushions. Fabrics that are neutral colors, such as white, cream, and tan, are ideal for your couch selection. Then liven the decor up with accent chairs that are in a pattern of plaid or floral.
If you already own furniture and aren’t looking to buy new, then a simple slipcover can solve your problem.
11. Cozy and Inviting Fireplaces
A fireplace is the perfect room element to complete your farmhouse look. If you have a real fireplace, outfit it with firewood, a basket for spare wood, and the tools you need to stoke a fire. Then accent the mantle above with a deer head, your TV, boxwood wreath, seasonal produce, or florals.
Vintage lanterns or art can look beautiful placed on the mantle. Look for inspirational words or phrases that mean something to your family. Some examples are “Gather and give thanks” or “Let’s stay home.” Another option is to find a picture that appeals to your version of a farmhouse or country setting.
You can also create a faux fireplace if your home is lacking. Create the surround and mantle with a small alcove. Fill the space with candles or chopped logs.
Don’t forget the hearth around the front of the fireplace. This is a perfect place to keep a basket with extra pillows and blankets. Or you have a clay water pitcher or metal basin that you place flowers in. Try to keep the flowers seasonal.
12. Rustic Furniture
Unless you’re going for a really rustic living room, don’t go overboard. Choose one or two pieces that are more of an accent piece. This could mean your coffee table or an accent chair.
Rustic furniture looks handmade. Sometimes it’s made of salvaged wood. This gives the furniture a repurposed look. Another option is to look for handmade furniture that isn’t so refined.
Finally, look for metal furniture, such as a console table that you can tuck behind the couch or along the wall. This piece will have aging and wear. You may even see the wood grain through the paint in places.
13. Vintage Accents
Once you have the furniture, it’s time to finish the room with a few well-chosen vintage accents. There’s a delicate balance between having the right amount of decor and having so much that the room looks cluttered. You also don’t want the room to be over the top. It’ll lose its authenticity and not feel cozy like a farmhouse.
Visit a salvage or antique shop and look for architectural pieces. These are the perfect vintage accent piece to mount on the wall or place on a shelf. Another popular choice is vintage mirrors and shutters. Then look for a container that you can turn into a planter for your fresh greens or flowers.
14. Layering Comfort
Your farmhouse living room should be the place where the family gathers for comfort and relaxation. Throw pillows and a blanket are a perfect way to create a space where everyone wants to snuggle in.
Choose pillows of varying sizes in both neutrals and colors. You can have some that are plain cotton and others that are fancier. Perhaps one has tassels or another woven from yarn. The idea is for the pillows you choose to look large and poofy like they’re ready for someone to sit down in the then.
The other must-have is a rug that covers the entire space. It needs to be large enough to connect all of the furniture. It will take the echo and chill out of the room.
A traditional rug that’s lighter or in neutral colors will look nice. A woven rug will look natural in a farmhouse living room. A final option is a plush rug that you can dig your toes into.
15. Creating a Serene Atmosphere
If you love the look of neutral colors, then French country is the ideal farmhouse look for your home. To achieve this look, you’ll use neutral furniture paired with a neutral color scheme. Your natural fabrics can create a cozy atmosphere. This includes lace, linen, and burlap.
For French farmhouse flair, use a pattern that is either floral or toile de Jouy. Then place accents of vintage decor. Look for furniture pieces that are antique with a bit of wear to them. Then pair them with a touch of glam in the room. This can be an elegant crystal chandelier or fine silver candelabra for the coffee table.
16. Unwinding in Style
The centerpiece of your farmhouse living room decor should be a large comfy sofa. This is the place where your family can curl up and gather together. Look for a large couch that can seat several people.
Don’t buy a couch that’s too large that will overwhelm the room. You can buy a plush couch in several sizes, so look for one that is proportional to the room. It should be at least seven feet from your TV. This will give you a quality viewing experience and plenty of room to place a coffee table in front of.
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