Farmhouse Style Basics

Hello Friends!

If you have followed akentuckygirlsthoughts for some time now, you know that I am in love with the Farmhouse/vintage style. However, you may not know exactly what this style entails, so today I am going to explain the basics of farmhouse style. Buckle your seatbelts because we’re about to start!

I’ve come up with several characteristics of farmhouse style. Those four things are:

1. Neutral colors
2. Repurposed items
3. Wood and metal
4. Floral/greenery

Let’s start with Neutral colors. The most popular farmhouse style color hands down is white. However, other colors are commonly used as well such as beiges, greys and muted greens. Here is a great example of a neutral farmhouse color palette:

As you can see, the whites don’t have to be stark white. Most of them have more of a cream look. When it comes to furniture or decor items, the majority of the time, they’re going to have white chippy paint. The whole point of farmhouse style is that everything doesn’t look perfect. So if you’re coffee table that has white painted legs gets some paint chipped off, don’t fret, over time it will get more and more chips and it will just look aged. I will say that the aged look is not for everyone. Some may say that it just looks dirty or cheap, but I have come to love the imperfections.

The chips in this hutch give it so much character

Next on our list is repurposed items. This is a huge part of farmhouse style. The saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” rings true here. Farmhouse style uses items that people normally would not think of using for decor. Old books that are falling apart, a splintered wooden crate, a rusted bucket, or a window with the paint chipping off are all classic items used in the farmhouse style. Even giving furniture that isn’t exactly what you’re looking for a new coat of paint, makes it a brand new piece. Giving new life to vintage items is the bread and butter of farmhouse style. The best place to find vintage items are at garage sales, auctions, older family members and vintage markets. Older items tell a story, which gives your home character. Here are some examples of repurposed items:

An old Canada Dry crate being used as a platform for pumpkins for fall

An old scale with the paint chipping off, but it’s still so beautiful!

Old bucket being used as a planter

An old window with the paint chipping off being used as decor. I love it in this space!

A ladder being used as a laundry hanger (functional and decorative!)

The third characteristic of farmhouse style is wood and metal. We’ve already seen a little of this in the pictures above, but these are the two most popular mediums in farmhouse style. Both are timeless and easy to find vintage items made of them. Galvanized metal is more popular than shinier metal because it looks more vintage. One way to incorporate wood into your home is by having wood floors. Here are some examples of metal and wooden items in the farmhouse home:

 

 

Last but not least is floral/greenery. Whether they are real or faux, every home looks so much happier with flowers! If you find the right kind, florals can be used in the home all year round! Here are some examples of floral/greenery in the farmhouse home:

 

 

Now you know the farmhouse style basics! Even if you don’t decide to totally transform to farmhouse style, even implementing some of these characteristics will make any home look fantastic! I hope y’all liked this overview of farmhouse style!

Have a fantastic Thursday,

xoxo,

Alyssa

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