How to Add Hints of City Style to a Country Home
Bring town and country closer together with these urban-inspired ideas to complement a rustic home
Have you just moved to the country but aren’t ready to fully shake off those city sensibilities, or are you a born-and-bred country dweller who is longing for a home with an urban edge? Whichever category you fall into, these spaces show you how to enjoy both city and country style.
Keep it crisp
In a space like this bedroom, which is brimming with rustic features, perfectly plain, neatly tucked-in bedding provides a welcome, unfussy contrast to all the architectural details. The simple bedframe, bedside unit and corner lamp add further echoes of city living deep in the country.
In a space like this bedroom, which is brimming with rustic features, perfectly plain, neatly tucked-in bedding provides a welcome, unfussy contrast to all the architectural details. The simple bedframe, bedside unit and corner lamp add further echoes of city living deep in the country.
Mix and match
This bathroom is a masterclass in mixing modern and country styles. A classic freestanding roll-top bath is teamed with a very slick shower cubicle that is lined with modern metro tiles. The rug makes a nice change to a bath mat, and this style of flat-weave rug can often be found on the floors of both country and city homes, so is a nice bridge between the two camps.
See how a listed farmhouse has been given a modern edge
This bathroom is a masterclass in mixing modern and country styles. A classic freestanding roll-top bath is teamed with a very slick shower cubicle that is lined with modern metro tiles. The rug makes a nice change to a bath mat, and this style of flat-weave rug can often be found on the floors of both country and city homes, so is a nice bridge between the two camps.
See how a listed farmhouse has been given a modern edge
Play with art
Ditch the pastoral pictures and go for modern, graphic artwork to add a more contemporary edge to a country home. In this living room, the neat stack of logs for the wood-burning stove and the boxy sofa add to the clean, linear look.
Ditch the pastoral pictures and go for modern, graphic artwork to add a more contemporary edge to a country home. In this living room, the neat stack of logs for the wood-burning stove and the boxy sofa add to the clean, linear look.
Look to lights
Shaker-style units, the staple of many a country kitchen, are given an urban twist with copper pendant lights and a striking contemporary extractor in this timbered rural kitchen. Details like these are all it takes to turn a tried-and-tested kitchen design into something that more closely reflects the owner’s personal style.
Shaker-style units, the staple of many a country kitchen, are given an urban twist with copper pendant lights and a striking contemporary extractor in this timbered rural kitchen. Details like these are all it takes to turn a tried-and-tested kitchen design into something that more closely reflects the owner’s personal style.
Work with white
Minimalist white is a city standard, but works just as well in a country setting. To give even more of a metropolitan vibe, stick to low, angular furniture designs, as seen here, and let the view from the outside provide the colour.
Minimalist white is a city standard, but works just as well in a country setting. To give even more of a metropolitan vibe, stick to low, angular furniture designs, as seen here, and let the view from the outside provide the colour.
Put in some classics
Designer furniture might be more readily associated with town pads, but classics such as these Eiffel chairs sit well in any style of home. A sleek midcentury-style wooden table is another refined rather than rustic touch.
Designer furniture might be more readily associated with town pads, but classics such as these Eiffel chairs sit well in any style of home. A sleek midcentury-style wooden table is another refined rather than rustic touch.
Go monochrome
The exposed beams and brickwork in this bedroom reveal the age of the house, but the striped rug and simple decorative scheme have a very modern sensibility. If you don’t want to go down the flouncy florals route, this is a good example of how well a black-and-white scheme can work in a country home.
The exposed beams and brickwork in this bedroom reveal the age of the house, but the striped rug and simple decorative scheme have a very modern sensibility. If you don’t want to go down the flouncy florals route, this is a good example of how well a black-and-white scheme can work in a country home.
Create a gallery
Missing out on having all that art and culture on your doorstep? Why not hang a selection of modern prints and photographs that you can admire from the comfort of your sofa instead? Choose pictures with narrow frames and plain mounts to really ramp up the gallery feel.
An insider’s guide to creating the perfect gallery wall
Missing out on having all that art and culture on your doorstep? Why not hang a selection of modern prints and photographs that you can admire from the comfort of your sofa instead? Choose pictures with narrow frames and plain mounts to really ramp up the gallery feel.
An insider’s guide to creating the perfect gallery wall
Read the signs
Of course, if you really want a reminder of city living, you could always spell it out. From street signs to maps, there are plenty of little details that will transport you to the city and show you that total green-wellies conversion is not quite complete…
How would you add a city feel to a county home? Share your ideas in the Comments below.
Of course, if you really want a reminder of city living, you could always spell it out. From street signs to maps, there are plenty of little details that will transport you to the city and show you that total green-wellies conversion is not quite complete…
How would you add a city feel to a county home? Share your ideas in the Comments below.
Dark units, shelving and panelling along one wall act as a contemporary foil to the chunky, super-rustic island in this kitchen, which combines the best of town and country styles. Using just one wall of charcoal grey units, etcetera, is a good way to add darker elements without overwhelming the space.
More great single-wall kitchens