Decorating: How to Create the Country Look in Your Bedroom
Beamed boudoirs with great views may have a head start, but even city bedrooms can benefit from a sprinkle of country styling
Kate Burt
6 April 2015
Houzz UK. I'm a journalist and editor, previously for the Independent, Guardian and various magazines. I'm now excited to part of the editorial team at Houzz UK & Ireland, bringing the best of British and Irish design, interiors and architecture to Houzz.com.
Houzz UK. I'm a journalist and editor, previously for the Independent, Guardian and... More
The soft lines, gentle colours and relaxed styling of classic country interiors work brilliantly in bedrooms, where a calming atmosphere can encourage sleep. And whether the view from your bedroom window is hedgerows and fields or a busy urban street, there are elements to take from country interiors that will work in all spaces. Think faded florals, tweeds and checks against a backdrop of neutrals, alongside natural materials, including wood, wool, linen and battered leather furniture, with a few sturdy heirlooms in the mix. These soothing boudoirs are bursting with rural charm – let them inspire some ideas…
Tailor your palette
Duck-egg blue is the ultimate country pastel and a sure-fire short-cut to creating a farmhouse feel in a room. Here, it works beautifully with cool-toned neutrals, crisp white and dark wood for a fresh and elegant take on the relaxed, rural look. The Queen Anne-style furniture gives it a hotel-y edge. If you love this shade, but prefer a more down-home ambience, pair duck egg with creams and well-worn (but not orange!) pine furniture.
Duck-egg blue is the ultimate country pastel and a sure-fire short-cut to creating a farmhouse feel in a room. Here, it works beautifully with cool-toned neutrals, crisp white and dark wood for a fresh and elegant take on the relaxed, rural look. The Queen Anne-style furniture gives it a hotel-y edge. If you love this shade, but prefer a more down-home ambience, pair duck egg with creams and well-worn (but not orange!) pine furniture.
Fire things up
It may not be a quick route to creating a farmhouse feel in your bedroom, but adding a wood-burning stove will certainly do the job. It’s a good choice if your period property had its original fireplaces ripped out before you got to them.
Here, the basket of logs and bare bricks combined with duck-egg blue paint, matching bolsters and a floral feature wall… well, perhaps you’d never guess that the only village this house is near is Wimbledon Village – in London.
It may not be a quick route to creating a farmhouse feel in your bedroom, but adding a wood-burning stove will certainly do the job. It’s a good choice if your period property had its original fireplaces ripped out before you got to them.
Here, the basket of logs and bare bricks combined with duck-egg blue paint, matching bolsters and a floral feature wall… well, perhaps you’d never guess that the only village this house is near is Wimbledon Village – in London.
Plump for iron
A wrought iron bed, whether antique or reproduction, is a country style staple. Team it with mix and match prints to create a homespun, rustic atmosphere.
The trick to combining florals with checks while keeping things visually relaxing is to pick up one or two crossover colours. Here, the blanket, floral cushion and woodland wallpaper share core shades and so complement rather than fight with each other. Look out for traditional woven Welsh blankets for this sort of soft geometric design – they’re beautiful, and having a bit of a revival right now.
The vintage jug full of wild flowers is an easy touch, but it really cements the style of this room. And who isn’t cheered by waking up to the sight of fresh blooms?
Explore country style ideas to suit your whole house
A wrought iron bed, whether antique or reproduction, is a country style staple. Team it with mix and match prints to create a homespun, rustic atmosphere.
The trick to combining florals with checks while keeping things visually relaxing is to pick up one or two crossover colours. Here, the blanket, floral cushion and woodland wallpaper share core shades and so complement rather than fight with each other. Look out for traditional woven Welsh blankets for this sort of soft geometric design – they’re beautiful, and having a bit of a revival right now.
The vintage jug full of wild flowers is an easy touch, but it really cements the style of this room. And who isn’t cheered by waking up to the sight of fresh blooms?
Explore country style ideas to suit your whole house
Weave in classic furniture
Furniture that’s built to last and designed to be sat in, whether you’re wearing muddy farm clothes or snuggling up with the family labrador, is a country style staple. Leather armchairs are used to doing that job in living rooms, but translate beautifully to the bedroom, providing a quiet space to sit and read. Choose a second-hand one for instant character.
The soft checks on the footstool tick the rural box, too, chumming up nicely with the floral curtains – and the look remains modern and unfussy, yet determinedly country, because the palette is so well considered – everything ties tidily into the abstract landscape painting on the wall. Choosing a grey accent is a subtle way to update the look, as it has a knack of stripping away any whiff of farmhouse clutter or chintz.
Furniture that’s built to last and designed to be sat in, whether you’re wearing muddy farm clothes or snuggling up with the family labrador, is a country style staple. Leather armchairs are used to doing that job in living rooms, but translate beautifully to the bedroom, providing a quiet space to sit and read. Choose a second-hand one for instant character.
The soft checks on the footstool tick the rural box, too, chumming up nicely with the floral curtains – and the look remains modern and unfussy, yet determinedly country, because the palette is so well considered – everything ties tidily into the abstract landscape painting on the wall. Choosing a grey accent is a subtle way to update the look, as it has a knack of stripping away any whiff of farmhouse clutter or chintz.
Admire the view
Dinky bay windows are a common feature in country attic bedrooms. Make the most of this often awkward design idiosyncrasy by building in a window seat from which to admire the pastoral scene outside.
Keep textiles soft and inviting, and add a thick Roman blind as well as curtains to keep things snug in winter. To make this a seriously cosy nook all year round, consider – if you haven’t already – investing in secondary seasonal double glazing that you can remove in warmer weather.
Dinky bay windows are a common feature in country attic bedrooms. Make the most of this often awkward design idiosyncrasy by building in a window seat from which to admire the pastoral scene outside.
Keep textiles soft and inviting, and add a thick Roman blind as well as curtains to keep things snug in winter. To make this a seriously cosy nook all year round, consider – if you haven’t already – investing in secondary seasonal double glazing that you can remove in warmer weather.
Update for an urban sleep space
If full-on country is a little too, well, country for you, channel just the look’s easy-on-the-eye palette and gently worn air to enjoy its relaxed benefits even in a contemporary bedroom.
Harder-edged geometrics or crisper textiles could turn this sleep space into a modern Scandi retreat, but casually creased linen, bleached-out hues and not a drop of midcentury modern in the vintage furniture bumps it well into country. Don’t forget the compulsory bedside bloom as a finishing touch.
Discover whether country style is for you
If full-on country is a little too, well, country for you, channel just the look’s easy-on-the-eye palette and gently worn air to enjoy its relaxed benefits even in a contemporary bedroom.
Harder-edged geometrics or crisper textiles could turn this sleep space into a modern Scandi retreat, but casually creased linen, bleached-out hues and not a drop of midcentury modern in the vintage furniture bumps it well into country. Don’t forget the compulsory bedside bloom as a finishing touch.
Discover whether country style is for you
Cheat your way to wood panelling
Tongue and groove walls can be a mainstay of country (and coastal) homes. If you’re lacking it, consider constructing a headboard from the stuff, or even creating an architectural feature by panelling half-walls, rather than the whole space. Rather than white (too seaside-y), opt for a comforting cream paint. Team with classic duck-egg blue and your look is pretty much there.
Tongue and groove walls can be a mainstay of country (and coastal) homes. If you’re lacking it, consider constructing a headboard from the stuff, or even creating an architectural feature by panelling half-walls, rather than the whole space. Rather than white (too seaside-y), opt for a comforting cream paint. Team with classic duck-egg blue and your look is pretty much there.
Stay cosy
Country nights can be chilly, which is why eiderdowns are so often a cottage bedroom basic, traditionally with a soft rose design. Be warned, though: genuine eiderdown quilts are expensive, since they are made from the down of the rare eider duck, which – uniquely – is not plucked from the birds. Rather, feathers are painstakingly collected when shed naturally by female eider ducks.
A contemporary, padded kantha quilt is a good-looking alternative, and there are heaps of pretty patterns to choose from. Or plump for a pretty patchwork blanket for a more homely effect.
Country nights can be chilly, which is why eiderdowns are so often a cottage bedroom basic, traditionally with a soft rose design. Be warned, though: genuine eiderdown quilts are expensive, since they are made from the down of the rare eider duck, which – uniquely – is not plucked from the birds. Rather, feathers are painstakingly collected when shed naturally by female eider ducks.
A contemporary, padded kantha quilt is a good-looking alternative, and there are heaps of pretty patterns to choose from. Or plump for a pretty patchwork blanket for a more homely effect.
Get with some gingham (but not too much)
Gingham – along with a hearty tweed and a faded floral – is a classic country print that will instantly conjure up a cottage feel. However, it can easily look clichéd – or like a retro ski chalet. It’s no bad thing if that’s what you’re aiming for, but if, instead, you’re after a more contemporary and less Alpine take on your textiles, mix gingham with smart neutral paintwork and modern accessories, as well as some red-hued florals, which will mismatch pleasingly.
Keep your gingham to a minimum, too – a couple of cushions, a laundry basket lid, or even giant-check pillowcases for a bit of an unconventional twist. This bedroom gets its gingham fix through that comfy-looking armchair – which is a must for the rustic bedroom whatever fabric you choose.
Tour 10 appealing Alpine interiors
Gingham – along with a hearty tweed and a faded floral – is a classic country print that will instantly conjure up a cottage feel. However, it can easily look clichéd – or like a retro ski chalet. It’s no bad thing if that’s what you’re aiming for, but if, instead, you’re after a more contemporary and less Alpine take on your textiles, mix gingham with smart neutral paintwork and modern accessories, as well as some red-hued florals, which will mismatch pleasingly.
Keep your gingham to a minimum, too – a couple of cushions, a laundry basket lid, or even giant-check pillowcases for a bit of an unconventional twist. This bedroom gets its gingham fix through that comfy-looking armchair – which is a must for the rustic bedroom whatever fabric you choose.
Tour 10 appealing Alpine interiors
Celebrate a low ceiling
Cottage proportions are typically on the tiny side, but rather than lamenting your lack of lofty living space, make a feature of a low-slung ceiling. As already mentioned, wood panelling is in keeping with rustic interiors, and is also a style trick to consider if you’ve inherited notoriously hard-to-remove swirly Artexed ceilings.
TELL US…
How have you given your bedroom a country twist? We’d love to hear your tips and see your photos in the Comments below.
Cottage proportions are typically on the tiny side, but rather than lamenting your lack of lofty living space, make a feature of a low-slung ceiling. As already mentioned, wood panelling is in keeping with rustic interiors, and is also a style trick to consider if you’ve inherited notoriously hard-to-remove swirly Artexed ceilings.
TELL US…
How have you given your bedroom a country twist? We’d love to hear your tips and see your photos in the Comments below.
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As for 'country style' - for me, proper country style is a old, well used, a bit moth eaten, frayed and faded - fabulous. 'Country style' that looks too clean and tidy ends up looking too contrived - just my opinion...
I chose NEXT stone wallpaper on a feature wall and 3 exposed walls in Cream paint. I like NEUTRAL. Beige carpet. Light solid Oak bedstead and oak bedside cabinet. Curtains and bedding vary but must match, this way I can accent with color in a Neutral backdrop. I am going to change my stone feature wall for Natural Check. Wardrobes fitted in wood panel sliding doors with Black glass center panel., from Better Living. Wardrobes covering most of the room. Neat and Cosy. With a light Paneled Solid Oak Door.