If you ask any designer, they’ll agree that a long wooden dining table, often showing the traces of time on its surface, is central to the creating a cozy, rustic dining area in your home. Farmhouse style is all about elevating the traditional rustic theme – and the dining room is an ideal space to up your farmhouse ante.
This style is known for raw materials, from exposed brickwork and stone to warm reclaimed or unfinished woods. Farmhouse interiors have a simple, natural look and a warm and inviting appeal. In the dining room, the focus is on the table and seating, of course. But even the lighting that illuminates your meal and the fireplace that invites you to linger contribute to the overall atmosphere.
Here are some ideas to inspire your ultimate farmhouse dining room. Take a seat…
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Add a Focal Point for Your Cozy, Rustic Dining Area
The table facing the farmhouse fireplace naturally invites family and friends to sit and enjoy the space. However, even without that focal point, the room’s composition naturally draws you to the table.
A low-slung lantern and perhaps a collection of jugs on the table can put the spotlight on the table area, creating an intimate zone in the middle of the room.
A Hutch
A hutch stocked with china, glassware, and heirloom silver is a farmhouse staple, providing ample storage near the dining table. The cabinet can be painted a deep shade – charcoal perhaps – and the handles can be replaced with leather or brushed metal to give it a more modern (less country) look and feel.
Seats & Flooring
Your farmhouse dining room will look authentically earthy when you layer natural materials, such as sisal rugs, rattan, woven chairs, and even a tree trunk table base. Then you can incorporate the finer details that elevate the scheme. Modern artwork, a bar cart, and a chandelier create an elegant space that is equally at home in the city or the countryside.
Colorful Textiles Are a Must!
A simple scheme can be transformed using pattern, color, and texture via fabric and wallpaper. Keep in mind that farmhouse design is often characterized by stripes and geometric weaves rather than country-style florals.
In addition, you can put out two tablecloths on the dining table, then encourage comfort and lingering over dinner by providing cozy throws to drape over knees or the back of chairs to keep out drafts.
The Power of Three
Designers often group items in threes to achieve a perfect balance between their shape, size, and scale. We think of this trick for smaller groupings, like tabletop displays and shelf displays, but it also works for larger pieces. An elegant design trio can be created with a contemporary chandelier, a long dining table and chairs, and an olive tree in a rustic pot. It’s a pared-back approach worth considering for your modern farmhouse dining room.
Choose an Earth Tone Palette
As much as the farmhouse style incorporates deep and rich tones at times, it is heavily influenced by the colors in the natural landscape. If your home is situated near woods or plains, then choosing local and raw materials for the interior is a perfect extension of the environment.
Floors and walls covered with wooden planks or panels will provide your house with both visual and physical warmth. With a rich rug and tablecloth in the same shade, you can add a touch of warmth.
Add Rustic Lighting
Your farmhouse dining room set-up will look more authentic with rustic or industrial metals. Try finding vintage tin, copper, or zinc shade, or you can even consider repurposing jelly molds and tart dishes.
Dark Against Light
If you can restore original flooring or incorporate reclaimed timber into your scheme, darker wood floors can add depth to your dining area – especially in a light-filled space with lots of windows.
Remember, farmhouse style is defined by the fusion of old and new. Wood beams or classic fixtures give vintage charm that can be enhanced by modern art and cushions to update your space.
Painted Furniture
Incorporating antique or DIY painted furniture is an easy way to add farmhouse style to your home. For example, the chairs surrounding the table in the dining room might be painted in a matching shade or an eclectic mix of colors.
What are some of your favorite ways for creating a cozy, rustic dining area in your home? Share them in the comments section below!
