How Do You Do It?How To Accomplish Just About Anything

The idea behind rustic decorating is to bring the outdoors into your living space. Most people want that, hunting lodge, cabin in the woods, feel when they opt for the rustic decorating theme.

There are low cost subtle ways to turn any room of your house into a rustic retreat. Many people mix Native American touches in with their country living or rustic decorating themes.

To begin, a great way to add a rustic touch to your living space would be to add wooden beams to the ceiling area. This can be done by using solid wood beams made of chestnut, pine, or birch, or you can purchase faux beams that are lighter for those ceilings that can’t hold a lot of weight. Faux beams are also a lot easier on your pocketbook and are nearly indistinguishable to the real thing. The addition of beams to your ceiling adds a sense and feel of history and is a wonderful first step.

Color and texture need to be in focus when you are going for that rustic look. Stone of any type and the grain effect of wood can be used to add character to a room. Warm muted earth tones might be what you think of when imagining rustic décor, but for those that prefer a lighter, airier look, you might consider bleached woods, whitewash, and riverbed stones.

Your accessories can be old metal, or wood, or metal and wood which are distressed and made to have an older, more antique feel to them. Keep in theme with the use of metal vines, Native American or wood accessories, rustic homespun type cloth for curtains or drapes and pillows or throws. Wine racks such as the one pictured here offer a whole new look, giving one small corner a rustic look just by their addition

The use of faux materials has also allowed people to add in whole walls that are, seemingly, made of stones and or log. Adding a real fireplace is always a charming and romantic addition to the mix, but can be very expensive. However, you always have options. Installing a gas or electric fireplace is a thriftier option. With a gas fireplace, you have the charm of curling up on a sofa or throw and watching real flames. Yet, with today’s ingenious designs, an electric fireplace gives you a well designed illusion of real flames.

Yet, you don’t have to go big to achieve the effect of rustic charm. Leather furniture, wool or full sheepskin rugs, faux fur throws, the use of tin or copper to create artwork, any use of wrought iron, and of course, the ever popular use of antlers. All of these little things, can bring a rustic feel into your home.

Your rustic décor can also carry a historical theme. You can follow any number of decorative paths. Civil war, Native American, and old western decorations can take you or your guests back in time.