13 Design Details That Bring Flawless Farmhouse Style

Old Made New

Vintage schoolhouse light fixtures, throwback signage, groupings of green jadeite, and rusty canisters instantly add age and country charm to this newish kitchen. Shaker-style cabinet doors equipped with plain wood knobs pay tribute to farmhouse style's humble beginnings, while stainless-steel appliances and galvanized barstools introduce modern shimmer and convenience.

• 10 Ways to Get a Farmhouse Kitchen

Barnyard Friends 2.0

Nothing says farmhouse quite like an oversize poster celebrating poultry. When shopping flea markets, estate sales, and home stores, keep your eye out for signs, posters, paintings, and sculptures depicting farm animals in an impactful way. For a fresher take on barnyard animals, opt for one large artwork or one statuesque figure, rather than groupings of smaller items, to keep the overall scene clean and serene.

Clean and Fresh

Whether you're building, remodeling, or just redecorating, take your architectural and decorating cue from historic farmhouses. Incorporate straight-lined trim (ornate moldings don't suit country designs), simple wainscots, and beamed board-clad ceilings. Paint all the elements white to fashion fresh backdrops that highlight a well-edited medley of new pieces, antiques, and homespun textiles.

Organic Appeal

Farm living is all about sowing, growing, and harvesting, so it seems only natural to bring Mother Nature's bounty inside, whether you're capturing the farmhouse look in a suburban ranch or an urban apartment. In this dining room, birch-log chairs circle an antique farm table centered below a delightfully twiggy chandelier. Woodland-motif upholstery and drapery fabrics and leafy green majolica dishware further the room's organic outlook.

Interweave Ideas

Strike a balance between cozy and sleek with a contemporary design with farmhouse references. This serenely hued dining room does that and more. A trestle table crafted from reclaimed wood and new wicker chairs make a collected statement below a thoroughly modern light fixture. A recessed firebox, dark wood ceilings, and stony floor tiles enhance warmth without disrupting the calm.

Creatively Cobbled

Farmhouse interiors appear as if they were assembled over time. Create that "unfitted" look in your kitchen by hanging mismatched vintage cupboards as upper cabinets, choosing cabinets and islands with furniture-like profiles, and opting for assorted cabinet colors. Subtly referencing colonial sculleries, this kitchen handily melds mustard, white, black, red, and brown distressed cabinet finishes.

Continental Farmhouse

European farmhouse styles, including French, Tuscan, and English, offer a lighter, airier take on the style. Incorporate crates, boxes, and vintage fabrics bearing French phrases and motifs. Display the items on stepladders and on whitewashed shelves and tables built from salvaged barn boards. Brighten the view with splashes of Mediterranean blue; add in sunny yellows and bright reds if you have a fondness for Provencal panache.

Sophisticated Turn

Include rough and refined finishes, painted and stained patinas, and just a few pops of color when creating a farmhouse kitchen. An elegant chandelier and the island's finely turned legs and thick marble top give this kitchen sophisticated substance; timber-frame details, ceiling beams, and distressed wicker chairs ease the formality into farmhouse comfort. In addition to the chairs, color comes into play as glossy green backsplashes -- a spanking-new take on classic white subway tile treatments.

Layer in Age

Nearly every surface and furnishing in this room has seemingly been marked by time and handled by generations. That century-old feeling and inherited appeal is essential to farmhouse style. Create a similarly aged ambience by adding barn boards or roughhewn beams to ceilings; incorporating weathered furnishings; and displaying ancestral collections. Hand-scraped plank wood flooring is a good farmhouse element for long-term commitment.

Color It Calming

While the stone elements, wood finishes, and rustic relics found in farmhouse-style spaces point to neutral, earthy schemes, color has a place in farmhouse color palettes. In this Euro-country living room, antique-white walls, gray-painted woodwork, and neutral upholstery fabrics maintain the peace; pastoral paintings, old glass bottles, a verdigris coffee table frame, and a beat-up birdhouse supply color and style-appropriate influences.

Unify with Paint

Farmhouse design is rooted in modest rural residences, built and updated with recycled items and regional materials. For a fresh take, unify mismatched pieces with paint. Use salvaged elements, such as shapely trellises, picket fencing, paneled doors, and iron gates, to craft handsome headboards. Before placing chip-painted items near where your head will rest, use a wire brush to remove flaking paint and then spray the pieces with sealer.

Embrace Americana

Weave in Old Glory colors, patriotic motifs, and vintage Americana to build colorful farmhouse designs that celebrate life in the U.S. of A. These homeowners refreshed American country style by presenting a stars-and-stripes palette in a minimalist, curated manner. White clapboard walls and light-hued bed linens brighten moods, while spotlighting hand-stitched textiles rendered in red, white, and blue.

Farmhouse Details

Whether cast iron, fireclay, soapstone, copper, or stainless steel, apron-style sinks immediately say country kitchen. These sinks become workstation focal points when enhanced with chrome or polished nickel vintage-look bridge faucets. Round out the period design with old-fashioned door hardware, like the bin pulls and small knobs pictured here.