Modern Country Style

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What do the following have in common?

• Ducks. White ducks with cornflower blue bows around their necks or tiny shawls on their shoulders (do ducks have shoulders?).
• Ivy. Houseplants with trailing vines on top of kitchen cabinets, the refrigerator, and painted or pasted along the top of the wall.
• Calico. On the cushions, on the walls, on your Laura Ashley dress with the pouf sleeves.
• Rocking chairs. Wood with turned spindles. Sometimes with a seat pad covered in duck, ivy, or calico patterned fabric.

Did you guess 80’s country decor? It was sweet, nostalgic, and fussy, bursting with ruffles and colors as dusty as all the bric a brac was destined to become.

We’ve come a long way since then and today’s modern country style or farmhouse style, is hot again with hit shows like HGTV’s Waco, Texas based Fixer Upper inspiring people everywhere to salvage old things and bring them inside. But this new wave is more sophisticated with a cleaner, brighter approach, and a more eclectic mix of sleek and rustic touches. Vintage, but chic. Comfortable without being corny.

Some features of a farmhouse with a great modern country style look include:

• Light and bright paint colors with lots of white
• Aged metal/industrial finishes
• Vintage inspired fabrics but with a bright and cheerful palate
• Unfinished wood with natural grain, knots and imperfections
• Flea market finds
• Exposed beams
• Sliding barn doors on interior spaces
• Schoolhouse lights
• Farm sinks
• Open shelving
• Inspiration from Swedish (vs French or English) country style

RE/MAX Results Collection Home

by Laurie Junker

Kitchen photo by Jennifer Kesler for Milk and Honey Home

Living room image courtesy of Leigha Heydt Design

Brown barn door image courtesy of Signature Woods. White barn door image courtesy of Tineke Triggs.