A Little Bit Country: How to Bring Rural Australia to the City
If you dream of moving to a farm and living off the land, here's how to rustle up some country charm in your city pad in the meantime
If you feel more at home in a farmhouse with views of rolling hills but find yourself living in the city for now, it’s time to bring a little of that Australian country charm into your life. When I first moved from the country to the city, more than anything, I missed the gum trees and open spaces, so next time I went back I filled vase upon vase with eucalyptus leaves. You can make more permanent changes in your interiors – just think about what you miss or love about country life and use that as your starting point. These ideas just might inspire you to take the first step.
Firewood can look just as appealing by the front or back door, especially when you combine it with a galvanised iron bucket or watering can and an old crate.
Go mad with cowhide
Miss the sight of cattle grazing in the paddocks? Cowhide may be the next best thing, but it will pay to make it city chic – cowhide-covered bar stools add a dose of country style in the most unique of fashions.
Miss the sight of cattle grazing in the paddocks? Cowhide may be the next best thing, but it will pay to make it city chic – cowhide-covered bar stools add a dose of country style in the most unique of fashions.
Cowhide-covered chairs team up well with timber, as in this eclectic Melbourne home.
Cowhides are sprawling across the floors of the swishest of city homes – throw them down on floorboards or layer them over textured sisal rugs.
Learn more about this apartment
Learn more about this apartment
Even a single cowhide element in a room can remind you of sweeping plains. This ottoman sits comfortably alongside the most modern of furnishings.
Grow and harvest your own food
Set a pair of gumboots by the back door as a reminder to get outside and grow yourself some fruit and vegies. It needn’t be a large plot – even some easy-to-grow herbs, tomatoes, beans and spinach will do – but it will allow you to get your hands into the earth and to live off the fruits of your labour, albeit on a smaller scale than you would on the farm. Dwarf fruit trees are a good choice if space is limited.
Set a pair of gumboots by the back door as a reminder to get outside and grow yourself some fruit and vegies. It needn’t be a large plot – even some easy-to-grow herbs, tomatoes, beans and spinach will do – but it will allow you to get your hands into the earth and to live off the fruits of your labour, albeit on a smaller scale than you would on the farm. Dwarf fruit trees are a good choice if space is limited.
If you can’t have the real thing in your back paddock, why not settle for an artistic take on cows and let them graze in your backyard? These outdoor animal creations were designed by Australia’s Aaron Jackson.
Honour the sheep
Australia’s merino sheep still produce the most sought-after wool in the world. Celebrate our woolly heritage with a sheepish decorative element such as this touchable timber creation, or even a painting or photograph with a sheep as the star attraction.
Australia’s merino sheep still produce the most sought-after wool in the world. Celebrate our woolly heritage with a sheepish decorative element such as this touchable timber creation, or even a painting or photograph with a sheep as the star attraction.
You may not have the luxury of sinking your fingers into the fleece of a freshly shorn sheep in the shearing shed, but you can still sink your toes into one when you step out of the shower.
Buy an old farmhouse table
Roughen up your house with a rustic timber dining table. If you can place it in an eat-in kitchen and rustle some scones on a semi-regular basis, your home will smell as good as it looks for your friends and family. Home-made jam will earn you extra brownie points.
Roughen up your house with a rustic timber dining table. If you can place it in an eat-in kitchen and rustle some scones on a semi-regular basis, your home will smell as good as it looks for your friends and family. Home-made jam will earn you extra brownie points.
Live simply and humbly, do less and slow down
City life is fast paced for most people, but it doesn’t have to be for you. Have your home be the place where you can relish the simple things in life – freshly baked bread, reading a book in a hammock, or picking greens from the garden for tonight’s tea.
More: 20 of the Best Country Kitchens
City life is fast paced for most people, but it doesn’t have to be for you. Have your home be the place where you can relish the simple things in life – freshly baked bread, reading a book in a hammock, or picking greens from the garden for tonight’s tea.
More: 20 of the Best Country Kitchens
Opt for an old iron gate
Consider replacing a standard suburban paling gate with an old-fashioned country one – the clang of the gate behind you as it swings shut can mark the moment you leave the city behind and enter your peaceful home for a quieter life.
Consider replacing a standard suburban paling gate with an old-fashioned country one – the clang of the gate behind you as it swings shut can mark the moment you leave the city behind and enter your peaceful home for a quieter life.
Trawl for country treasures
Nothing says rural Australia like a rusty barbed wire fence. Instead of heading to the beach for weekend getaways and holidays, why not have a break in the country in an old worker’s cottage on a farm? You’re bound to find some treasures you can bring home with you, whether it be barbed wire, gum nuts to make a Christmas wreath, or an old horse shoe to bring you good luck.
Nothing says rural Australia like a rusty barbed wire fence. Instead of heading to the beach for weekend getaways and holidays, why not have a break in the country in an old worker’s cottage on a farm? You’re bound to find some treasures you can bring home with you, whether it be barbed wire, gum nuts to make a Christmas wreath, or an old horse shoe to bring you good luck.
The owners of this country home used wire they found on their farm to create a unique light fitting.
Have fun searching the many antique stores in country towns and you’re sure to come across some vintage gems to bring home … like the ‘Coolibar’ wool bale stencil in this living room.
Or go one step further and line the walls with them.
YOUR SAY
What do you love about rural Australia? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
MORE
Roots of Style: How Did Your Rural Australian Home Get Its Look?
So Your Style Is: Country
20 Cosy Bedrooms With a Laid-Back, Country Feel
Bathroom Inspiration: 20 of the Best Country Bathrooms
YOUR SAY
What do you love about rural Australia? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
MORE
Roots of Style: How Did Your Rural Australian Home Get Its Look?
So Your Style Is: Country
20 Cosy Bedrooms With a Laid-Back, Country Feel
Bathroom Inspiration: 20 of the Best Country Bathrooms
It doesn’t really matter if you have an open fire or wood burning stove or not – chopped firewood adds warmth and charm to any city dwelling.