So Your Style Is: Country
Charming and comfortable, this style will always make you feel at home, so why not try it in your home?
Country-style homes make use of timber and classic furnishings to create warm and inviting spaces that are easy to live in. Whether inspired by Australia’s colonial past or country homesteads stationed in remote parts of our sunburnt country, this style is hard to resist.
Why it works: Home is where the heart is in a country home. Infinitely liveable, you can be yourself and relax without judgement here, and great hospitality is almost a given; there’s always likely to be room at the table if friends drop by unannounced. This gorgeous style invites love and laughter in abundance – just don’t forget to leave your muddy boots at the door.
You’ll love this style if… Keeping the family close is important to you, you’re more comfortable in flats than high heels, and relaxing in unpretentious surrounds sounds like your idea of home. Your down-to-earth nature means you choose function over frivolity almost every time.
Adopt these elements to incorporate Country style in your home.
Why it works: Home is where the heart is in a country home. Infinitely liveable, you can be yourself and relax without judgement here, and great hospitality is almost a given; there’s always likely to be room at the table if friends drop by unannounced. This gorgeous style invites love and laughter in abundance – just don’t forget to leave your muddy boots at the door.
You’ll love this style if… Keeping the family close is important to you, you’re more comfortable in flats than high heels, and relaxing in unpretentious surrounds sounds like your idea of home. Your down-to-earth nature means you choose function over frivolity almost every time.
Adopt these elements to incorporate Country style in your home.
Old wares on display
If cottage-country kitchens appeal to your sensibilities, a hutch or custom-built display unit like this one could be just the thing to show off antique crockery or other favourite items. Jugs are another good choice; just make sure you opt for old over new and shapely over sleek if you’re seeking an authentic Country look.
SMART STRATEGY: Door and drawer hardware should hail from the past. Reproductions are just as worthy as antiques – no-one will know the difference but you.
If cottage-country kitchens appeal to your sensibilities, a hutch or custom-built display unit like this one could be just the thing to show off antique crockery or other favourite items. Jugs are another good choice; just make sure you opt for old over new and shapely over sleek if you’re seeking an authentic Country look.
SMART STRATEGY: Door and drawer hardware should hail from the past. Reproductions are just as worthy as antiques – no-one will know the difference but you.
Timber touches
Timber is used in many areas of a country home; it adds a unique warmth no other material can match. Floorboards are almost essential, and kitchen cabinetry is almost always timber. Contrast butcher’s block or slab island benchtops with white, and stick to classic features throughout your Country kitchen.
SMART STRATEGY:There’s no need to hide away your knick-knacks – stacks of cookbooks, figurines (chickens, pigs, cows and roosters are all fabulous) and tea sets all fit within the theme.
Timber is used in many areas of a country home; it adds a unique warmth no other material can match. Floorboards are almost essential, and kitchen cabinetry is almost always timber. Contrast butcher’s block or slab island benchtops with white, and stick to classic features throughout your Country kitchen.
SMART STRATEGY:There’s no need to hide away your knick-knacks – stacks of cookbooks, figurines (chickens, pigs, cows and roosters are all fabulous) and tea sets all fit within the theme.
Soft fabric
Country homes are warm and comfortable places for families to gather and share the day’s events. Neutrals livened up with a variety of cushions add a homely touch, or go for classic stripes in any colour you like.
SMART STRATEGY: Family makes a house a home, so don’t be afraid to adorn walls with framed photos, or perch them on shelves, side tables and mantelpieces to fill your rooms with love.
Country homes are warm and comfortable places for families to gather and share the day’s events. Neutrals livened up with a variety of cushions add a homely touch, or go for classic stripes in any colour you like.
SMART STRATEGY: Family makes a house a home, so don’t be afraid to adorn walls with framed photos, or perch them on shelves, side tables and mantelpieces to fill your rooms with love.
Mount Eliza Project
Front gate
Start as you mean to go on if a Country style is what you’d like to create at your place. A basic metal and wire gate is standard on a working farm, or head upmarket with a custom-made timber beauty like this one. If you don’t have a long driveway, apply the same principles to your garden gate. It sets the tone of what’s to come.
SMART STRATEGY: Gravel driveways serve two purposes in a Country home. They’re easy to maintain, and the crunch of tyres on a gravel driveway alerts homeowners of an arriving vehicle. This sound is usually followed by that of a barking dog!
Start as you mean to go on if a Country style is what you’d like to create at your place. A basic metal and wire gate is standard on a working farm, or head upmarket with a custom-made timber beauty like this one. If you don’t have a long driveway, apply the same principles to your garden gate. It sets the tone of what’s to come.
SMART STRATEGY: Gravel driveways serve two purposes in a Country home. They’re easy to maintain, and the crunch of tyres on a gravel driveway alerts homeowners of an arriving vehicle. This sound is usually followed by that of a barking dog!
Luscious laundry
Drenching sheep, riding horses and driving tractors makes for a lot of washing, so it’s no wonder Country homes were built with this in mind. Make your laundry as lovely as your kitchen with a farmhouse sink and classic cabinetry.
SMART STRATEGY: Doors can add much to a home’s charm. A painted stable-style door works in this laundry, but internal and external doors throughout the house should be in a similarly traditional style. A Country home is no place for modern doors or handles.
Drenching sheep, riding horses and driving tractors makes for a lot of washing, so it’s no wonder Country homes were built with this in mind. Make your laundry as lovely as your kitchen with a farmhouse sink and classic cabinetry.
SMART STRATEGY: Doors can add much to a home’s charm. A painted stable-style door works in this laundry, but internal and external doors throughout the house should be in a similarly traditional style. A Country home is no place for modern doors or handles.
Lovely lavender
Mass plantings of aromatic lavender give any home an extra dose of country charm, especially when it dominates the front garden or lines the driveway.
SMART STRATEGY: If you don’t have the space for lots of lavender in the garden, buy a bunch or two and string it up in your kitchen to dry, or pop a few plants into feature pots.
Mass plantings of aromatic lavender give any home an extra dose of country charm, especially when it dominates the front garden or lines the driveway.
SMART STRATEGY: If you don’t have the space for lots of lavender in the garden, buy a bunch or two and string it up in your kitchen to dry, or pop a few plants into feature pots.
Old-fashioned home cooking
If you’re hesitating on which way to go with the stove in your dream kitchen, don’t. A vintage stove is a key piece for any Country kitchen – how divine is this one? Fortunately, these stoves work just as efficiently as their modern counterparts now that stoves such as this are in demand. Best to buy an oven that looks old rather than one that actually is old to make life easier.
SMART STRATEGY: Splashbacks are important if you want to pull off the Country look with finesse. Diamond or herringbone designs work a treat.
If you’re hesitating on which way to go with the stove in your dream kitchen, don’t. A vintage stove is a key piece for any Country kitchen – how divine is this one? Fortunately, these stoves work just as efficiently as their modern counterparts now that stoves such as this are in demand. Best to buy an oven that looks old rather than one that actually is old to make life easier.
SMART STRATEGY: Splashbacks are important if you want to pull off the Country look with finesse. Diamond or herringbone designs work a treat.
An old table
Eat-in kitchens fit perfectly in Country-style homes, but take care to choose a table that looks like it has met the dining needs of more than a few generations. Nail holes, scratches and a warm patina are all good things.
SMART STRATEGY: Tie on some cushions to your kitchen dining chairs. Casual comfort is key to this style of home.
Eat-in kitchens fit perfectly in Country-style homes, but take care to choose a table that looks like it has met the dining needs of more than a few generations. Nail holes, scratches and a warm patina are all good things.
SMART STRATEGY: Tie on some cushions to your kitchen dining chairs. Casual comfort is key to this style of home.
Homely bedding
Patchwork quilts instantly make a bedroom feel inviting, and the more varied the fabrics used, the better. Traditionally, families living on farms made use of every scrap in their houses; patchwork quilts were originally made to use up all the material leftover from making clothes, curtains and tablecloths.
SMART STRATEGY: Don’t limit patchwork quilts to the bedroom – they can add charm to just about every room of the house. Throw a quilt over the back of a couch, pin one up as a wall hanging, or lay one over the dining table in between meals.
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Country homes for your inspiration
Patchwork quilts instantly make a bedroom feel inviting, and the more varied the fabrics used, the better. Traditionally, families living on farms made use of every scrap in their houses; patchwork quilts were originally made to use up all the material leftover from making clothes, curtains and tablecloths.
SMART STRATEGY: Don’t limit patchwork quilts to the bedroom – they can add charm to just about every room of the house. Throw a quilt over the back of a couch, pin one up as a wall hanging, or lay one over the dining table in between meals.
MORE
Country homes for your inspiration
The verandah is surely one of the nicest features of a Country-style home. Wicker chairs with floral or mismatched cushions and a rustic table is all you need to make it lovable.
SMART STRATEGY: Add a splash of colour with flowering pot plants placed either side of the front door.