Why Is the Farmhouse Design Style So Gosh Darn Popular?
If you have been bitten by the Fixer Upper style and want to move to Waco, TX believe me: you’re not the only one. Shiplap, distressing, and all things Farmhouse have taken the design world by storm. And it is easily the #1 style request of my clients! However, I’m 100% sure that some farm wife from the 1900’s would think we were nuts trying to emulate the style of her home. Many of the farmhouse elements were out of necessity at had nothing to do with interior design. But I think this style is so fiercely embraced for a couple of reasons:
Farmhouse Style reminds us of family.
It is a comfy, cozy style that reminds us of why we love our homes: because it is where we are with our loved ones. The distressed style invites dirt and scratches and dings-it embraces the messiness of life.
The Farmhouse style reminds us of a simpler time. Although we all heart our I-phones, who dreams of a Saturday night scrolling through Pinterest? No, we dream of playing board games in front of a cozy fire, snuggled up in blankets and eating popcorn. The simple stuff in life where you can unplug from the real world.
Decorating with the Farmhouse look is light and airy. All of those whites and grays and pale, muted colors create a soft, comfortable vibe. Modern design style can tend to go sleek and cold. But Farmhouse is the opposite of that.
Finally, the Fixer Upper style espouses all things sentimental. Your great-grandmother’s worn table where you remember baking cookies as a child-it works perfectly with this style. That funky antique you found at a great roadside shop with your girlfriends-add that sweet memory to your room. Collections or even a mish mash of things you love can all find it’s home in the Farmhouse Style.
Today I want to share a real family’s Postbox Designs Farmhouse Family Room Makeover!
This Ohio family wanted a place for the entire family to hang out together. And with a mix of dogs AND kids, it had to be comfortable, durable, and still pretty.
This Mom’s #1 request was a sectional sofa. Luckily with the Farmhouse style it means soft, overstuffed pillows and a comfy sofa you can sink into. I found this sectional sofa (#1) from Wayfair. I love the crisp white finish (especially because it is a slipcover). But this sofa came in dozens of colors, and she wanted a gray to help hide the messes of life. As a mama of three she didn’t have to tell me twice! The distressed wood and metal coffee table (#6) and console table (#10) not only show off that Fixer Upper look, but they are SO practical. Who cares about a ding from your kid’s play set when your table is supposed to have that distressed, lived-in look?
But you never want to have just one finish in a room.
The best rooms have multiple tones and finishes to make it look layered. So while we have in some dark woods, break it up with some painted furniture as well. This sweet little side table (#5) keeps the room looking airy. I also created a little console table vignette for the family to take up an empty corner of the room. Over the console table (#10), I added this beautiful glass vase from World Market and suggested filling it in with faux olive branches (#9). Cotton bolls would also make a Fixer Upper fan smile as well. And I also added this vintage looking fan (#18).Then hang something with character over it-like this real grain sack (#7). She can frame it in a shadow box and hang it over the console table.
I could write a sonnet for the Farmhouse Throw Pillow.
This is the #1 easiest (and budget friendly) way to change up your room. If you have a neutral sofa you can change the entire look of your room by swapping in new throw pillows. Whether it is for the season change or you want to go more Boho and less Farmhouse, pillows are the way to do it. I loved this striped trio of pillows (#2) and of course, you have to add in Buffalo Plaid (#8) if you want to go Fixer Upper style. Plus this “Gather” pillow (#3) adds some sweetness to the room. I always try to use pillow covers-especially when there are kids are pets in the home. If your teenage son spent the weekend sick lounging on your sofa? Take off those covers and wash them (same thing goes with sofa slipcovers-they are the B-E-S-T).
If you are at all familiar with my design style I am ALL ABOUT the simple coffee table vignette.
I see so many (gorgeous) magazine spreads with a coffee table piled high with gorgeous treasures…but who lives there? My children would have ever single item destroyed, on the floor, or in their mouth by day’s end. And what they didn’t get, my Labradoodle’s tail would. Keep it simple my friends.
One easy way to style your coffee table:
Tray + Stack of Books + Vase + Decor Object
So for this family I found these great distressed white enamel trays from Target (#11), this great corregated metal vase with ferns from Cloth + Cabin (a great new online boutique from two Moms in my hometown!), along with this knob jar (#15). It is also from Cloth + Cabin, and my kiddos would fill it up with their favorite treasures. I would elevate it on a stack of books, usually 2-3 works well. Take off the dust jackets of books you already own, or grab a few from Goodwill.
How Do you Add Farmhouse Wall Decor… on a Budget?
Well, my favorite answer is FREE. Free printables are amazing, beautiful, and give you a whole lotta options. I recently found the blog the Painted Hive where I found these gorgeous fern botanical (#19) prints HERE. Group them in a series and hang them grid-style in matching frames. My client also had a huge blank area above her sofa. You can spend a lot of money trying to fill such a large space with artwork. Or…you can do something just as beautiful and spend a fraction. The Painted Hive came to my rescue again. She created these to-die-for Quote Printables (#17)-she has an amazing selection and they all fit with the Farmhouse Family Room Style. Best yet-they are FREE, or she can create a custom one for you for a small charge. I suggested to my client that she blow three of them up and hang as a trio over her sofa.
The final feature from this room are these cute ottomans-I love the nailhead trim and their petite size (#16). But best yet, their lids pop off and it gives you extra seating AND hidden storage. Every Mom’s favorite double duty.
Do you ever feel overwhelmed wondering if all of the items you picked up from different stores are even going to work together in your Farmhouse Family Room?
Yah, me too. If you to worry about items coordinating, if their scale works, if you have enough accessories…but not too many. It can feel overwhelming. That is why the 3D rendering is my favorite drawing in my Postboxes that I send to my clients. I put all of their fixtures and furnishings into a 3D drawing to show it all together. Then they can truly visualize their room before buying a single item. Isn’t that loads easier than the buy-and-return cycle? So her is a rendering of my client’s Farmhouse Family Room. She can click and buy even single item from her Digital Shopping List and have her room ordered in an hour. Pretty cool.
So you LOVE the Fixer Upper Style Too? Here are:
10 Fixer Upper Items to Add to Your Family Room
No 1. A White, Tan, or Gray Sofa (the more overstuffed the better)
No 2. Striped Throw Pillows (Ticking Stripe, Grain Sack Stripe, or Pinstripes work well)
No 3. Natural Fiber Rug (Jute or sisal hold up great to dirt and foot traffic)
No 4. Distressed Wood Table (look for descriptions like weathered, antiqued, distressed, limed)
No 5. Black and White Photos (whether it is a cow or your kids it will work with Farmhouse Style)
No 6. Something weathered, beat-up and whimsical (this is the place to add something that makes you smile)
No 7. Botanicals (ferns, cotton bolls, olive branches, succulents all go well-real or faux is fine!)
No 8. Painted Furniture (Try a mix of wood and painted pieces for the best look in any room)
No 9. Woven, Metal, or Wire Baskets (Use oversized ones for blankets or small ones with lids to hide toys)
No 10. Add paneling: Shiplap, Bead board, Board and Batten, or vertical paneling. The classic is white, but you can go a bit modern with gray or even black)
If you liked this Farmhouse Family Room you might also love some other Farmhouse Makeovers by Postbox Designs:
15 Items to Style a Farmhouse Family Room on a Budget
Farmhouse Family Room for New Parents
Farmhouse Dining Room Mood Board + Shopping List
Farmhouse Home Office + Command Center
And finally if you love the Fixer Upper Famhouse Look I have the Freebie you are gonna need. I have a FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY chock full of FREE Mood Boards, Lists, Guides, and more. Inside you will find this 10 Starter Pieces for Your Home Mood Board + Shopping List. You will find budget friendly, neutral, timeless pieces for your home to build a great foundation. Then layer on accessories and decor items to fit your style.
Join me next week for another real Postbox Makeover! In the meantime we can be friends over on Facebook or Instagram where I share free interior design ideas and help. Feel free to pop on over and ask me YOUR question and I’ll be sure to answer it!
Cheers,
Kristin
Leave a Reply