6 Elements to Give Your Home a Traditional Farmhouse Look
Here are my ideas on how you can create a traditional, fresh farmhouse look to your space. There are six vital elements to making a warm, homey, comfortable and unpretentious look that is lived in and loved.
1. White on white palette
A white on white palette allows all the furnishings and artwork to sing. In the design shown, I opted for Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White CC-40 for the walls, ceilings and upper cabinets. The purpose was to get a light and bright feeling.
Although it’s the same colour on these elements, it feels like there is a variation on each item as they are experienced in different planes and are on different materials. This gives texture and movement to the space.
I continued this theme into the selection of furnishings and opted for white cabinetry in several places, all in the same CC-40. Some cabinets were then distressed to give that farmhouse vibe.
We also added texture to the TV feature wall. This was done with wood flooring installed in a chevron pattern and painted CC-40, then sanded back to reveal some of the wood texture. The room feels relaxed as a result.
2. Warm Metals
Warm metals contribute to this farmhouse vibe.
I love to mix warm metals like the oil-rubbed bronze that is seen in the pendant light and the aged brass cabinet hardware on the kitchen cabinets.
There is also some artwork with antique gold gilt frames that I love as they bring in a historical element.
3. Eclectic artwork and furnishings
Eclectic artwork and furnishings give the feeling that the space has been curated over time and passed down over generations. It’s a relaxed way of bringing the space together with a farmhouse look.
I love to do gallery walls and place artwork in a way that is interesting and unexpected. For example, I mixed the frames and mediums in groupings like over the sofa — there is some taxidermy, a brass framed watercolour, a black-framed painting, and a 3D paper art piece for texture.
The television over the fireplace was vital here to give the farmhouse vibe. It looks like artwork but is in reality a Samsung “The Frame” TV.
Another eclectic feature is the cabinet hardware I selected for the kitchen. The uppers remained light with a glass knob and the lowers all have antique brass pulls. The painted blue/gray cabinets are different from the white oak lowers just for another unexpected element and for texture and interest.
4. Wood Elements
Incorporating wood elements helps to get the farmhouse look.
I absolutely love this white oak window and door casing. It brings a traditional warmth to the space that’s light and bright.
We used the same white oak for the decorative hood fan over the stove to tie the spaces together.
A design trick I use is to bring together different colours, textures, and finishes in kitchen cabinetry. Here I chose to keep the uppers light and brought some contrast to the lower cabinets. The lower cabinet colour is one of Benjamin Moore’s colours for 2020 (Oxford Gray 2128-40). The cabinets under the window were left in the white oak finish to complete the look.
5. Traditional Style
Traditional is key to a farmhouse look.
With the kitchen, we kept the style traditional with classic shaker style doors. We used bulky, detailed window and door casings and baseboards with backbands to give extra depth and detail.
The coffered ceiling in the family room is the piece de resistance to complete the look.
6. European tile
The final element that brings this look together is the European tile work.
I selected the backsplash tile as a contrasting element and a focal point to go with my oak hood fan. I fell in love with these tiles with their antiqued finish and terra cotta grout colour. The soft blue in them is a favourite colour of mine.
That is key in design, that you pick items that truly speak to you as a homeowner.
Once I picked the tile, the cabinet base colour was easy to draw out of the tile and completed the look.
Also, the Versailles pattern in the travertine floor creates that look of a farmhouse with its soft, warm edges.
That’s it.
With these six elements in mind, you can create a fresh farmhouse in your home too!Family RoomCabinetKitchenKitchen