Rustic interior design is eternally popular because it gives us beautiful furniture, clean colours and distinctive, purposeful spaces. It’s one of our favourites because it’s easy to get right and only needs a few elements.
Here’s how to get the rustic look in your bedroom:
Get a rustic wooden bed frame
Rustic wooden bed frames have chunky legs with a light, medium or dark finish. Pine and oak are the most popular woods for bed frames (oak is more expensive) with wax or stain, although some frames also come unfinished.
The Nordic Mill Connie is a stylish high wooden bed frame that straddles the line between rustic and modern styles, or if you want an ottoman, the Milan Madrid is a fantastic choice. Our favourite low bed is the Flintshire Pentre.
Alternatively, if your bedroom already has many natural finishes, an upholstered base in grey, cream or beige is great for a bit of contrast.
Match your furniture to your rustic bed
Chances are, you will buy your bed separately from your furniture. Thankfully, all you need to do is match the stain/wax finish – so long as the furniture is the same colour, it will blend in perfectly, giving your bedroom consistency.
Smaller and less furniture is better
The rustic style has a rightful reputation for creating homely, cosy spaces, but chunky furniture and natural finishes can make spaces feel smaller. The problem is compounded by most rustic furniture being oversized.
Consider reducing furniture pieces in your bedroom and choosing more miniature furniture to have more floor space and visual space.
For example, a taller, slimmer chest of drawers and a narrower dressing table will give you more floor space without sacrificing practicality.
Add texture and colour contrast with white and brown
‘White and brown’ is your go-to colour combination for the rustic style. If you did nothing but put brown rustic furniture in a crisp white room, you would already be 80% there with the perfect rustic bedroom.
We don’t all have the luxury of exposed timber beams, but you can get a wooden bedroom door, wooden skirting and wooden décor – these elements will look fantastic with white walls and help bring your bedroom to life.
Colour with earthy tones
If you want to add colour, earthy tones are your best friend for rustic design. Browns, greens, reds, yellows, and blues are all perfect, providing they are mixed with grey.
Warm earthy colours evoke a sense of comfort and positivity, while cool earthy colours are energetic and creative. You can use these colours for decoration and décor, adding different textures for tactile quality and character.
Make a pinstripe feature wall
Pinstripes are fantastic for setting a rustic scene, adding doses of colour and geometry to otherwise flat walls. The wall behind your bed is the best place for a feature wall, and you can choose any colour pinstripe that makes you happy.
We love pink/cream and blue/cream pinstriped wallpaper because it contrasts beautifully with rustic furniture and décor.
Go vintage for décor and bedroom features
For wall features, small furniture pieces and décor, vintage pieces from charity shops, antique dealers and car boot sales are perfect. You can usually haggle on price and get a fantastic discount on things you love.
Prefer to shop online? Etsy is an excellent place for reconditioned vintage décor and furniture, or you can try eBay, Gumtree or Shpock.
Flowers are always essential – fake, dried or living
The finishing touch for your rustic bedroom is flowers and greenery – these will bring your bedroom to life and inject a dose of nature.
Cut flowers add natural colour to your bedroom, or you can get an evergreen plant/tree for year-round colour. Dried and fake flowers are other options for year-round colour, although they don’t grow and change over time.
If you don’t want or like flowers/plants, why not decorate with florals instead? Floral wallpaper and bedding will also give you a dose of nature. Floral upholstery is beautiful, and you can change up textures to add character.