Rustic Interior Style: How to Get the Rustic Look in Your Apartment
Living Pretty Ep26 // Rustic Interior Style 101: How to Get the Rustic Look in Your Apartment
You love rustic interior style, but you’re wondering how to get the rustic look in your apartment. It’s not like you can install wood beams and barn doors in your small apartment, right?
So in this video, I’m going to tell you about some of the different types of rustic style home decor and show you that you can get the Joanna Gaines Fixer Upper look even though you’re renting!
If you’re looking for rustic style home decor inspiration, studio apartment decorating ideas, and want to create a cozy rustic style apartment, look no further!
Watch the video now!
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I’ve made some slight edits in the transcript below so that everything makes more sense in text form. But overall, this is almost a word-for-word dictation of what I say in the video. I’m a much better writer than this, I swear, haha.
Have you ever watched the show Fixer Upper and thought, “Holy shit. How do I make this rustic splendor happen for myself, I live in a studio apartment in a city not a bigass house in Texas, yet here I am having multiple decorgasms over this damn show because everything Joanna Gaines does is so effing pretty?”
Me too. Me too.
And you know what, I may live in a studio apartment in the city, but I think I did a pretty good job of incorporating some nice touches of rustic styling that give this apartment that raw, earthy, vintage-y vibe that rustic styling tends to evoke.
And in this video, I’m going to show you how to do the same for your apartment.
If you’re new here, I’m Steffi, I’m the creator of the style blog Moda Misfit, and you’re watching Living Pretty, the place for apartment styling tips and small space decor inspiration. So if you’re into that kind of thing, then be sure to subscribe to this channel!
So, I’m going to guide you through what rustic home decor is and how to create the style, so that you can get started on channeling your inner Queen Joanna Gaines.
We all possess within us a little Joanna Gaines just waiting to burst out and start shitting shiplap all over the place.
Oh my god, if I had a blog that was only about rustic decor, I would totally call it Shitting Shiplap.
Anyway, I’m gonna show you Pinterest images, inspiring rustic decor Instagram accounts, the little aesthetic details you should look out for when shopping for rustic home decor, and of course, I’ll show you how I do it in my space.
And if you want to dive deeper into this after watching this video, I recommend you download my free Rustic Decor Inspiration workbook! It’s a pdf that’ll help you get organized, know where to shop and who to follow on Instagram for inspiration, and it’ll basically help you jumpstart your rustic styling.
First, real quick, let’s establish what rustic actually means. The dictionary definition is rustic of, relating to, or suitable for the country : RURAL.
Then there’s a bunch of pretty negative synonyms for rustic, of which I’m particularly partial to “chawbacon” - which sounds simultaneously disgusting and hilarious, so from here, I would like us to refer to rustic interior styling as “chawbacon chic”, if you please.
Mildly insulting definitions aside, rustic basically just means relating to the country, but when it comes to interior styling, it can mean so much more. And that’s what we’re going to dive into from here.
There are a bunch of different types of rustic decor aesthetics you may want to consider, and I’m going to talk about modern rustic, farmhouse, coastal, and french country.
1. Modern Rustic
So let’s start with modern rustic, which is exactly as it sounds: it involves incorporating rustic touches with modern sensibilities, like open floor plans, clean lines, and simple styling.
This pin is an example of modern rustic - you have the raw wood console table bringing the rustic vibe, and the clean lines, simple styling, and overall airy feel bringing the modern vibe in.
An Instagram account that really exemplifies the modern rustic style is @bogusias_dream12. She nails the balance between modern minimalism and the raw, rugged, cozy rustic style.
2. Farmhouse
Farmhouse, on the other hand, leans more into the country vibe. It embraces nostalgia, rugged materials, and the aesthetics of a simpler time.
It often involves repurposing utilitarian objects you’d find in a country home as decor, like this scale in the pin below, or a ladder, or even an old door. Basically, farmhouse decor takes the look and feel of a farm and elevates it.
An Instagram account you should follow for farmhouse inspo is @theelliotthome by Shaye Elliott. She and her family homestead on a farm here in Washington State, and her photos are such a lovely escape from city life. If you want to emulate the farmhouse style, her Instagram and YouTube channel are about as authentic of a source as you can find!
3. Coastal
A rustic coastal style shares similarities with farmhouse - both lean into nostalgia for the past and repurpose utilitarian and found objects as decor.
Only for coastal, the repurposed and found objects are of the nautical variety, like rope, shells, beach rocks, and ship parts. And the nostalgia is for a life at sea, rather than on the farm.
I love @Blackshorestyle’s account on Instagram because she takes the rustic coastal style and makes it cool. I have to admit that I think coastal decor can come across as a bit cheesy and model home-y, but @Blackshorestyle’s home is anything but. It’s cool and dark and interesting, and perfect to follow if you want inspiration for a coastal vibe with a slight edge.
4. French Country
And finally we have French country, which has more of a European flair (obviously) as well as a bit more of an elegant take on rustic styling.
French country shares the nostalgia and some of the raw, ruggedness of rustic styling in general, but you might find an elegant chandelier in the mix or an ornate Parisian style mirror.
On Instagram, @Frenchcountrycottage by Courtney Allison will give you some beautiful visual inspiration for the French country style.
So, now you know some of the different types of rustic decor styles, but what do you do to get the rustic style in your apartment? It’s not like you can install wood beams and barn doors in a rental space, so how can you convey that vibe without pissing off your landlord?
Well, here’s how I do it in my studio apartment.
The rustic styling in my space really comes down to using a few key materials and accessories to convey just enough of a rustic vibe without feeling like you’re being slapped in the face with it.
First, there’s my use of wood throughout the apartment. Of course, wood is pretty much the staple material for rustic styling, so when in doubt, go with wood surfaces.
Even my wall art is woodsy. One of the reasons why I gravitated toward rustic styling in the first place is because I live in Washington, the evergreen state, and I wanted to embrace the woodsy identity of my homeland.
There’s also my borderline absurd use of Edison bulbs in here. Edison bulbs are a great go-to for rustic styling, and I really went balls to the wall with them in my apartment.
And then there are my area rugs from Target, which look old and weathered with a vintage charm. Given their more ornate pattern, they would definitely fall more on the French country side of the rustic spectrum.
And of course, there are the little rustic accessories throughout the space - galvanized metal containers, old looking bottles… plus an overall mix of wood and iron… this all adds up to a rustic aesthetic created purely from furniture and accessories, without an existing rustic architecture.
Well, now that you’ve watched this video, I think you’re not only ready to join the ranks of Queen Joanna Gaines, but I think you’re ready to usurp her.
For daily glimpses into my studio apartment life, follow me on Instagram @moda.misfit.
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