“Rustic” is one of those words that we can hear and visualise immediately without ever truly understanding exactly what it means.
For some, the rustic style could mean a quaint log cabin and for others, it could just mean warm browns and greens – natural colours.
Generally speaking, it’s a style that’s all about bringing the outdoors in and what room in your home could be more perfectly suited for this treatment than the room that’s already a little from column A and a little from column B. We’re referring, of course, to your conservatory.
But how can you bring that rustic look to your conservatory without getting carried away? Here, we’ll be offering a few top tips that should give you more than a few ideas.
Distressed wood
There is nothing that screams “rustic” quite like the natural glamour of distressed wood. Thousands of modern designs try to replicate that organic appeal, but for our money, the best thing you can do here is to seek out genuinely old and disused wooden furniture and renovate (or ‘upcycle’) it.
Industrial flair
We’re not talking about bringing the flair of the factory floor into your home here but there is a certain something to be said for the industrial design philosophy.
Metal, chrome, gold, and silver and complementary colours and textures that can work well with lighting fixtures, for example.
Match a metal chandelier with a distressed wooden table and you’ll be thrilled with the results.
Soft leathers
Leather isn’t cheap but it does look and feel incredible. However, it’s also a material that tends to absorb heat and cold, which means it’s not particularly ideal for your brand new conservatory.
That’s not to say you can’t experiment with the more affordable (and comfortable) fake leather alternatives. Match a fake leather sofa with some billowy throws and soft pillows and you’ll have yourself a conservatory to be proud of.
Exposed brickwork
Now, we’re not going to assume there is much (if any) exposed brickwork in your conservatory (well, there might be on one wall, at least), but there are plenty of ways to get that authentic ‘New York’ rustic look without building a literal wall.
There are many vinyl wallpapers, for example, that look authentic and give off a uniquely textured and unfinished vibe.
The call of the wild
When you think of rustic log cabins your mind also probably turns to deer heads stuffed and mounted on the walls. This is hardly ideal (particularly if you’re an animal lover), but you can quite comfortably replace this grim aesthetic with something more friendly.
We’re talking animal-print rugs and paintings, pictures and photos of wildlife and accents such as fake antlers.
Bringing the outside in
You’re only a few steps away from the garden anyway so why not bring in a few plants and make the most of the fact you’re halfway between the outdoors and the indoors?
There are plenty of plants that grow quite comfortably indoors and they are more likely to get the sunshine they need in a conservatory than they are in your living room.