How to Incorporate Rustic Elements into Your Modern Interior Design

Written by Catherine Collins

Creating a rustic-modern look in your home means embracing the charms of nature and giving your home an organic touch. This enchanting style exudes balance because it combines sleek modern design, that has a clean, minimalist flair, with slightly romantic and definitely authentic rustic décor. From bringing the outside in to finding beauty in the handmade and pre-loved, there’s plenty of enticing ideas and mesmerising elements that will help you capture the spirit of rustic-modern style in your home.

A subdued colour scheme

The rustic-modern style is all about simple elegance that can bring romance to your home. As such, it embraces a neutral palette of open, subtle colours, mainly inspired by nature. Earthy tones with occasional pops of white, ochre and black will create an interesting, natural look in your home. You can also introduce other muted tones, such as dusty pinks, soft blues and understated greens. For example, white walls will work as a lovely backdrop to dark shades and brighter hues used for furniture and accessories. When combined with dark wood floors, such a combination will give your home a natural, elegant appeal.

Image source: bassettfurniture.com

Soothing natural materials

Introducing natural materials to your modern home, especially reclaimed wood, will create a perfect balance and an ambiance of warmth and peacefulness in your space. Reclaimed or weathered wood with authentic innate flaws is the key to creating a rustic look in a modern interior. From stunning hardwood floors and rustic furniture to wicker baskets and branches for decorations, wood will provide you with a world of design possibilities.

Image source: millennialmagazine.com

However, other natural materials have a place in a rustic-modern home, too. For example, an exposed brick wall can work as an enchanting design statement and a focal point of a room. In addition, the reddish hues will fit into the neutral colour scheme perfectly. Natural stone is yet another popular choice that will help you bring the outside in. While rough-cut stone floors will elevate your home décor, a freestanding bathtub made of natural stone will be a stunning focal point in your bathroom.

Layered rustic fabrics

Layered textiles will create a deep, rich rustic look in your modern home. For a truly romantic vibe, make sure to choose materials that feature a distinctly vintage, retro design. In your local stores, you can find a range of stunning textiles, including lush bed linen, knit and lace throw covers, stunning crochet rugs and vintage cushions, perfect for a rustic-modern home. With such inspiring materials, you’ll be able to create an atmosphere of comfort while also elevating your home décor and introducing mesmerising rustic accent details.

The vintage and the modern

Mixing, matching and mismatching furniture pieces and décor items will help you create a visual interest in your home and give it a rustic flair. Since modern homes typically feature elegant furniture with clean, sleek lines, you should introduce antique details that will create a stylish contrast against contemporary design. For example, a vintage armchair will stand out perfectly against a modern sofa and work as the focal point of your living room. Don’t hesitate to incorporate flawed pieces or items found on the flea market – they will only give character to your modern space. Additionally, you can create contrast with elegant custom mirrors just for your home, that will perfectly fit into the new design and provide more visual space and the needed flare.

Image source: okada-eng.com

Floral inspiration and stunning greenery

Rustic-modern design always has room for nature, so you should embrace it, too. From vases of fresh flowers to leafy house plants, greenery will truly liven up your modern space and give it a touch of nature. Potted succulents on your dining table will be enchanting accent details while fresh flowers on your coffee table will create a simple, elegant vibe. If you have an empty corner, embellish it with a large cactus and it will immediately become brighter.

Rustic accessories

For the final touch, you should welcome rustic accessories, such as handcrafted objects and stunning ceramics. Unearthed jars, old bottles, handmade vases, decorative bowls and wooden candlesticks will give personality to your space. When creating lovely decorative groupings, make sure to go with an odd number, preferably three, because this will make the accent detail more memorable and authentic.

Creating a rustic look in your modern home will create a stylish balance between these two styles. A sleek modern look will become much more welcoming and romantic in combination with vintage, rustic elements.

Catherine is a passionate home design consultant from Melbourne. She loves making homes beautiful and buildings sustainable, but she also like sharing her advice and knowledge with people. That is why she is also a regular contributor to the Smoothdecorator blog. Besides all this, she loves reading and enjoys a superhero movie from time to time.