Trendy home design styles range from minimalist to Scandinavian, or traditional to Iron-man-style tech haven. But one style that has been adopted by many homes since ancient times is still here today and is just as beautiful as ever: the rustic home.
Rustic, in its simplest definition, describes a design that’s natural, rough, aged, and casual. But don’t be fooled by its aged element. Having vintage or faux timeworn furniture won’t make your space outdated; on the contrary, it can make it cozier and more Pinterest-worthy.
Besides, a handful of home design styles count as rustic, such as coastal, Tuscan, cottage, and a lodge. Hence, you don’t need to have an entire farmhouse by the lake or woods to consider yourself a rustic homeowner. As long as you have the statement elements of the design, your abode will pass as a real rustic one.
And to do that, you have to be meticulous on the major details, such as the garden, given that they’d make up the majority of your home’s facade. It’ll also define your curb appeal and set the tone for your entire space.
That said, here are the beautiful designs a garden designer will surely approve for your rustic abode:
1. Add Life
A garden is literally an alive space, but in a rustic home, the garden also teems with life in the form of farm animals. Don’t panic yet, because you don’t need to raise a pony unless you want to and you have the land for it.
Instead, consider chickens. Give them a home in your garden by building a chicken coop so that they won’t roam around too far. Chickens are actually a practical pest control solution, as they prey on caterpillars and beetles that may ruin your plants. The fresh eggs they’d lay are a bonus too, saving you money on farm fresh eggs from the grocer.
2. Emphasize the Natural
The defining characteristic of a rustic home is the abundance of natural elements. This means loading up on wood beams, natural stone, and natural fabrics like burlap and canvas. In your garden, incorporate the natural elements using log slices for pavers and keeping your plants a little overgrown but not unkempt. If pulled off really well, your garden will emit a whimsical appeal, as if you’ve stepped onto a fairytale land.
3. Embrace the Past
Modern and contemporary furnishings don’t belong in a rustic space unless you fuse a different theme with a rustic design. But in most cases, rustic looks better alone.
Again, your space doesn’t have to look outdated because of the vintage elements. When you put a timeworn wagon or wheelbarrow in your garden as an accessory, it’ll make your outdoor space feel somewhat otherworldly, not dated. Make a flower bed on that wagon, and it’ll also become a garden out of a fairytale book.
If you have some old chandeliers, don’t get rid of it just yet. Repurpose it into a bird feeder, using the compartments for the bulbs as a little “tray” for fruits. That way, the native birds in your area can fill their stomachs in your garden safely, not to mention add beauty and life into the space.
4. Create an Arbor
One of the best perks of having a rustic garden is that you won’t need to spend a ton to make an arbor. Simply gather logs or sturdy willow branches, and put them together like a gazebo. Leave the bark intact so that vines can creep up and cling to them.
5. Use Lights with Exposed Bulbs
The omission of modern and contemporary elements in rustic encompasses the fixtures, too, which means your lighting options have to include only vintage lanterns, string lights, or anything with an exposed bulb.
Old-style bulbs give off an antique look without foregoing functionality because they are pretty ambient too. Their warm glows can adequately illuminate a space, with the bonus of making it look more dramatic.
You may also tie some string lights around the trunk and the branches or hang lit glass globes from the branches if you have trees. Both styles will be the perfect mood-setter during parties, especially romantic wine nights or bonfires.
6. Get More Creative With Accent Lights
Aside from using ambient lighting, consider elevating your garden’s look further by adding some accent lighting. You can create log pathway lights, in which strip lights are installed within the cracks of the log. During the day, they’ll simply look like ordinary garden stools, but once night falls, they’ll reveal their magic.
To illuminate your garden stairs, try using vintage lanterns. They’ll cast interesting shadows, and you don’t even need to plug them in; simply use battery-powered LED candles, put them inside the lantern, and you’re done.
These beautiful garden design ideas will make your rustic abode feel magical, and we could all use a bit of magic during these tough times. If you are a fantasy movie or novel lover, you’d never want to leave such a dreamy garden ever again.