25 Rustic Living Room Ideas

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Rustic, Barn-Inspired Details

In country superstar Ronnie Dunn’s barn-inspired retreat, he and designer Rachel Halvorson created a cozy-and-inviting (hello, towering white slipcovered wingbacks) meets rough-and-tough (read: stunning antler chair) aesthetic. Surrounding the rustic furniture, interior Z-brace board-and-batten shutters give a playful nod to a barn, while varying widths of creamy white poplar paneling create an airy ambience.

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Rustic Wood Beams and Reclaimed Barnwood

An impressive floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace—accented with a hunky reclaimed wood beam mantel—lends rustic texture to this lakeside cabin's living room. The planked barnwood ceiling reinforces the cozy, rustic feel while deep, tufted sofas (covered in neutral Crypton fabric for easy care) encourage a kick-back-with-a-book sort of afternoon.

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Corrugated Metal

This Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, home is bursting at the beams with ingenious ideas for all things rustic, reclaimed, and repurposed. In the living room, a panel of salvaged corrugated metal provides the perfect backdrop for the vintage Orley woodstove, while matte gray-black paint is a sophisticated canvas for a casual mix of framed and unframed family silhouettes, oil paintings, and a vintage deer mount. Slipcovers made from drop cloths (sold at home-improvement stores) make for a durable, family- and pet-friendly furniture covering.

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Neutral Color Palette

A neutral palette comes alive when it consists of a combination of light to dark hues in mix of textures, as this rustic living room by designer Melissa Ervin exhibits. From top to bottom, natural woven-shade capped lamps sit atop metal-and-wood side tables, pillows made from vintage textiles decorate a mohair and leather sofa, and a hide rug tops the nubby sisal floor covering.

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Warm Wood Walls

While this sophisticated living room is located in a renovated and repurposed barn (really, it is!), it delivers rustic inspiration that can be applied to any space. The walls and ceiling are planked with reclaimed pine, and the homeowners had the rustic cedar post cut at a local sawmill, requesting that the original bark and moss stay intact to remain as natural as possible. A built-in corner shelf, made of the same wood as the wall and ceiling paneling, adds a charming spot for books and collections. Adding to the rustic vibe: The chandelier is made of an antique wagon wheel, and the coffee table is an old industrial cart.

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Modern Rustic Furnishings

To create a rustic living room that is full of sophistication, keep things on the straight and narrow. In this ample living space that accommodates both seating and dining areas, the warm natural materials—and charming checked fabric—are there but the furniture pieces all boast clean lines and tailored shapes—no overstuffed upholstery here.

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Aged Natural Materials

Surround yourself with aged natural materials and the result is pure rustic beauty. In this cozy window-wrapped sunroom, homeowner Ellen Allen combined a reclaimed wood planked ceiling and walls, an extended stone “baseboard,” and a brick floor to set the rustic scene. An unexpected Lucite table and lots of lush indoor plants and trees keep the room from feeling too dark and heavy.

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An Outside-In Approach

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Natural Stone Surround

Inspired by a room in a Ralph Lauren catalog, these Maryland homeowners added a fieldstone half-wall and fireplace surround. A reclaimed beam rescued from a log cabin serves as the mantel, which is topped with rustic accessories such as an antique iron gate, antlers, and crockery.

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Rustic Whitewashed Brick

If you love the rustic texture of brick, but not the dark colors it brings, opt for a whitewashed look, as DIY blogger Jenna Sue did in this cabin. A mortar wash treatment (also known as a “German smear”) gives red brick an authentically aged look.

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Top-To-Bottom Texture

The secret to this inviting rustic living room? Top-to-bottom texture: starting from the scuffed ceiling beams (salvaged from an old warehouse) to the velvet-covered armchair to the dhurrie-topped sisal rug. Add a wood-planked coffee table, some foraged pine cones, a stack of birch logs, and a vintage tobacco basket above the mantel, and you have a rustic look that can’t be beat.

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Rustic Architectural Salvage

Chippy and peel-y architectural salvage brings a living room instant age and texture. After all, you do find “rust” in “rustic.” The living room of this grain silo-turned-guest house features numerous reuses of rustic salvage, including weathered sheet metal siding, chippy wood window frames, and even an old Champagne shipping crate that homeowner Amy Kleinwachter topped with a grain sack cushion to make into a footstool.

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Pickled Wood Walls

Give pine-paneled walls a fresh makeover by pickling them. The result is a living room that is pure cabin chic. Keep the rest of the rooms' furniture light to continue the modern-meets-rustic look.

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Porch-Worthy Furnishings

Channel this South Carolina screened-in porch to create the ultimate rustic living room. To get the look, start with a rusty-red painted floor and a massive stone fireplace (don’t forget a hand-hewn wood mantel!), add a mix of rattan or Old Hickory hoop chairs plus a cozy braided rug, then substitute the sofa with a charming wood bed swing. Wrought-iron light fixtures and striped pillows complete the rustic look.

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Warm, Textured Materials

Rather than letting the existing red brick wall define the space, homeowners Neil Frauenglass and George Case chose to paint it a creamy white. From there, they layered a new sisal rug with leather, wicker, wood, and linen to create a stylish and personal rustic space. An old wagon wheel and a collection of vintage mounts add the finishing touches.

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Rustic Built-In Cabinet

If you want to keeps things on the lighter side and don’t want a full-out cabin look, start with just one or two rustic elements, such as a simple reclaimed beam mantel or a cabinet crafted of salvaged wood.

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Textured Walls

In this rustic living room, designer James Farmer combined two textures for one warm and cozy surround as a beige grasscloth wallpaper adds woven texture above horizontally-planked wainscoting. Elsewhere, windowpane plaid-covered chairs and pillows provide timeless pattern.

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View-Welcoming French Doors

Let nature provide the decoration by installing large windows or French doors to invite the outdoors in. Painting the walls and ceiling a light color lets the outdoor views shine even more.

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Rustic Reclaimed Materials

For a guaranteed rustic look, start with reclaimed materials. In this Mississippi home, the homeowners set the scene with salvaged heart-pine floors, then used old paving bricks to give the fireplace a been-around-forever feel. On top, horizontal planked wood doors hide the television.

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Hand-Hewn Stone

Upholstered wing chairs and a vintage leather sofa make for cozy seating in this hand-hewn stone wrapped room. When the homeowners discovered the uneven stone under the drywall, they decided to leave it exposed to showcase the home’s original beauty. The low-slung ceiling, punctuated by exposed wood rafters, adds to the room's cozy factor.

Jennifer Kopf is the Executive Editor of Country Living. She also covers antiques and collecting.

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