Trends are always coming and going. By definition, really. But it seems like it’s happening faster all the time.
When it comes to interior and upholstery design, that means that one season you might feel like you and your home are dialed into the moment. And then within a season or two, you suddenly feel like the design world is declaring that you’re wildly out of sync.
Trends are mostly well-intended. But also a kind of, well, hooey. (Technical term there.) Yes, as we often explore here with sincere delight, design evolves to better meet the needs of the time and to better serve the needs of our lives. No, that doesn’t mean you and your home are suddenly completely out of sync. Just as some cool new clothing item doesn’t mean your entire wardrobe is now useless.
Case in point is our topic today: farmhouse design style.
Trendy-Schmendy: Pull Back The Curtain On What A Trendsetter You Are
With a basic Google search, you can quickly find some tantalizingly clickable headlines declaring the death of farmhouse design style. Not so. For a few reasons.
- A design trend is only relevant if you love it. Country farmhouse or modern farmhouse design is still a “thing” if it’s still a thing for you. No, really. Unless your primary goal for your living space is to be featured in some trendsetter article in a design magazine, you get to choose what’s right for your life and your home.
- Change is good. Frequent readers of this blog will note a penchant for clothing-related analogies. Here’s another. Drop into the late 1800s and you’ll find radically different Levi’s jeans than in the 1950s which are radically different than the ones from the 1970s. But they’re all still jeans. They just build on the basics and evolve. Same with design. Trends evolve.
- Some things never change. Spoiler: It’s not like there’s been some discovery of an entirely new set of textures and other underlying building blocks used in home construction and interior design. As we’ll discuss next, the core elements of farmhouse design are still there, still reliable, and still exuding a timeless quality useful in design.
So, in a time when it’s trendy to put the timelessly charming vibe of farmhouse design style out to pasture, we’ll buck the trend (and do our best to ditch the puns here shortly). Let’s explore what today’s farmhouse design looks like and give you some tips to help you refresh and evolve your home’s vibe.
What’s In And What’s Out In Farmhouse Design Style For Your Home Now
Taylor Swift may be the queen of the music world these days, but that doesn’t mean that, let’s say, Tim McGraw is struggling to find an audience. Interior design may be changing but farmhouse is solid, here to stay, AND evolving. So, what does farmhouse design look like now? Let’s talk about what’s really out and what’s really in.
Mimickery is out, authenticity is in. We think you’ll agree, this is really good news. We’re moving away from endless random tchotchkes or signs with words written on them from your local discount hobby store. But what was the underlying intention there? The idea was to add some personality, joy, and the basic sense that an actual person lives in your home. So, do that. Feel free to feature photos, art, or objects that have a story — your story. Mimickery is out, authenticity is in.
Frumpy is out, sleek and natural are in. One of the things that happened as farmhouse style found its way into mainstream ubiquity is that the further it got away from actual farmhouses the more overdone it became. Now, as things shift evermore authentic, think more modern meets vintage when you think of farmhouse design. That is to say, lean into modern design’s sense of simplicity and order but with the comfort, substance, and timelessness of vintage. Frumpy is out, sleek and natural are in.
Nothing but neutral is out, mixing textures and colors is in. There’s been a whole lot of neutral in the farmhouse design of the past. From colors to textures, a kind of comfort came from the sameness. Now the comfort comes in you-ness. Mixing textures like wood, metal, and natural elements, too. Adding pops of color and patterns that soothe or uplift — all based on your tastes. Nothing but neutral is out, mixing textures and colors is in.
How To Add An Elevated Farmhouse Vibe With Your Home’s Fabrics
What does what we’ve covered so far mean to you and your home? And — more in our bailiwick as the largest online furniture upholstery fabric store — how do you incorporate the modern farmhouse style into your home’s upholstery? Great questions.
First, in terms of colors. It’s not that neutrals are going away entirely in this iteration of farmhouse design. So certainly feel free to deck large swaths of your furnishings in rustic neutral colors like cornsilk beige jacquard, cotton white Crypton tweed, or pewter gray chenille.
But also play a bit more boldly with patterns and colors, like warm pastels or rich jewel tones. Stick with hues that comfort and soothe. Like pale pink herringbone, soothing sage green, deep mystic blue, and rich rusty orange. Colors that comfort and add personality.
Patterns don’t stray completely from a country aesthetic now. But instead of artificially folksy, look for patterns that strike a more resonant, authentic, or vintage note for you. Patterns that add character — your kind of character — to your home. Perhaps abstract large stripes in lichen green, elegant geometric silver gray, melon orange patterned jacquard, an abstract botanical pattern in indigo blue, or even a simple traditional plaid.
And with decorative accessories, feature personal touches. Elevate artwork, photos, objects, and natural elements that reflect you and your story in your home.
The Trending New Farmhouse Design Takeaways For You To Bring Home
Let’s start a new trend as we wrap things up today. Let’s reframe trends entirely by calling them what they really are. Trends are a sometimes gentle, sometimes a bit snobby reminder to evolve. To give yourself the gift of a new home by simply refreshing your home’s vibe.
And — bonus — you get the gift of practicing trusting yourself and your own sense of what brings you joy at the same.
Like with farmhouse design style. Maybe your home is a farmhouse vibe already and you’re thinking of updating things or maybe it hasn’t appealed to you until this latest iteration. Moving into a sleek but comfortable, textured and colorful, uncluttered and personal kind of style vibe requires one thing most of all: You. You and your own sense of what feels best to you in all the above ways that farmhouse design is trending.
We know that sometimes translating those thoughts and feelings about what you want next in your home is easier said than done. That’s why when it comes to all your upholstery fabric needs we’re here and ready and eager to help you get what you need. Reach out today and let’s get your home trending farmhouse fabulous.