So you fell in love with that reclaimed wood buffet, didn’t you? Well, no surprise here - we all did. Its funky colors and industrial style are perfectly contrasting and a serious statement piece to any room. And bonus: it’s environmentally friendly (look at you, doing your part for Mother Earth). Question is, how can you incorporate it into your own space? Rustic or industrial chic style isn’t as hard to achieve as it seems and it’s also extremely versatile. It’s a classy, yet casual; masculine, yet feminine; and rustic, yet modern yin and yang kind of mix that showcases the best of both worlds.
The key to creating this style (or seamlessly incorporating a reclaimed piece of furniture to your existing decor) is simple and sometimes even happens by fluke: all it takes is a bit of mix and unmatching. In other words, mix sleek, simple, contemporary items made from crisp, modern textures like mirrors, glass and plastics with roughed up and vintage materials like reclaimed woods, galvanized steel and brick or stone. The goal is to create contrast, and here are some tips to prepare any existing space for that gorgeous, colourful reclaimed wood piece.
1. Don’t overdo it
Clutter is the enemy of urban chic decor. Industrial-style spaces are often vast, empty spaces filled with natural light and are usually unfinished, showcasing exposed support beams and brick walls. You don’t need that kind of space to recreate the style, but it is important to recreate the feeling of vastness and openness to truly nail it. You can easily do that by keeping your furniture and accessories to a minimum. If you’re updating an existing space, remove excess clutter on shelves or tables, keep only a small number of wall decor items and eliminate oversized pieces of furniture or ones that that don’t really serve a function. Doing this will increase the amount of navigable space around your furniture and create a breathiness. Hint: this is the perfect style for small spaces because it creates an air of openness. Reclaimed wood is a great condo furniture idea.
2. When in doubt, go vintage
Because this style tends to blend together old and new, don’t be afraid to shop in flea markets and thrift shops to find truly unique accessories. And if you have friends or family trying to get rid of some old items, go scour through their basement! You’d be surprised what you can find. As they say: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!
When you buy vintage, you’re actually incorporating a piece of history right into your home. Sometimes we get lucky and we are able to source vintage furniture which is between 50 and 100 years old!
Talk about a conversation starter!
3. Stick to a neutral color palette (and maybe one accent color)
This is especially true if you’re interested in the colorful recycled painted furniture. Keeping the color palette of the room neutral will help make the piece stand out, but also give you more wiggle room with rugs and accessories. If you do want to incorporate color, choose one that you really enjoy and buy a few colored accessories or a rug with those accents to bring that color out. You can easily mix and match pieces that are different shades of one main accent color. Don’t forget rule #1: don’t overdo it! A little goes a long way, and you’ll be surprised how a bit of color here and there heightens the whole decor.
You’ll probably notice that most recycled painted furniture tend to show blue or green tones. This is due to where the majority of the recycled wood comes from: Jodhpur. Funnily enough, Jodhpur is also known as the “bluecity”, because the majority of the houses are painted blue, although nobody knows for sure why that is. Some say it’s because the blue color reflects light and therefore helped cool down the interior of the homes. Others say the blue used to signify a Brahman’s home, and then it became a kind of trend. No matter the reason, the reality is that you’re more likely to find reclaimed wood furniture that shows remnants of blue or green because of this.
4. Embrace imperfection
If you want a rustic look, you have to be tolerant of imperfections and blemishes. You need to be able to see the beauty in raw natural materials like wood, linens, wool and metals. Most of reclaimed or recycled pieces have some pretty obvious imperfections. Rather than being hidden away, these imperfections are actually what makes its beauty. Over time, you may even see some of the natural materials cracking or fading - that’s ok.
Now, if you’re someone who likes glass, white and chrome, you can still achieve a rustic look, just in a different way. Like I mentioned earlier, rustic chic is a blend of modern and vintage. Don’t be afraid to throw in a few reclaimed pieces of furniture in your contemporary room to transform it. You’ll be surprised how just one item can make a difference and really warm up your space.
5. Opposites attract
Creating balance is an important feature to creating an industrial style. A sleek simple sofa can be paired with a rough, reclaimed wood coffee table. But don’t just look for individual pieces that have opposing textures or finishes, you should also look for individual pieces who use several kinds of opposing materials. Look for furniture with both wood and iron accents or lighting with metal and wooden features. Stone or concrete is another good choice for accent pieces or accessories, and as pots for plants. The more you mix and blend, the closer you’ll get to rustic industrial chic!
I hope these tips helped you envision how you can incorporate reclaimed and recycled wood furniture into any space. Come check out the affordable reclaimed wood collection on www.rusticfurnitureoutlet.ca and start transforming your space into a beautiful rustic chic oasis!
Isabelle Blondin is our resident Interior Designer at Rustic Furniture Outlet. Backed by an Interior Design degree from LaSalle College in Montréal, Québec and a passion for design, her tips and tricks will set you on the right track to creating a beautiful space. Follow our blog to for her weekly insights, and feel free to comment or ask questions! We'd love to hear from you!