You might have seen a couple of pictures tagged country chic on Pinterest, loved the look, and now you’re left wondering how you can pull it off in your own space. First, you need to know what the décor style is all about.

What is country chic?

Country chic, also called “shabby chic” sometimes, is a decor style that involves using distressed furniture, pastel colors, and a certain kind of vibrance. It is a casual and relaxed décor style that involves a mix of modern and antique pieces. It has a rustic charm to it with a refreshing feel. Country chic can be described as an eclectic style because you would have to combine a lot of different pieces and find a way for them to fit.

The great thing about creating a country chic space is that not all the items used have to be new so you can save a bit of money. There’s nothing wrong with having more pictures to pin on your inspiration board to help you figure things out, so let’s get started.

1. Distressed Textures And Pastels

Distressed textures are commonly ascribed to the rustic décor style but if we’re being honest, country chic combines the style with elegance very well. Distressed wooden furniture adds character to a room and gives a cozy feeling. Sometimes, it might be hard to get a truly old piece so it’s easier to whitewash a new one yourself or buy ready-made replicas. Even if your furniture does not have a distressed look, you can have them painted with pastel colors. If there are ornate carvings on the wood, it will look that much better.

2. Old-Fashioned Kitchen Island

Every eclectic kitchen needs an island but if you truly want to have the country chic style, you can’t use a marble-topped counter. Let’s go the old-fashioned way! You will need to find and repurpose a free-standing island. A wooden one is your best bet — be sure to keep an eye out for one with a lot of drawers. You need extra storage space, won’t you?

3. Repurposed Pieces

The beautiful thing about the country chic style is that you have the freedom to repurpose items even after they have experienced wear and tear. The alternative name “shabby chic” comes as no surprise. You’ll probably want to find out about yard sales going on in your area. That’s the kind of place you can find great pieces at ridiculously cheap prices.

4. Floral Design

You can’t go wrong with having floral designs in your country chic-styled space. Of course, you will have to ease into it and start small such as with your dining table napkins or a curtain. Instead of having floral patterns on fabric or your kitchenware, you can try flower arrangements. They can be easily put together or you can simply purchase them. The flowers should have a pastel color scheme, and real flowers are even better.

5. Patina Metal Pieces

Patina metal pieces work well to create the rustic charm of country chic spaces. Metals usually have patina when they have been exposed to weather conditions over a long period, so finding such a piece should not be hard. If it turns out to be a difficult find for you, there are ways to speed up the process. Doing this can help even inexpensive pieces add much more character to a room.

6. Eclectic Dining Area

If you’re a lover of mix-and-match styles or you seem to always misplace one item of a pair, you’ve found your perfect match. In your dining area, all the chairs do not have to be the same and the table does not have to match any of them. It can be a repurposed table or not. Forget about matching dining sets also. There’s a balance to making it all fit together but with a little experimentation, you’re sure to figure it out. There’s no right or wrong, only a personalized country chic style.

7. Striped Pattern

Stripes can be subtly introduced into your decor and they look good in a well-coordinated arrangement. They do not have to be bold or overwhelming. You can have one or two lines on your furniture or even in your curtain fabric.

8. Neutral Palette

There is a certain kind of coziness that a neutral palette creates. Using a mix of white, grays, and beige for your walls and other accessories will give you the look you want. You can also introduce pastel colors while retaining the relaxed look. Pastel blues and greens can be used for the flowers in flower vases and your curtains.

9. Rustic Accessories

Rustic accessories can be whitewashed wooden pieces or fabrics with peculiar textures. A jute rug will look nicely placed at the center of the room. An arrangement of different sizes of wicker baskets should also be considered. A wall hanging with a distressed-looking wooden frame would look quite pretty in front of a cream-colored wall.

Now that we have given you some tips and tricks for how to decorate your home with a country chic style, we like to break it down room by room and show you the best way to incorporate this style all over the home in a way that works for each room. You’re not going to use the same pieces in the bedroom as you would in the kitchen, so it’s important to know for each room where country chic style fits in.

The Kitchen

When it comes to the kitchen and working with a country chic style, you want to incorporate a lot of pieces that are old, vintage and antique but it’s important not to go overboard. You want to make sure that you still have the chic! That’s a very important element not to pass over. Without the chic, all you have is country.

Think about your kitchen island, for example. You can turn old dressers and apothecary cabinets into a kitchen island — you don’t have to actually us a traditional kitchen island.

The classic key elements of a country-chic kitchen are bright and airy spaces with plenty of wood, a hint of farmhouse, and some shabby chic style. This style is the perfect selection for those seeking a comfortable, homey aesthetic in their kitchen.

Exposed brick is another classic element in a country chic kitchen. Whether or not you paint it is up to you, but if you have it, consider exposing your brick. Brick is a great way to add texture and give your space a more rustic feel.

Some other great ideas for a country chic kitchen are to keep your pots and pans out. Hang them if they are pretty or vintage looking and they become part of the decor. Exposed beams and beautiful statement lighting made of tin or rusted patina are also a classic choice for country chic.

The Bedroom

White is a color that transverses traditional and modern decor. It is the perfect color base for a grand country chic bedroom. Paired with a brass bed, the warm white ruffled bed set sets the chic country tone perfectly in this space.

Painted rustic furniture is another classic touch for a country chic bedroom. Milk paint is a great paint to use as it gives that chippy paint look that is so coveted in a country chic style. You can makeover an existing dresser that you already have or head to your local thrift store or even scour buy and sell sites.

The Bathroom

One of the great things about designing a country chic bathroom style is that you most times end up with a lot of storage and shelving. When it comes to country chic, rustic furniture pieces, wood shelving, and hutches work well in a bathroom, which affords you extra space to store items.

Here in my own bathroom, I made over a piece of furniture that I scored off of Facebook Marketplace for $20. I went with Milk Paint to give me that chippy paint look that is ideal for a country chic bathroom.

A ruffled sink skirt is another way to add a bit of country chic flair, and when it comes to lighting options, you can’t go wrong with a stunning crystal chandelier. Hanging pendants are also a popular choice — just stay away from dark or dreary color choices. A country chic bathroom looks best with a light and airy feel.

And, of course, one can’t go wrong with an antique claw foot tub!

Related: 18 Bathrooms for Shabby Chic Design Inspiration

The Living Room

The color schemes for a country chic living room is generally either white or gray, and it is usually accented with soft greens and browns to tie in the rustic look of the wood centerpieces. These ideas can appeal to most women, but they are also designed to provide a comfortable feel for the men of the house as well.

A neutral color palette can provide a great base for seasonal decorations. The feelings of fall are set with a few artful accents. Brown accent pillows and knitted throws make a person want to curl up on a breezy fall day. Don’t forget the special touches like switching out wall art and adding fall pieces to your table décor.

Layering décor can add depth and warmth. Off-white pillows on a beige couch help prevent a sterile feeling. Rustic pieces give a comfortable, lived-in vibe, while beautiful table lamps and ceiling-hung windows define the boundaries of the space. A patterned rug layered on top of a solid one adds cohesiveness to the space.

A shiplap accent wall painted white adds texture to a bare wall. There are textured rugs layered on top of one another. Plush pillows and cozy-looking throw blankets beg to be snuggled under. A gold-gilded lamp and framed graphic art provide posh, while natural branches and wooden dough bowl centerpieces provide natural warmth.

A pink blush pillow, frilly-edged pillows, a bow, and tassels on rugs add softness and femininity to the space and balance the otherwise straight lines.

Window frames can be finished in such a wide variety of options that they can match nearly any décor style but they are a most perfect fit for country chic styles. This rectangular pair is finished with distressed white and provides a beautiful rustic backdrop for a natural leafy wreath in a neutral-toned living room.

They provide just enough structure above the mantle to break the expanse of the wall while still maintaining the neutral feel. However, available in a variety of custom options means that if you’d like yours to stand out more or be a different shape, that’s possible.

The Laundry Room

While in the past, laundry rooms were tucked away in the basement and often cold dark places, it’s become more common to actually designate a space upstairs for laundry and make these rooms pretty and decorated, so if country chic is your style, here are some laundry rooms that are sure to inspire you.

Utilize every inch of your space by including the ceiling in your design. This ladder shelf works perfectly as an indoor drying rack for all of your delicate clothing pieces. Whether you need a place to hang your kid’s soccer jersey or air-dry your favorite jeans, this overhead ladder shelf offers you all of the hanging space you crave. If you have an old ladder that you no longer need, this is a useful DIY project that gives your garage a little extra space.

Channel that antique and vintage treasure of old into your new farmhouse design. From the oversized antique washing tub to the feed trough storage shelf, these pieces give both needed storage solutions and country charm. An oversized sink is ideal for soaking your kids’ stained clothes and making tie-dye shirts or any other host of adventures your clothes find themselves in.

Rethink and repurpose some of the items in your home by transitioning them into another room. This once elegant furniture piece reserved for the formal dining room gets a new life as a practical everyday storage space in the laundry room. Providing a built-in counter space for sorting and folding, this hutch cabinet has plenty of room to store all your washing and drying essentials and keep them in an easy-to-find place.

Related: Farmhouse Laundry Room Design Ideas That Serve Function and Form

The Entryway

The entryway is the first sneak peek of your home. When guests walk in they will immediately know just what style you want your home to convey so if it’s country chic that you’re after here are some gorgeous inspirational looks that you can copy or use as a starting point to style your own coveted country chic entryway.

Mix elements of vintage and antique nature with greenery. This will give you a timeless country-chic look. Vintage scales, old crocks and wooden mashers add warmth and style — and of course, a cute puppy! 

The timeless antique aesthetic gets a chic update with perfectly potted greenery and rustic wooden seating. Guests will no doubt want to linger in your foyer thanks to this inviting mixture of country quaintness and eye-catching implements.

Who doesn’t want a nook to settle into when they come in from the cold? If the standard mudroom isn’t to your liking, this cozy corner provides a pretty space for removing boots and items upon entering. A charming slate-style picket sign and spacious bureau-style table make coming home an affair to savor.

Distressed and/or reclaimed wood makes for easy and impossibly attractive storage and seating inspiration, and this front entrance blends style and convenience in a way that stays true to the farmhouse philosophy. While coats and boots can be stored above and below with ease, personal items and decorative accents draw the admiring eye on high.

Related: 16 Farmhouse Entryway Ideas to Make Your Guests Feel Welcome

If you love the rustic style but want a bit more elegance, country chic could be the perfect fit for you. It is not an overly expensive décor style and you don’t need any level of expertise to pull it off. There are no set rules for how things should be done, only ideas and inspiration from different sources. You’re allowed to interpret the style in your way. Have fun finding wonderful antique pieces!

If you enjoyed reading all about country chic, here are some other design styles you may like:

• 30 DIY Farmhouse Decor Ideas That Look Just Beautiful!
• 20 Examples of Contemporary vs Modern Design and Architecture
• French Country Interior Design Ideas