Residential interior decoration goes through phases. Right now, we seem to be in the farmhouse phase. Between vintage farmhouse and its cousin, modern farmhouse, it seems like everyone and their cousin wants the home to look more like a 100-year-old farmhouse than anything younger than the 1950s. The question is this: can vintage farmhouse work in any home?
Not to straddle the fence, but the answer is both ‘yes’ and ‘no’. It really depends on how much money you want to spend, whether you are willing to do some serious remodeling, and just how much you really love the vintage farmhouse style.
Do not misunderstand. There is a lot to love about this particular decorating style. People appreciate vintage farmhouse because of its:
- simplicity
- neutral color schemes
- emphasis on wood and other natural materials
- ability to capture typical Americana.
The farmhouse movement is so strong that entire businesses have been built up around it. Lehi, Utah’s Jami Ray Vintage is a good example. At Jami Ray Vintage, they say any home is a good candidate for vintage farmhouse. You just have to follow some fundamental rules.
Decide How Far You Want to Go
The first rule of vintage farmhouse interior design is to decide how far you want to go before you get started. Are you looking for just a vintage farmhouse overlay, or do you prefer to go as far as you can without actually tearing down the building and putting up a new farmhouse?
Figuring this out is important because it will determine how you go about decorating your home. Though it might be an exaggeration, picture trying to transform an ultramodern New York flat into a vintage farmhouse. You can only do so much without major construction. Are you willing to go that far?
Establish a Reasonable Budget
Any home can be completely transformed into a vintage farmhouse if you have enough money to spend. But what we are really talking about here is interior decorating, not taking a home down to its studs and starting over. Still, you need a budge. It is too easy to spend a lot of money if you do not intentionally limit yourself.
Decide on Your Spaces
Vintage farmhouse is not for everyone. Maybe you dream of a home in which every room has the farmhouse look, but your kids think you are crazy. It is probably not a wise idea to touch their bedrooms. You might even want to leave the family room out of it. Instead, focus your attention on the kitchen, bathrooms, and the dining room. Use those rooms to get your vintage farmhouse fix.
A lot of people new to vintage farmhouse start in the kitchen. That is a smart move given how important the kitchen is when it comes time to sell a home. Vintage farmhouse kitchens tend to sell pretty well these days. Having said that, you might redecorate the kitchen and decide that’s enough. You are satisfied enough with your farmhouse kitchen that you don’t need to touch any other rooms. There’s nothing wrong with that.
The best thing about the vintage farmhouse style is that it is so open to interpretation. Remember that what you are trying to create is a look reminiscent of the centuries hold farmhouse occupied by a family that probably wasn’t all that concerned about interior decorating. In short, you can get away with a lot of things that other design styles will not tolerate.
Vintage farmhouse can work in any home. The only question is how far you want to go with it.
