Primitive and Rustic Country Accents

I've always loved how you can take an old dresser, even old kitchen cabinets, and completely change the look of a room with just a coat of paint and some new hardware.

Sometimes you don't even need the paint! The new knobs, pulls and door knobs do all the work.

I have a friend who feels her bedroom needs a lift, but she doesn't want to strip, paint, tape, and move furniture around. The room is already a rustic, cabin, woodsy decor, but she wants to make it a little more 'ranch', or 'western'. This really isn't hard to do and we can make the change in less than a few hours and $100 with the right accent hardware.

That's why, over the next few days, I'll be hunting down and displaying some really cool western, cowboy, Texan, or ranch - but still all down home country - hardware. And I'll be showing you what I come up with as I go.

Be sure to drop me a line if you have any thoughts, ideas or suggestions on any of the pieces I showcase! I always appreciate your help.

Learning About Focal Points

A primitive country focal point in a room can be compared with the active verb in a sentence - you need it for the room to be complete.

Once decided upon a focal point, you can then arrange the larger pieces and furniture in a way that will empower the accent or collection. In other words, when you are sitting in the room eyes will natually and easily be attracted to the focal point in a most natural and comfortable way.

Well talk about some some country decor focals and accents in a moment, bear with me, I just need to discuss the room at large first...

The manner that the furniture is placed must also encourage conversation. Start by placing chairs, with no more than three meters of space between them. More than that means you won't be able to hear your family or guests without raising your voice. Naturally the chairs or armchairs must be placed facing the focal point.

Each chair should have a little table placed comfortably by. Coffee tables are excellent for this as a shared space to rest drinks and books. End tables are more intimate and personal and are generally placed very close to an arm or club chair.

The most common furniture arrangement is a U-shape in which the open space of the U is occupied by the focal point.

Here's an example: focal point on the northern wall, couch on the eastern wall, another couch on the western wall and two armchairs on the southern wall.

An alternative to the U-shape style but nearly as accomodating to good decor is the 'L'.