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Farmhouse Living

9 ways to bring comforting farmhouse style into your space

Summer Baltzer/Houzz
May 17, 2016 | 9:04 am
Farmhouse wraparound front porch from Houzz
The wraparound porch is a staple of farmhouse design.
Photo courtesy of Whitten Architects, Houzz

Farmhouse interiors are all about the simple details. This decidedly American style is experiencing a major resurgence, appealing to those who prefer the classic, comforting style of a simpler time. It's a blend of architectural details, most easily recognized by covered porches, inherited pieces, light colors, and rough-hewn finishes.

This easy-breezy, sentimental look can be achieved by anyone, anywhere. Here are nine ways to bring farmhouse details into your space.

1. The wraparound porch. An outdoor living space, the porch was traditionally used as a mudroom or a place for getting respite from the heat when it was too hot inside during the summer. It eventually became a place for enjoying shared moments with family and friends, rocking away the time while taking in the evening air.

Get this look: Don't have a wraparound porch? A porch, patio, balcony, or stoop of any size can still help you get the farmhouse look. Rockers and country flowers are classic, but if you're short on space, a rustic planter filled with wildflowers will set the tone.

2. Classic lantern lighting. A beacon of colonial American lighting, the classic lantern has embedded itself into farmhouse decor and refuses to budge. The clean and simple fixture is perfect for a farmhouse exterior or interior.

Get this look: Consider replacing a piece of focal lighting in your home with a classic lantern. Smaller sconces suit front entries well, and larger pendants work beautifully above a dining room table. If installing a new fixture isn't in the cards right now, pick up a few budget-friendly tabletop pendants.

Browse Thousands of Light Fixtures on Houzz

3. The warmth of wood. Wood was often used in farmhouses because of its abundance and accessibility to landowners. The scuffs and scrapes that come with longtime use convey a farmhouse's history. Don't be afraid to embrace wood — the more rustic the finish, the more nostalgic it will feel.

Get this look: If you can't afford to put in hardwood floors throughout your house, try putting them in a part of your home that's seen the most — like the family room. Wood furniture, wall paneling, and accessories can also help you create that farmhouse warmth without renovating your entire home.

15 Key Pieces for Modern Farmhouse Style

4. Light and bright. For some early farmhouse owners, the walls were kept light because of limited access to more expensive colored finishes. Families with a little more money sometimes used wallpaper in important spaces, such as entryways, to showcase their style or affluence. But simple, light walls have become an identifiably classic characteristic of farmhouse interiors, providing rich contrast against darker treasured design elements.

Get this look: Paint your walls, trim, doors, and baseboards in a light color for an affordable and easy way to honor farmhouse style. Woodwork isn't always painted in farmhouses, but if your home has limited light, you may consider painting any dark wood to brighten your space. Just be careful — once you paint wood, there's no going back.

5. Relaxed fabrics. Farmhouses aren't fussy. Textiles and upholstery were often handmade or passed down, well loved by the generations who inherited them. As a result of this heirloom style of decor, fabrics were generally mixed and matched for a comfortable, eclectic, and lived-in feel.

Get this look: In early rural America, cotton was king, so take that as your cue when thinking of a comfortable base fabric to work with. If kid chaos is a concern, use a poly blend for wear and tear, but keep the styling simple.

6. Heart of the home. Kitchens are the heart of a farmhouse. Since this is a heavily trafficked area, finishes are meant to be tried and tested. Apron-front sinks, sturdy wood countertops, and solid cabinetry may look great, but they were originally designed take a beating and cater to a house full of guests.

Get this look: Farmhouse-style apron-front sinks can work in any kitchen. But if your budget is limited, add ceramic accessories, like utensil holders or dishware. A few well-placed, chunky cutting boards can substitute for farmhouse-style butcher block counter.

Find the Perfect Faucet for Your Kitchen

7. Dining staple. One word can sum up the centerpiece of any farmhouse dining room: sturdy. As the main event in this space, the classic farmhouse dining table was generally handmade and lovingly passed on to family members.

Get this look: If you don't have a family heirloom (or the funds for a wooden table), a large wooden cutting board can make a great foundation for any rustic centerpiece. Take farmhouse design's mix-and-match motto to heart with a collection of eclectic chairs too.

8. Mix and match in the bedroom. The classic farmhouse bedroom would have been adorned with weathered, mixed and matched heirloom pieces inherited from friends and family. Light and airy linens and whitewashed walls complete the look.

Get this look: Look for new or used pieces that have a 19th- or early-20th-century look to them. Don't worry about finding matching sets either. The more collected your bedroom looks, the better.

9. The luxury of a claw-foot tub. Although claw-foot tubs weren't readily available in America until the late 19th century, they have become a staple of farmhouse design. Originally made of cast iron and lined with porcelain, these hefty pieces generally hold more water than modern tubs. The sloped end allows users to recline, unlike the European counterparts.

Get this look: Fiberglass replicas of this original beauty can be purchased from just under $1,000 up to several thousand dollars. Not ready for the added expense? Try giving your bathroom a dose of farmhouse style with accessories. Hang hooks on walls to hold towels. Include a wooden chair for dressing or to use as a side table. Throw down a woven rug instead of a standard bath mat.

The wraparound porch is a staple of farmhouse design.

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SOUTHERN EXPOSURE

Southern Living unveils inspirational Idea House in Texas Hill Country

Kimberly Reeves
Sep 22, 2026 | 12:34 pm
Southern Living Idea House 2026​
Photo courtesy of Laurey Glenn/Southern Living
The 4,000-square-foot Idea House in Frieden, a development in Fredericksburg, combines stone, brown siding, and a metal roof.

The 2026 Southern Living Idea House opened for public tours on September 18 in Fredericksburg, bringing the magazine's long-running showcase-home series to the Hill Country.

The 4,000-square-foot house is in Friedën, a planned community about three miles from downtown Fredericksburg. The development is expected to include roughly 230 to 250 custom single-family homes when complete, along with commercial space, retail, offices, multifamily housing, trails, lakes, and green space.

The Idea House program is part model home, part design experiment, and part brand statement for Southern Living. For more than 35 years, the magazine has worked with builders, architects, designers, and landscapers to create homes in different parts of the South, usually pairing regional references with current home-design trends. Past projects have included homes in Nashville, Louisiana, Georgia, coastal Texas, and the Carolinas.

Southern Living Idea House 2026\u200b This room really plays with textures, including an abstract art piece that looks a little like crushed velvet.Photo courtesy of Laurey Glenn/Southern Living

Texas last hosted a Southern Living Idea House in 2018, when the magazine renovated a 1980s fixer-upper in Austin's Northwest Hills. That project leaned on local architecture and design talent to turn an older house into a more open, family-oriented home.

This year's Fredericksburg project is a new-build contemporary farmhouse. The exterior mixes limestone, brown siding, and a dark metal roof, with separate wings arranged around a broad drive. The home also has floor-to-ceiling windows, multiple porches, and a backyard fire pit, which are meant to connect the interiors to the surrounding Hill Country setting.

The design team included a secondary private casita, a feature Southern Living says was intended as a nod to Fredericksburg's historic Sunday houses. Those small in-town homes, traditionally near churches, were once used by German settlers who had to travel long distances into Fredericksburg on weekends for church, shopping, and social visits.

Southern Living Idea House 2026\u200b Dark wood cabinetry and brass hardware frame the kitchen’s veined stone backsplash and large island.Photo courtesy of Laurey Glenn/Southern Living

The interiors were split among three Texas designers: Jean Liu of Dallas, Marcus Mohon of Austin, and Paloma Contreras of Houston. The broader team includes builders Melanie Sparks and Chris McGinley of Kurk Homes, architect Andrew Bray of Mustard Architects in Fredericksburg, and landscape designer Melissa Gerstle of Dallas.

The kitchen uses dark wood cabinetry, brass hardware, pale pendant lights, and a heavily veined stone backsplash. It is more formal than a typical farmhouse kitchen, but the long island and six counter stools keep it oriented around gathering rather than display.

One bedroom takes a more traditional approach, with a four-poster bed, exposed wood beams, and green scenic wallcovering wrapped around the room. A matching green chair near the window and a pale patterned rug keep the palette tied together without making the room monochromatic.

Southern Living Idea House 2026\u200b Green scenic wallcovering surrounds a four-poster bed beneath exposed wood beams.Photo courtesy of Laurey Glenn/Southern Living

Southern Living editor-in-chief Sid Evans said in the release that the house was designed to take cues from the Hill Country landscape while showing "a home that's as warm and welcoming as it is stylish and innovative."

Public tours run through December 20 at 518 Interlaken St. Tours are scheduled Thursdays through Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm and Sundays from noon to 5 pm. Tickets are $44, with part of the proceeds benefiting Operation Finally Home, the Hunt Preservation Society, and the Gillespie County Historical Society/Pioneer & Vereins Kirche Museums.

Southern Living Idea House 2026\u200b Look out for this cover on newsstands to pick up a copy and learn more about the home.Photo courtesy of Laurey Glenn/Southern Living

Southern Living is also scheduling several event weekends during the tour run, including Volvo test-drive weekends and a Holiday Classics event from December 4-6.

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