Furnishing country house style: warm colours & romantic design

When you think of a country house, you immediately think of cosiness, homeliness and romance. Life in the country seems carefree and promises a happy time. The interior invites you to relax with its comfort. Especially after a stressful day at work, the feeling of warmth and comfort is exactly what you long for. To create this desired warmth, warm colours and lots of wood are used.

Tip: Living room, bedroom or dining room, we have tips & tricks for you: Guide – Furnishing rooms.

Walls in nude tones, pastel colours & natural materials

If you want to design your interior in country style, you have to use a lot of warm tones. However, this applies not only to the furniture but also to the walls. Especially popular are wall colors and nude tones or pastel colors, that is: a warm beige, light brown tones or gray tones, a warm blue or a warm pink. Nude tones and pastel colors match the wood and the textile and do not stand out in the foreground, but have a homely effect.

In addition to wallpaper, a lot of emphasis is placed on natural materials in the house, which make up the country house charm. For this reason, you can also include natural materials on the walls, which is why you can also reach for a stone wall or a wooden wall. Especially a stone wall from the masonry of the house, exudes the charm of tradition and gives the room its own unique touch. A wooden wall is especially cool when you bring in old timbers, perhaps from the barn of the house, that tell a story. If you don’t have a barn or old masonry available right now, then you can also put together a stone wall or a wooden wall from new materials that you can find for little money at the hardware store.

Typical materials: Pure nature, floor of (real) wood or stone must be

To pick up the country house flair with the floor, choose a floor made of wood, i.e. a beautiful laminate, or stone. You can gladly add a few highlights in the floor by tiles with a rustic or Mediterranean pattern. The rustic and Mediterranean look creates a feeling of homeliness and warmth. The tiles create a nice contrast to the rest of the house and fit in with the traditional look that a country home exudes.

However, if you do not have the possibility to complement the floor with tiles in a rustic look, you can easily achieve the desired result by using a carpet with a similar pattern.

Instructions: How to furnish your home in country style – Video

From the series: Fixer Upper, which runs on Sixx, Chip and Joana Gaines are well known. They restore old houses and give each house a unique look. By restoring homes in the city of Waco, in Texas, they make the homes look modern country style. In this episode, an old barn was transformed into a new home for a family. The interior design perfectly reflects the country style. Get inspired by this video and see what it feels like to live in a country home.

Country style living: kitchen, living room, bedroom

Country style means the use of natural materials, such as wood, cotton, leather, stone, electricity, clay, etc. with the mixture of things reminiscent of craftsmanship, i.e. steel, iron, metal and so on.

For this reason, the country house style is often mixed with the vintage style. Old furniture that tells a story and is made of sturdy wood fits particularly well in a country house. Particularly popular are oak cabinets, which radiate tradition and warmth through the ornate design.

Tip. Are you interested in interior design? Here you can find trendy furniture and interior designers: Interior Brand Guide!

Country house kitchen: Egg kitchen, doors, tiled floors, wooden kitchen unit & Co.

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in a home. When you think a country kitchen, you automatically think of spending time with family and traditional home cooking. A country kitchen pays off with its usability and the coziness it exudes. You just want to enjoy being here with your family and spending time together.

A paneled wood front is a must if you want to have a country style kitchen. Here, it doesn’t matter what color you want the kitchen to be. Whether it is a modern blue or green or a traditional white or grey, one is given many options. To make the kitchen counter even more vivid, choose cool metal door knobs. The countertop should be kept simple so that the kitchenette doesn’t look too cluttered and the kitchen cabinets take center stage. Here you should also make sure that the countertop is made of a natural material, so wood, marble or stone. You can also play with DIY here and repurpose old materials as worktops. To complement the kitchen countertop, choose tile tiles that are meant to be a special eye-catcher and again refer to tradition. Whether plain or tiled with pattern, everything works great in a country kitchen.

However, the accessories are the most important in a country style kitchen. Here you mix the country style with the vintage and rustic style. Take a few cool vintage parts and combine them with stainless steel or metal to implement the country house charm. Old crockery as decoration, which radiates tradition, also belongs in a country kitchen, as well as fresh herbs or spices.

Country style living room: sofa, blankets and pillows with natural materials

The living room is the heart of the home and the room where you spend most of your time with the family and where you want to relax after a long, tiring day. For this reason, this room must radiate as much warmth, security and comfort as possible. By mixing textiles, wood and matching decoration, am can easily achieve this.

The sofa should be the center of the room. It should have a deep seat and enough space for the whole family. It is important to cover it with leather or fabric, which makes the sofa warm and cozy. To perfectly complement the sofa, you need a lot of pillows made of fabric or faux fur with patterns or plain and blankets made of cotton.

But besides the couch, there is another important factor and that is the decoration. Since the living room is the center of the family, you should also be reminded of beautiful memories and the family here. Therefore, one chooses many pictures that embody this and displays them in the living room. Especially popular here are picture frames in black or wood, which fit in with the interior. Apart from the picture frames, you can play a lot with decoration, important decorative elements could be, for example, the following:

• Curtains
• Carpets with pattern or in trendy nude tones
• Plants and flowers
• Lamps in wood look or vintage lampshade
• Books: Old or new books
• Old tableware in a country style oak cabinet

Bedroom á la country house: colors, bed and a wardrobe with lots of storage space

As in the living room, the bedroom also plays a lot with natural materials. The mixture of wood and textile also plays an important role here to achieve the desired country house look. The bed should have an upholstered back and be covered with fabric or leather, whereby it radiates coziness and warmth. The most important thing here is again the pillows and the blankets (bedspread), which give the room the necessary homely touch. A reading corner with an armchair and a cozy lamp, let the bedroom look even more familiar and invite you to relax.

Since many things in a country house should be practical, a cabinet with plenty of storage space is needed. The cabinet should be made of real wood and have a paneled front – the wood may also be squiggled. Here again, you can fall back on an oak cabinet, because it brings exactly these properties with it.

Country House Types: French, Italian & German Country House

There are different country house styles in each country. Among the most popular are the French, Italian, German, British and the US-American country house styles. Each style embodies a particular ideal and tradition of a country, so it is all the more exciting to be able to distinguish and analyze the individual country house styles.

French country house, savoir vivre – stone walls, vintage furniture and elegance

A French country house embodies comfort in combination with elegance and the charm of Provence. The French country style is characterized by the fact that contemporary and ancient, traditional materials are brought into harmony and work together in the interior. Characterized by natural materials, such as: Wood, stone, linen, cotton, terracotta and wrought iron furniture, a French country home works. The wear and tear of the furniture and decor embodies tradition and history. So it doesn’t matter if a desk has scratched corners or streaks in the wood – that’s what gives it the charm it needs.

The classic colors of a country house are also here the common colors, so natural tones or pastel colors. The special thing about French country houses are usually the shutters, which are kept in a special blue, the Sainte Vierge called tone. Colourful accents are set for upholstery, cushions or bed linen by fabrics with traditional, Provençal patterns.

Italian country house from Tuscany: rustic living, Mediterranean style

When you think of a country house in Italy, you think of a country house in the vineyards in the region of Tuscany, which lies directly on the Mediterranean Sea. The location on the Mediterranean Sea also influences the interior design and brings with it a Mediterranean style of interior design. Characterized by terracotta-colored interiors that bring you the sun and warmth of Italy into your home, the Tuscan country house stands out from other country houses. It’s not just the colors that make an Italian country home stand out, but also the furniture. Large, exposed beams and floors made of stone, such as: Brick, limestone, tile or sandstone give each room a special Mediterranean flair. Italian country houses are especially characterized by traditional family portraits or religious pictures, which can be found in every room.

Italian craftsmanship stands for quality and finesse. Exactly this quality standard can also be found in the interior, where a lot of value is placed on high-quality processed materials. Since the country houses are characterized by the Mediterranean style, you will find especially the wood of olive trees, pine wood and walnut wood, which give the whole a traditional and unique look.

These 3 details will bring la Dolce Vita to your home:

• Furniture made of rustic, dark wood
• Paintings (religious or family)
• Bright yellow walls that bring the sun into the house

German / Austrian country house: traditional furnishings

Living like Heidi in the mountains was a childhood dream of everyone. Carefree on an alpine hut with spectacular views and good German home cooking and feel comfortable in the warm home in cold temperatures. German country homes are characterized by a lot of tradition. When you think of an Almhütte, you think of lots of wood and natural materials, like leather or fabrics. However, one also thinks of hunting, i.e. animal skins. So if you imagine a living room in a German country house, you see a wooden floor, wooden walls, a leather sofa, an armchair, a fireplace, warm blankets, curtains with a red and white check pattern and lamps.

Take a look at our holiday guide for South Tyrol to feel the flair of the mountains!

The interior style of a traditional country house in the mountains can therefore be described as rustic. However, the rustic style is now combined with the modern. This style is super popular among Germans, as it conveys warmth but also a sense of style and luxury. Therefore, modern chalets in the mountains in connection with a family or wellness holiday, are more popular than ever.

Here is an example of what a luxury chalet in the mountains can look like, the perfect blend of homeliness and luxury.

House types from A – Z: Features, definitions and advantages & disadvantages

You want to take the next step and are looking for a new property – preferably a house? Then you’ve come to the right place! There are so many different types of houses, it’s hard to choose, and it’s not easy to keep track of them all. We have listed all the house types below with brief definitions and a link to a comprehensive article for you. Get to know the different house types with their respective characteristics and find exactly the right house for you!

Tip. Are you looking for the perfect property for your future? Here you will find tips and necessary information for buyers: Buying a house

Bungalow: no stairs, one floor, flat roof & space

Many people know the word bungalow from the context of holidays. But bungalows are not only popular holiday homes, but also a possible choice for your own home. A bungalow is one thing above all: practical – and modern. This type of house is especially popular with young families, as it combines all living spaces on one floor and, especially due to the absence of stairs, does not pose a danger to children or senior citizens. Choosing the right house is certainly not easy, because it is an important decision that may affect your whole life. Here you can find out everything you need to know about bungalows.

• Bungalow

Semi-detached house: Living with direct neighbours & garden

The semi-detached housing solution can be a slightly cheaper alternative to whole houses. Often you don’t even have to compromise on living space. Rather, the space is saved around the house. As a result, semi-detached houses can save you money. Additionally, it could be that you share garden space with neighbor.

A semi-detached house promises the optimum living comfort with the area of a house at a lower price. Sounds very appealing in itself, but any other option, this concept also comes with its own positive and negative factors, which we will discuss in more detail later. However, for now, we’d like to tell you a little more about what the living spaces of a semi-detached house might look like.

• Semi-detached house

Single-family home: building, buying or renting

The traditional single-family home hasn’t been so traditional for a long time. Quite the opposite. The single-family house is rightly the most popular house form in Germany and is becoming increasingly modern. From the floor plan, to energy regulations, to the little extras. Your house is up to date. Especially for young families, this type of house is something very special, as this will usually be the first home of their own. Are you interested in building, buying or renting?

Of course, when you ask this question, you’ll think directly of a townhouse or duplex. However, this is not everything. A detached house can be much more than just standard. Especially if you are interested in a self-build, you should look into the latest and most modern standards. Here you can find out all about the advantages and disadvantages of a detached house, useful tips and everything you need to know, from the perfect plot of land to the correct energy regulations.

• Single-family house

Half-timbered house: renovation and historical charm in facade & co.

The rustic houses, which are especially widespread in Europe, have their own personal charm. Especially in the countryside and in villages, you can still find some of these historic buildings. But what looks so appealing to many from the outside can quickly be associated with high costs: renovation or even refurbishment are often necessary for a half-timbered house. But if a half-timbered house has been modernised or at least overhauled, it is an absolutely unique and magical piece.

In classic half-timbered houses, materials such as straw, clay and even calf’s hair were used not only to build a wall, but also to insulate it additionally. The most striking feature of half-timbered houses is the façade, in which the literal half-timbering – the beam construction of the house – is openly visible. Often the “work”, i.e. the wooden beams, is not plastered in the interior either, and accordingly a unique living atmosphere is offered. How you can protect yourself from too high costs and still fulfill your dream of a half-timbered house, we tell you here.

• Half-timbered house

Holiday home / weekend house: Living at the holiday resort with sea view

Who does not know it? You’ve simply fallen in love with a place and would love to spend every free minute there. But the workplace and the focus of life are simply too much anchored in the actual home. In such a situation the option of a holiday home opens up. Whether on the beach or by the lake – a holiday home or weekend house can be located basically anywhere.

Whether a holiday home or a holiday apartment is really suitable for you, if the property is not purchased for pure investment purposes, is determined above all by whether the chosen place pleases you and makes your heart beat faster with every visit. Criteria, characteristics, and the question of whether and how we try to answer you in the following article.

• Holiday home / weekend house

Prefabricated house: The quick dream of a house, construction phase, selection and more

What is actually a prefabricated house? This question is very difficult to answer, because this type of house is very diverse. Most providers have a large repertoire of prefabricated house types and you are spoilt for choice. Do you want to live in a detached house? In a housing estate or rather a bungalow? With a cellar, garage and garden? These are all important aspects that you should and can consider when planning your house. Because a prefabricated house is one thing above all: versatile. The main advantage is that there are no long and costly construction phases, because the house is literally already finished. Features and advantages & disadvantages you will find in the following article.

• Prefabricated house

Country house: land, garden and life with the closeness to nature

A country house is a residential building on an estate. The large property in a rural environment usually has a spacious garden. A country house does not only convince by its size and the free space but also by its rustic, romantic charm. But nowadays you can find the country house style more and more often in the city.

This country house style is determined by massive buildings with generous proportions. The house entrances are usually strikingly designed, but the long balconies, terraces, dormers and pavilions are also eye-catchers. Folding shutters, doors, windows and railings made of real wood ensure the perfect harmony of the house. Sometimes the property also includes a conservatory or a carport. Wood, rattan, stone and ceramics, natural materials are mainly used in country houses. The floors are tiled in warm colours. A tiled stove makes this country house cosy and warm – the warmth radiates throughout the entire living space of the house.

• Country house

Solid house: construction, durability & features

A solid house is the construction method of a house, in which a house is built according to the plan of an architect with solid building materials. Each house here becomes unique due to the individual wishes of the respective builder.

The opposite of a solid house is a prefabricated house: In a prefabricated house, the house is built according to the modular principle and consists of a wooden construction. The house is built brick by brick. The building materials are delivered to the construction site, where they are assembled into a finished house by specialist companies. The building materials used for walls and floors are aerated concrete, sand-lime bricks or goat bricks. The staircase and roof construction, on the other hand, is usually made of wood. Learn more about solid houses in the following article.

• Massive house

Terraced house: door to door with the neighbours, purchase price & Co.

Looking for an affordable home near the city? Then how about a terraced house? A terraced house is the perfect alternative between a city apartment and a house in the country. Low purchase price, small garden and/or a terrace in a friendly neighbourhood. We show you what makes a terraced house so attractive and why families and couples in particular like to settle in this type of house.

A terraced house is a row of individual houses which are built directly next to each other without any space in between. However, there is no access between the houses, so there is still the privacy of a normal house. Most of these houses have a minimum size of 160m².

• Terraced house

Beach house: House by the sea – the dream of a house on holiday

You love to listen to the sound of the sea, gaze at the starry sky while the sand tickles between your toes and you breathe in the salty sea breeze? Who says these classic holiday memories should only be part of vacations? Why live in a cramped rented apartment, expose yourself to daily exhaust fumes, and work out in a gym with concrete walls? In this day and age where mobile working has become the norm, Pilates and surfing on the beach are among our favorite activities, and the thirst for adventure is constantly on the rise, the beach house seems to have established itself as the new dream property par excellence. The beach house as an investment, vacation home or home of your own! Convince yourself!

• Beach house

Villa: Living in luxury with lots of space & garden

In the past, a villa, especially the city villa, was often used as a second or country house to be close to the city. This applied exclusively to the wealthier urban population. Nowadays, that has changed. City mansions are no longer used as second homes and are primarily occupied by many families. Meanwhile you have the possibility to renovate an old building or to build a new one. A special advantage is the large garden and the pool, which is often included. In this article you will learn everything important about villas. Buying, building, in a modern style or more traditional? You decide!

• Villa

Energy efficient building

1. Low-energy house
2. Zero-energy house
3. Passive House

Low-energy house: characteristic values, construction & requirements

Sustainable living is a trend that is becoming more and more prevalent and also enjoys state support. Therefore, the interest in environmentally conscious housing solutions is growing more and more. For this reason, we have decided to put together the most important facts about efficient living, so that you can decide whether a low-energy house could also be interesting for you.

Caution is advised when buying and renting a low-energy house, because: The term is not associated with specific requirements for the house! Only if one would like to make the housing unit energetically valid with KFW, certain requirements are made. These should meet a low-energy house in any case. What exactly these are, we will explain to you in more detail below.

• Low-energy house

Zero energy house: definition & advantages and disadvantages at a glance

Since November 2009 the long constructed idea of the zero energy house has become reality and more and more people are now dreaming of turning their own house into a zero energy house. Especially when buying a new home, this type of house has gained popularity. However, many do not know much about the term and simply associate it with sustainable living.

Zero-energy houses are small, building planning and energetic masterpieces. A zero-energy house is oriented in its standard value to the passive house. This means that it does not exceed the energy requirement of 15 kWh/sqm per year (regulation of the Passive House Institute Darmstadt) and also produces the consumed energy itself through photovoltaics and solar thermal energy. This means that a zero-energy house forms a completely self-sufficient entity and is not dependent on electricity purchases. What is actually behind this type of house, you will learn in the following article.

• Zero-energy house

Passive house: new construction, features and costs

Sustainable housing options are divided into different house options. Part of them are zero energy houses, low energy houses and also passive houses. You can also find detailed articles on other options in our magazine, but here we will only talk about the passive house for the time being.

A house is called a passive house as soon as it requires less than 15 kWh/sqm per year. This value is achieved through various measures in the construction of the house. Multiple glazed windows and high-quality insulation reduce the transmission heat loss and thus minimise heating costs.

• Passive House