How to create your favourite country style

Whether you like sophisticated, simple or traditional design, we've got a relaxed country living room for you!

French brocante

Think chic and put together a refined country look for a room that feels elegant, but laid back.
Mix a palette of fresh grey-blues and warm neutrals, add traditional painted furniture and linen fabrics, then finish with flea market accessories.

living room with grey walls and sofa white cushions

(Image credit: TBC)

 The rules: Keep it simple with tones of one colour. Lavender hues would also work well. Choose Traditional furniture shapes only. For a more formal feel, swap loose-covered sofas for tight-upholstered or buttoned styles. Reject sleek, contemporary accessories for ornate, heirloom-look or vintage designs.

How to put the elements together:

basketweave flooring with flower pot and white tray on it

(Image credit: TBC)

 Seagrass Buckingham Basketweave 3102 flooring, £24.60 per sq m, Alternative Flooring. Walls painted in Bone China Blue Absolute Matt Emulsion, £37 for 2.5ltr, Little Greene. Fabrics, from left: Jolly Stripe in Natural Dove, £48 per m, Paris Rose Blue, £48 per m, Cabbages & Roses.

This look blends traditional country elements, like rugged flooring, printed linens and painted wooden furniture, with a modern colour mix of mineral blues and touches of glamour from pretty glass and china details.

Simple Scandi

The perfect look for home lovers whose hearts are torn between contemporary and country looks. Choose modern and mid-century-style blond-wood furniture, put it in a sunny yellow scheme and add floral motifs for rustic character.

living room with yellow walls sofa and wooden table

(Image credit: TBC)

The rules: Pick a soft hue that suits your room - yellow for north facing; seafoam or mist for a sunny space. Include large areas of contrasting white or off-white on flooring and furniture. Mix modern and vintage furniture in a matching pale finish. Add accessories that stand out - but not too many of them.

How to put the elements together:

white flooring with yellow flower in jug and white horse

(Image credit: TBC)

White Brushed-Pine laminate flooring, £19.99 per sq m, Quick-Step. Lemon Tree Intelligent Matt Emulsion, £41.50 for 2.5ltr, Little Greene. French Ticking fabric in Buttercup/Clay, £46 per m, Vanessa Arbuthnott. Carmen Hay 7535/04 fabric, £43.50 per m, Romo. Spira Mello cushion cover, £26, Hus & Hem. Print, £15, Jo Clark Design.

Build a modern scheme with a mix of buttercup yellow, white and black. Great for small spaces, this scheme's fresh colour and streamlined furniture can bring calm to a compact room and it adapts easily to every style of home, from period terraces to contemporary flats.

Modern British

Mix mid-century-style pieces with contemporary furniture in unfinished wood and plain upholstery for an unfussy rustic look. Un-arranged displays of unusual accessories and books give the room character without being contrived.

living room with fire place grey walls and wooden furniture

(Image credit: TBC)

The rules: team soft grey with contrasting warm, textured neutrals. Choose simple furniture in weathered, grained wood and formal, tight upholstery - period and style don't matter here. Love clutter:
offset the simplicity with your own personal mix of books, china and knick-knacks.

How to put the elements together:

off white flooring with scissor or sanderson fabric

(Image credit: TBC)

Devon Bone floor tiles, £37.04 per sq m, Topps Tiles. Smoketree Lt matt emulsion, £39 for 2.5ltr, Sanderson. Fabrics, from left: Rabbits and Hares, £48 per m, Emily Bond; LF1404C / 1 in Mushroom, £29.50 per m, Linwood; Kew Nordic Linen, £39.50 per m, Ian Mankin.

Traditional British farmhouse style shakes off its twee image with this look, which mixes contemporary furniture, modern prints and cool greys with warm neutrals and rustic wood. Combine pale grey walls, warm oak accessories and netural fabrics in a mix of prints for a warm, country look.

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Contributor

Tamara was Ideal Home's Digital Editor before joining the Woman & Home team in 2022. She has spent the last 15 years working with the style teams at Country Homes & Interiors and Ideal Home, both now at Future PLC. It’s with these award wining interiors teams that she's honed her skills and passion for shopping, styling and writing. Tamara is always ahead of the curve when it comes to interiors trends – and is great at seeking out designer dupes on the high street.