In a rustic room, you’ll see a lot of natural materials. There will be a lot of old and reclaimed woods, stone, and metal. Because of this the color schemes of a rustic space will be made up of neutral shades and earth tones – white, greys, dark browns, iron black. Natural green shades can be mixed in by adding plants. So use that as inspiration when looking for rustic paint colors. Avoid man made bright colors – like bright blues, orange, and bright red.
Going Simple – Classic White
A Neutral Color: Go with white walls. This way any
rustic pieces in the room, like exposed beams or wooden window shutters,
will really stand out. Check out the bedroom in picture (1) – the white walls make the beams and the wooden bed the focal points in the room.
For a more modern and cozy look use a darker wall color. The bathroom in picture (2)
has had its wooden wall panels painted black. Just like the white walls
in the bedroom, the black walls in the bathroom contrasts well with the
rustic brown mirror – making it stand out.
Rustic Wall Designs and Paint Ideas
Some ways of creating a rustic wall is to use stone or
brick. The walls in the room can be made out of them, or you can
decorate existing walls with stone or brick tiles. You can paint over
them for a more toned down rustic look, just like the living room in
picture (3). Wood is another design option. But use large log pieces – as seen in picture (4), for an authentic rustic look.
Exposed beams can also decorate the walls, not just the
ceilings. They can be used as rustic crown molding, or to create a
rustic support and valance over a window (5).
Another way to create a textured wall is with rough natural plastering (stucco) (6), or use wall paint to create textured finishes and effects (Textured Wall Painting Ideas: From Faux Wood to Linen Effects) (7).
Subtle Rustic Walls
Tone Down the Rustic: If you have a small room with
standard height ceilings, you might want to tone down the rustic walls
so they don’t become overwhelming. One way to do this is to have half of
the wall (top or bottom) using something rustic like stone, brick or
wood. And have the other half plastered over and painted white –
creating a rustic/modern combination design.
A Feature Wall: Another way to add some subtle
rustic style to a room is to use a feature wall. This is one wall in the
room that is decorated, say in stone, brick, or wood, while all of the
other walls are simply styled – say painted in white. Because there is
only one rustic wall, it really stands out and becomes a focal point in
the space. Just like the hallway in picture (8), and the stone wall feature in the bathroom in picture (5).
This feature wall could be the headboard wall in the
bedroom, the wall behind the TV, or you could create a stone chimney
column in the living room. It could also be the backsplash wall in the
kitchen or in the bathroom.
