farmhouse

Farmhouse and rustic emerge as design styles of choice

Inez Caron August 16, 2023

Published Aug 11, 2023 • 3 minute read

The beamed wood bathroom ceiling in this custom-built home by West of Main is a hallmark element of rustic-style design. Photo by Justin Thomason Photography.

If social media is any indication, farmhouse and rustic décor aren’t disappearing anytime soon.

The two styles came first and second, respectively, in a recent survey by RubyHome Luxury Real Estate. It tracked top home design trends based on the number of Instagram posts featuring them.

So, what are these styles, exactly, and why do homeowners love them?

If you’re a fan of HGTV, you’ve likely seen a lot of farmhouse-style makeovers in the last decade. These homes feature elements such as shiplap panelling and large, comfortable sofas. In the kitchen, you might find open shelving, a few navy or muted green cabinets, and gold, black or brushed-brass hardware.

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“It’s very comfortable, family friendly,” says Kate Davidson, founder of Kate + Co Design Inc. in Oakville, Ontario. The Ottawa-raised designer predicts the trend is far from over. “I think the farmhouse style is going to stay for the next five years.”

“It’s easy to digest this style,” agrees Sascha Lafleur, co-founder and principal designer at Ottawa’s West of Main Design. Farmhouse is also quite adaptable to a wide range of housing types, she adds. “People can imagine it in more of a builder-grade house.”

The other leading style trend, rustic, highlights natural elements—think beamed wood ceilings and stone fireplaces. It incorporates textiles such as cotton, linen, canvas and wool, particularly if they’re textured. Earth tones and weathered pieces add to the rustic feel, but don’t think of this as a log-cabin vibe. “Rustic has taken on a bit more of a sophisticated look,” Lafleur explains.

Because it often requires substantial custom woodworking and stonemasonry, this style can be time consuming and expensive to achieve, she adds. “It’s beautiful, but it’s hard to source.” In Ottawa, homeowners may need to hire specialized artisans from beyond the city to create the rustic elements they want.

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No matter what décor style you choose, keep your home’s basic design in mind when embarking on a full-scale overhaul. “A big factor is the environment, the space you’re working in,” says Davidson. If you live in an industrial-style loft, a traditional look like farmhouse might not be for you — no matter how trendy it is.

“You purchased that home for a reason,” Davidson notes. “Accentuate what you already have.”

Kitchen — West of Main designed this modern farmhouse-style kitchen for a house built by eQ Homes. Photo by Justin Thomason Photography.

Instagram photos often feature entire houses decorated in a particular esthetic. If you’re not up for that level of renovation, can you still bring a bit of farmhouse or rustic style to your décor, simply and affordably?

Yes, say both designers.

Limewashed walls are a quick way to bring a farmhouse feel to any room, says Lafleur, noting that there are lots of videos online to help homeowners achieve limewash paint’s signature cloudy, dreamy look.

Davidson says kitchens can get a quick farmhouse-style refresh with elements such as brushed-brass cabinet hardware or new pendant lamps. “Light fixtures make a big statement.”

Although farmhouse and rustic were the top two trends in the Instagram survey, other styles also made a strong showing.

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In third place was neutral, which is pretty self-explanatory.

Next came hygge, the Danish-inspired look that could best be summed up as “Scandinavian cozy.” And rounding out the top five was shabby chic, a 1980s trend that has been updated for a new generation but still features such elements as vintage furniture, pastel tones and chalk paint.

Oakville-based designer Kate Davidson grew up in Ottawa and still works on projects here. Photo by Kate + Co. photograph

These two warm styles share some elements. Lafleur notes that reupholstering a single chair in bouclé can quickly bring a hygge or shabby chic vibe to a room, depending on the other elements of the space.

No matter what style you choose, here are a few overall trends to keep in mind.

Warmer tones are in Say goodbye to harsh whites and cool greys. Beige and cream are on the rise. In fact, contrasting baseboards and wall colours are becoming passé, says Lafleur, with many homeowners opting to paint both walls and trim the same colour. As for floors, she’s seeing more people re-staining light wood in darker shades, such as chocolate and mahogany.

Classic is still, well, classic Checkered floors, for instance, are still very popular. However, there’s now movement toward smaller penny tiles to update the look.

Finally, both designers note that while a cohesive style is important—“You need to commit,” says Davidson—it’s wise to avoid a look so stylized that it feels more like a hotel room than a home. They urge homeowners to incorporate treasured items such as rugs, pillows and personal mementoes into their chosen style to make it truly their own.

As Lafleur explains, “It’s really important to tell your own story throughout the house.”

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How To Expand The Farmhouse In Stardew Valley

Inez Caron August 14, 2023

There are a ton of places in Stardew Valley where you'll spend a lot of time, but none of them more than your own home, the farmhouse. Initially, you'll reside in a small, one-room cabin, but you can upgrade it to a huge house with several rooms, designed however you please.

RELATED: Stardew Valley: Tips For Finding A Dinosaur Egg

It'll cost you quite a bit of money and resources to fully upgrade your farmhouse, and there are other changes to make along the way. Here's every Stardew Valley house upgrade and renovation and how to obtain them.

Updated August 4, 2023 by Jacqueline Zalace: We've updated this guide with refreshed formatting. Now, you can quickly find all the renovation information that you are looking for.

Standard Farmhouse Designs

stardew valley farmhouse starting interior designs — Screenshots from the official Stardew Valley Wiki

The initial layout of your farmhouse and the furniture it starts with are determined by which farm layout you choose. For example, if you choose the Standard Farm, you'll have some basic wooden furniture, flooring, and wallpaper; if you like the Forest Farm, expect some trees, leafy garlands, leaf-motif wallpaper, and so on.

All of this furniture can be obtained regardless of the farm you choose, so don't let this determine which layout you select when making a new file.

How To Upgrade Your House

Stardew Valley - Robin's carpentry shop-1

There are a few different changes that will be made to your farmhouse as you play through your in-game years. But, the most direct way to upgrade it is by visiting Robin at her Carpenter Shop on the Mountain, north of town.

There are three total upgrades that Robin can make, plus a few renovations and cosmetic changes. Each upgrade costs money, and a couple of them require you to gather resources as well.

Each upgrade will add more rooms to your farmhouse. Here they are at a glance.

Upgrade	Cost	Changes
Kitchen	10,000 gold 450 wood	Adds a Kitchen Allows marriage Separates bedroom into its own space Upgrades bed to a double
Nursery	50,000 gold 150 hardwood	Adds a Nursery Allows you to have children if you are married Adds an empty room to use for whatever you want Expands the size of the Kitchen and Bedroom
Cellar	100,000 gold	Adds a Cellar Lets you use Casks to age certain products

Upgrade

Cost

Changes

Kitchen

10,000 gold

450 wood

Adds a Kitchen

Allows marriage

Separates bedroom into its own space

Upgrades bed to a double

Nursery

50,000 gold

150 hardwood

Adds a Nursery

Allows you to have children if you are married

Adds an empty room to use for whatever you want

Expands the size of the Kitchen and Bedroom

Cellar

100,000 gold

Adds a Cellar

Lets you use Casks to age certain products

Be sure to check out our money-making guide if you are struggling to save up enough gold to purchase an upgrade.

First Upgrade – Kitchen And Bedroom

The first time you upgrade the farmhouse, it'll cost 10,000g and 450 pieces of wood. This upgrade separates the main living area from the bedroom, placing the bed in a separate room to the right and upgrading it to a double bed. It also adds a small kitchen.

This kitchen can be used to cook meals and refill your watering can, and it also comes with a fridge where you can store items like a chest. You can prepare meals if the ingredients are in the fridge, acting as a sort of extension to your inventory when cooking.

Upgrading Your House For Marriage

Stardew Valley - Talking to the Old mariner

With this first upgrade, you can now get married or add Krobus as a roommate. Prior to this, you cannot marry anyone, as the house is too small. This applies if you are playing in a multiplayer world as well.

Once you get married or have Krobus move in, your spouse/Krobus will add a room to the right-hand side of your farmhouse. These special rooms will be covered later on in this article.

The Old Mariner will not sell you the Mermaid's Pendant if your house isn't upgraded at least once.

Second Upgrade – Nursery

Stardew Valley - Robin offering the Nursery upgrade-1

The second time you upgrade your house, it'll add two new rooms. One of them is an empty room that you can do whatever you want with. The other one is a small nursery-like room with a crib and two single beds.

With this upgrade, you can now have children with your spouse. In addition to the new rooms, the existing kitchen and bedroom are made slightly larger. This upgrade costs 50,000g and 150 pieces of hardwood.

You can have children even if you are in a same-sex relationship.

Third Upgrade – Basement

Stardew Valley - A basement filled with casks-1

This third upgrade doesn't add more rooms to the main floor but instead introduces a basement to the house. In the basement, you can place casks to age certain artisan goods, increasing their quality and therefore their value. Casks will only work if placed here.

Initially, Robin provides you with 33 casks, but you can fit almost 200 if you fill every space.

Some players completely fill the entire basement with casks, then pick them all up when they're ready, placing them back down and filling them while backing themselves out.

This upgrade doesn't require any materials but will cost you 100,000g.

Spouse Rooms

Stardew Valley - A fully decorated farmhouse-1

When you marry one of the six bachelors or six bachelorettes in town, they'll move into your farmhouse and add a small room to the right-hand side, next to the bedroom.

Each of these rooms is themed around that particular character. If you decide to ask Krobus to be your roommate instead of marrying someone, he'll also add a room to the side of your house.

Here are the details of each spouse's room.

Character	Appearance	Room Description
Abigail		A room with fish wallpaper, her drum kit, a TV and video game console, a sword, and her guinea pig cage
Alex		The perfect room for a sports lover, with a football theme, a workout bench, weights, and some sports equipment
Elliott		A nautically-themed room with a very large bookshelf
Emily		Very tropical, with sewing supplies, a nice palm tree, and her pet parrot
Haley		Another tropical room, but with a makeup vanity and photography bulletin board
Harvey		Similar to his loft above the Clinic, with some aviation decor and his radio equipment
Leah		A nice artsy room with a large red rug, some paint pots, some paintings, and an easel with a work in progress
Maru		Very similar to Maru's bedroom at Robin's place, complete with night-sky wallpaper and posters, her robot projects, a telescope, and some computer equipment of some kind
Penny		The perfect room for avid readers, with some large bookshelves and a sitting area around a nice table
Sam		Another one similar to the character's original room, this one has Sam's keyboard, bookcase, guitar, and computer
Sebastian		A more moody vibe for a room, this one has Sebastian's computer, black couch, sitting area, and notably, a vase that was changed from its original appearance as a sort of bong-like object
Shane		Considered by many to be one of the worst rooms, Shane's has a TV, mini-fridge, a spilled can of something, and some dirty footprints
Krobus		A room that basically looks like a copy and paste of Krobus' shop from the Sewers

Stardew Valley House Renovations

Stardew Valley - New House Renovations and added rooms-1

There are a few renovations and some cosmetic changes that Robin is happy to make for free. These include the following:

Renovation	Changes
Remove Crib	Removes the crib from the Nursery
Open bedroom	Removes the separating wall between the Bedroom and Living Room
Add southern room	Adds a room below the Bedroom
Add corner room	Adds a room in the northeast corner of the house, with entrances into the Nursery and Bedroom

If you choose to remove the crib, you will not be able to have children. Keep this in mind if you remove the crib while married.

Removing the crib after you have children will not make them disappear, but you can get rid of them at the Dark Shrine of Selfishness.

Additionally, when you choose the option in Robin's menu to construct farm buildings, you can now paint the following structures.

Farmhouse
Shed
Coop Variations
Barn Variations
Stable
Cabin Variations

On your farmhouse, you can change the roof, siding, and trim to basically any color you want. Until you fully upgrade the exterior, though, you can only change the roof color.

Farmhouse Wallpaper

Lastly, it's important to note that you can change the wallpaper of each individual room. This includes the 'hallway' space that connects rooms; although this space is a few tiles wide, it can have it's own unique wallpaper.

NEXT: Stardew Valley: The Best Professions To Pick For Every Skill

3 Household Renovation Strategies from HGTV’s ‘Farmhouse Fixer’

Inez Caron October 3, 2022

HGTV’s Farmhouse Fixer with New Youngsters on the Block star Jonathan Knight focuses on encouraging folks spruce up their farmhouses. This time all over, Knight helps Erin and Jason Russell deal with up their home, which was created in the 1970s. Knight suggests he enjoys this household for the reason that it has an “old colonial sense.”

Jonathan and Erin want to insert some California model to their New England household. “We expend a good deal of time in California, we expend a ton of time here in New England, and this property has an prospect to integrate some of the California design we adore, but marrying that with some of the historic, common New England household kinds as very well,” suggests Jason in the course of his interview with the producers.

In this episode, Knight transforms a 1970s farmhouse into a modern area with eye-catching features. Right here are some recommendations from the property renovation clearly show.

1. Prepare for sudden expenditures

White property | Todd Kent by using Unsplash

When renovating a farmhouse, put together for surprising charges. These properties are inclined to be older and larger sized, so charges can get hefty. Following speaking with Knight, Jason and Erin learned it would charge $30,000 to repaint the outside of their home. The total price to repair up the household (which include flooring, electrical, and much more) would run involving $270,000 and $290,000.

2. Search for deals at thrift and antique retailers

When it is time to style and design your new space, it is effortless to overspend. Nevertheless, you don’t have to acquire everything new. Knight and his design companion Kristina Crestin saved help save a couple of bucks by getting design things from thrift and antique retailers. Despite the fact that items from thrift retailers have a tendency to be a lot less high priced, you can also locate a very good offer at an antique store.

Throughout one particular episode of HGTV’s Steal This Home, designer Cristy Lee was in a position to locate fairly priced kitchen area doorways at an antique shop. It’s pays to store close to and see all your options.

3. Be expecting critters

Don’t be shocked if you uncover surprising visitors on demo working day. Knight says his least preferred component of a renovation is “finding critters in the wall.” At one particular position all through Farmhouse Fixer Season 2 Episode 1 (titled “Repacks: Battle at the Barn”), two mice jumped out of the wall when the employees started off getting it apart.

If you get queasy all-around critters, you could want to remain considerably absent when it’s time to start renovations. You don’t know what you will discover driving the partitions. “I despise mice,” says Knight. “They’re just creepy.”

The takeaway

Farmhouse Fixer attributes a whole lot of great suggestions and guidance if you’re looking to purchase a farmhouse. Buying a new household is enjoyable, but really do not forget to keep in mind some of the unexpected bumps in the street.

Have dollars saved up for surprises, appear for deals, and go in with an open head. You’ll have your aspiration home—and it's possible a several excess bucks in your pocket—when all is mentioned and completed.

Farmhouse Fixer airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. Japanese Time on HGTV.

Follow Sheiresa Ngo on Twitter.

Tour this farmhouse property whole of inventive ornamental touches

Inez Caron March 25, 2022

With a small support from artist Philippa Jeffrey and her spouse Jonathan, this Quality II-stated 18th-century farmhouse has stepped out of the shadows and into the light. When they purchased their region dwelling 5 years back it was very darkish, with a boring grey and beige décor. But it is fast getting to be a latter-day interpretation of Charleston fashion – the ornamental Sussex home of the Bloomsbury Team. Rich, inspiring and uplifting shades and thought-provoking designs make their marks in just about every place of the household. Philippa has still left no surface area untouched.

And the genuinely special decorative finishes make this a single of the world's best residences, whole of inspirational touches we would all like to see in our have residences. Here are the highlights.

Entrance corridor – a spot to linger

hallway with fireplace and geometric rug and midcentury chair cover with beams

(Impression credit score: Malcolm Menzies)

The roomy entrance corridor is a put to linger, with a characterful inglenook hearth and an inviting mid-century model armchair. The sensible geometric print upholstery cloth and rug deliver the glance ideal into this century. Hallway concepts and updates like these would get the job done just as well in a more recent house as they do in this 18th century farmhouse. The slate flooring was added by the past entrepreneurs. In the fireplace are old publications from Philippa’s days performing for a manner magazine.

Eating place with gallery wall show

gallery wall above staircase in kitchen with wooden table

(Impression credit: Malcolm Menzies)

In the course of the the latest lockdown, in concerning homeschooling the young children, Philippa decided to refresh the kitchen plan, incorporating an uncommon new ornamental aspect that virtually will take factors to a new level. Constructed into the top of the kitchen area is a mezzanine floor, included when the past homeowners current the kitchen. Philippa utilizes the staircase wall for a gallery exhibit of paintings and prints. An artwork gallery may possibly not be top of your listing of eating space ideas, but any form of gallery exhibit in close proximity to a eating table delivers a great speaking position at mealtimes, and injects persona into a room.

Kitchen with smooth pink cupboards

pink kitchen cabinets with geometric pink and grey tiles

(Impression credit score: Malcolm Menzies)

The kitchen area was a afterwards addition to the household, and Philippa preferred to do anything she could to make it as mild and airy as doable. The former entrepreneurs had added darkish wooden beams and black granite worktops, so Philippa and Jonathan's kitchen tips bundled replacing the worktops and painted the beams white – very an achievement provided the height of the ceilings. The kitchen structure was good, and the cupboards, in two tones of beige, have been originally from Mark Wilkinson and ended up considerably much too superior to switch. Philippa wanted a fresh new new appear, and room for a desk. And the pink cupboards are her favorite dusty pink shade that she uses a whole lot in her work, so the colour felt like an clear alternative. This very space actually is proof that you can develop a extremely different seem simply by applying a coat of paint in a refreshing new shade.

Bed room – an oasis of calm… and sample

Bedroom with decorative bedside table and red print lampshade

(Picture credit rating: Malcolm Menzies)

Higher than the fairly inlaid bedside cupboard from Graham & Inexperienced is one particular of Philippa’s paintings, a single of the delicate alterations that has provided the area a serious raise. Other bedroom suggestions here, that are effectively truly worth copying, are to layer and blend bedlinen from distinct manufacturers - nothing at all way too matchy matchy. So classic-design and style bedlinen is topped with a boho toss, with a stripy pillowcase and a vintage lace cushion.

Kid's bed room is really in pink

decorative child's room with pink wallpaper all over and patchwork quilt on bed

(Graphic credit history: Malcolm Menzies)

A person of the most latest updates upstairs is in the children’s guest room. It was a lockdown task so as still not a lot of youthful company have had likelihood to slumber in excess of listed here. The pair worked on the place jointly, with Jonathan wallpapering all 4 walls and the ceiling to produce a cosy, cocooning space. The wallpaper is Adore Leaves from Common Area.

Philippa additional components and furnishings in her favourite shades – quite a few parts are antique or classic finds. Philippa designed the lampshade herself, and the vintage patchwork quilt was produced by her mom-in-legislation

Powder area natural beauty

round cloakroom basin on vintage stand with geometric tiles behind

(Image credit history: Malcolm Menzies)

The downstairs powder space is whole of inspiration that would get the job done just as perfectly as lavatory thoughts for principal bogs. The washstand is from a classic retail outlet and the pair sourced the marble and round bowl on the web then additional Moroccan faucets from an Etsy trader. The cloth was also identified on Etsy

The previous farmhouse exterior look at

country home exterior with canopy porch and green front door

(Impression credit rating: Malcolm Menzies)

It is really not just the interiors that have been up-to-date. Each solitary window in the household experienced to be changed as the previous kinds have been rotten, producing heat reduction and condensation. These are picket heritage-type replacements. All of the house’s stonework has also been repointed using regular techniques and, significantly to everyone’s delight, the wisteria was preserved.

This has been a extensive and influenced renovation – within and out - that has brought lifetime and a lot-required colour again to the aged farmhouse.

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farmhouse

Farmhouse and rustic emerge as design styles of choice

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