Ways to Give Your Modern Farmhouse a Collected, Cozy Update
Did you fall in love with modern farmhouse a few years ago? You're in good company. Those bones (shiplap, open shelving, simple lines) are a great foundation.
And if you're planning to stay put, you're not alone. According to Houzz, 61% of homeowners plan to stay in their homes 11+ years. That's a great reason to make the one you have feel like YOU.
The good news: you don't need to start over to make it feel fresh. A few layers of color, pattern, and personality can take it from farmhouse to collected and eclectic. Here's where I'd start.
1. Paint your doors and trim
This is the biggest bang for your buck. Pick a color you love and paint your interior doors and trim to match. Deep green, soft blue, warm clay. Suddenly your light walls really pop.
Photo by Alex Vincent
2. Add wallpaper behind built-ins
Have plain built-ins or open shelving? Wallpaper the back. It's a small amount of paper with a BIG payoff, and it turns your shelves into a display moment. Go for a pattern with some color in it.
3. Swap your rugs
Rugs set the tone for a room. Try a vintage or vintage-style rug with color and pattern, or layer a smaller patterned rug over a natural jute or sisal. It instantly warms up a space.
Photo by Alex Vincent
4. Refresh your throw pillows
The easiest update of all. Mix patterns and scales: a floral, a stripe, a small check, all sharing a color. Bonus points for vintage textiles or pillows made from fabric remnants. For fall, try a plaid, a touch of leopard, or a velvet pillow with fringe trim.
Photo by Alex Vincent
5. Update your lighting
Lighting is jewelry for a room. Try a colorful table lamp with a pleated or patterned shade, or cover a plain shade in fabric you love. Swapping one fixture for an antique or vintage piece adds character right away. And swap in warm, amber-toned bulbs for a cozy glow all winter.
6. Put your collections on display
This is where your personality comes in. Group the things you love (pottery, plates, vintage silver, books, art) and give them real space. A gallery wall that runs up to the ceiling, plates over a doorway, a stack of books on the coffee table. More on that here. More on collections and how to curate the clutter here.
Photos by Alex Vincent
7. Mix in vintage and antiques
Add a few pieces with history: an antique dresser in the entry, a vintage chair in a corner, a wicker side table on the porch. Every piece doesn't need to match. It just needs to feel like it belongs to you.
Start small
You don't have to do all seven at once. Pick one room and one or two changes, and live with it for a bit. That's how a collected home comes together: slowly, and with things you love.