I am curious

[MJsLady]

or nosy which ever you prefer! LOL
I have been watching a lot of hgtv, design and decorating type shows.
I love country decor. However the country I see in mags and tv, even online, is not what says country to me.
A lot of the time all it says is clutter!
I look at the rooms they do, the $350 this and the $400 that, and oh what a bargain a small object they paid $50 for.
When I think country I think, thrift, versatility, usability.
The Waltons come to mind.
What says country to you?
I love the folk art approach, adding color to rooms with stenciled furniture etc, but I refuse to pay premium prices for the furniture I intend to add my mark too!

[PrairieRose]

I sooooo agree with you Mel. I have always thought, that's no bargain!, when watching these shows. You know I've been looking around my house and thinking I'm getting rid of that and that and this....too much country clutter for me to enjoy anymore. Country to me says, "welcome to my simple, comfortable, warm home". I'm leaning toward a more "sophisticated, pared down" style of country for my home now.

[heavensent_7]

Oh I agree too!

It is just the same in the UK! I was looking at a magazine the other day and they were advertising a distressed bedside table for £498!!!!

£498 for something somebody hit with a bicycle chain AND you'd need two of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only a few years ago you would have found one in a skip and left it there or re-painted it because it was wrecked LOL.

Actually I distress quite a few things (including people ) and I sometimes think all this work to make it look REALLY old LOL.

Oh what a fashion victim I am lol - I still wouldn't pay this kind of money (even if I had it!)

I agree though about the country look to - I've recently seen some VERY modern country looks around and that doesn't feel right to me either?

[scrappycat]

When I think of the country look, I think of wonderful old, white farmhouses (which I hope to find after hubby retires). I think of it with lots of wonderful, old, worn furniture. Simple vases filled with homegrown flowers. White enamel pots in the kitchen. Shiny hardwood floors. Old iron beds. Soft comfortable couches and chairs with homemade pillows. A quilt folded at the end of a bed. Now, I don't want to offend anyone....but country to me was never about cows, or ducks, or geese, or pigs or whatever else was the latest thing. It was always about quiet home simplicity.

[Sara Noel]

They have really overdone Americana/Folk Art. It can be very nice, but they've layered it to death in magazines.
I like a minimalistic approach to country decor. Not all this layer upon layer of "stuff".
I think you'll find a trend starting that creates a more simple country style. Like a new country cottage look. The emphasis being on old linens and old weathered looking furniture.
They'll claim it's new and fresh and airy and it's really more of the old just removing some of the layers they added. It's just the demand for simplicity is growing, so they have just pruned the abundant country look. They've given it the space of shabby chic, but the classic elegance of traditional country. There'll be a rustic approach to it too. This will keep the appeal broader. This will be more of that farmhouse country look many are after.
I guess for some they have family heirlooms that are passed down, but many do need to buy the look they are after and once it's a trend, it can be costly to design a popular look. Not everyone has the patience to shop flea markets and make a decor evolve over time.
All in all, I think many decors in magazines have gone way overboard. It will start scaling down.

[seadream]

I decorate primitive country and to me that means a nice comfy house that you can actually sit on the furniture and put your feet up on the coffe table.
Lots of quilts to keep you warm on a cold winter night(have to get me some of them first.lol)
I use lots of dark greens, burgundy, and country blue for my colors. Have lots of birdhouses, wreaths, candles, shaker boxes, shelves, crocks, braided rugs, etc to decorate with.

I love this style of decorating and enjoy going to yard sales & thrift stores looking for old stuff to use to decorate with.

[captclearance]

I love the primative look, old washed out furniture and simple things..... I can't seem to get it right tho.......

[Katybird]

I love the country look but not "country cluttered look". I just look at all that clutter in magazines and think about all the dusting I would have to do . I agree with you Seadream and Lori, the country primitive decorating style is the style I prefer. I want my home to be comfortable and inviting not cluttered and overdone. I am always amazed at the magazines who show country kitchens and they have the countertops completely covered with "stuff", there is no way that they could actually cook a meal in those kitchens. I have to have my kitchen clean and the countertops cleared to cook in. I guess if you can afford $600 for a 200 year old wooden bread bowl you probably are not doing much of your own cooking though, LOL.

Blessings,
Kathy

[MJsLady]

Wow its so nice to see i am not the only one! LOL
I love having open space, that is afterall why I moved to the country, I didnt like the idea that my neighbor was just an arms length away!
I plan to go for the old comfy look.
DH seems to have figured out my vision for the kitchen table and says its fine with him! I explained to him about my idea for the dining room chairs too and he says it sounds great to him, of course it entails him getting a new toy (jig or scroll saw)