Get the rustic look: Combining a barn home with the right décor
Many rural dwellers have re-imagined what’s usually reserved for hay and horses—the barn—as their vacation home or forever home.
Much more posh than the red buildings that store tractors and animals, barn homes have grown in popularity over the past few years. Barns naturally embody what’s trending in home design: open floor plans, cathedral ceilings, lofts, and exposed wood. They also have the cozy look and feel of a true rural retreat.
For the maximum in comfort, style, and efficiency, most homeowners raise barn homes from scratch. A new barn home combines the latest energy-efficient processes with real wood, giving you the best of both modern and time-honored techniques.
If you’re looking for a home that’s a little bit country, a little bit cool, follow these tips to create the ultimate post-and-beam dream.
1. The type of construction matters. Most barn homes start with post-and-beam timber framing. Used for thousands of years, post-and-beam creates a strong framework that’s made from real wood. The open structure also gives you many possibilities for room size. Your frame finish, flooring, and cabinetry choice will set the stage for a traditional, earthy look or a more contemporary retreat.
2. Choose your barn style. No two barns are alike! A Homestead barn features the basic square shape and pointed roof of the traditional stable, perfect for an open floor plan and second-floor loft.
The Iron Horse has a shallower roof with 16-foot walls. This allows you to install tall windows to bring the mountains, prairies, or wooded acres indoors.
The Gambrel barn is modeled after European barns. Its slightly rounded roofline means soaring ceilings and lots of space.
If you’re not into perpendicular walls, consider a Round barn. You’ll have endless possibilities to design an eclectic living space. Only Barn Builders of Pella, Iowa, builds this style.
The Raised Monitor features a center aisle across the top, which you could use for storing hay…or as office space in your new barn home. Combined with an expansive main floor, you’ll have many options for living and entertainment areas.
With an Offset Roofline barn, you can build an attached event barn, guest accommodations, or work space. An offset roofline gives you the ability to create multiple spaces with separate entries.
3. Furnish well. Classic rustic furniture is a natural solution for furnishing a new barn home. This décor style carries the home’s exterior rustic feel throughout the interior. Quality rustic furnishings are relaxed, comfortable, and emphasize natural beauty—a perfect fit for the barn home setting.
To find the perfect rustic pieces, browse furniture stores such as Colorado Classics. The West Des Moines, Iowa shop is filled with fine furniture made from reclaimed barnwood, aspen, hand-distressed cherry, hickory, juniper, and hand-hammered copper. Each piece is handcrafted, so you can easily fill your home with western-inspired originals.
Colorado Classics’ Aspen Log bedroom, living room, and dining room furniture comes straight from the Rockies. Its reclaimed barnwood furniture remains popular for its timeless look and durability. For a look that truly brings the outdoors in, check out Colorado Classics’ Juniper tables and benches.
4. Shed the right light. You’ve decided to furnish your bedroom, dining room, and living room in cedar, aspen, or some other wood to compliment your barn home’s frame. You’ve also picked out a cozy leather sofa and recliner to enhance the look. Complete the package with table lamps, sconces, and chandeliers that carry out the rustic theme. Colorado Classics carries forged iron sconces and chandeliers for both indoor and outdoor use. Onyx table lamps give a warm glow with stunning natural stone.
5. Design a community kitchen.
The kitchen is the hub of family activity and the place where people inexplicably congregate during a party. Because it’s highly trafficked, you’ll want to keep in mind how the kitchen flows within an open floor plan. For example, you may want to face the living area so you can chat with friends while prepping dinner, but you don’t want to walk around them to reach the dining area.
Islands are practically a staple in an open floor plan. An island serves as a casual breakfast spot, a place to sit with a glass of wine, and a place to chop vegetables.
For kitchen surfaces, choose butcher block or maple for natural warmth or elegant marble for timeless grace. Choose the material that fits best with flooring, cabinetry, and your lifestyle.
6. A fireplace is a must. When the temperature drops, stay warm and toasty by your barn home’s big stone fireplace. A stone fireplace enhances the natural look of your timber-framed home and provides functional heating. Limestone, fieldstone, and Montana moss rock are all good options for Midwest barn home dwellers.
Ready to raise the roof on your rustic family retreat? Contact Barn Builders to determine the barn style that meets your needs. Its experienced staff will help you design and build your dream barn home. Barn Builders will advise you on the barn style that meets your needs, as well as walk you though options such as lean-tos, stone artistry, hardwood floors, decks, and Shiplap siding.
When the time comes to furnish your rural getaway, stop by Colorado Classics at Ninth and Railroad, West Des Moines, to see its selection of high-quality, handcrafted bedroom, dining room, and living room furniture.
Owner Chris Burkett is personally involved in the delivery process, ensuring a seamless transition. They deliver all over Iowa and throughout the United States.