What is Country?
 Of all the definitions and of all the explanations I have found for defining “What is Country? The best and simplest put comes from a Better Homes and Gardens publication “Living The Country Life” published in 1985. In it’s introduction and forward it begins;
“It is little wonder that country has such widespread appeal. In addition to being a wonderfully warm and easily adaptable decorating style, country is – for many people – a way of life as well. And because the look can be interpreted in myriad ways, city dwellers and suburbanites are just as likely as rural residents to incorporate country into their homes.
If this is you then you will need to approach your country decorating plan with both an inside and outside of the house view. And as I mentioned in my opening remarks it’s our desire to learn from our customers that have something to teach us and if you would like learn yourself to guide and teach you the techniques that will help you obtain the country look that is you.
What is Country?
Country: A State Of Mind
“Say the word ‘country’ to ten different people and it’s likely to evoke ten different visions. Unlike any other decorating style, country is not just a look, but often a way of life as well. This isn’t to say that devotees of country don’t share a common denominator. The one thread that connects them all – to the look and the life-style - is a shared appreciation for the simple, unpretentious objects and attitudes of the past.?
While this may cause confusion it is my intent in this web link to provide you a clear understanding of the country offering at The Rusty Bucket and to give you a chance to size up and define for yourself what country is for you, your family and your home. Your country style, foot print or personality is within you we just need to work with you to pull it out and identify what country look best fits who you are.
What is Country?
Country: A Life-Style
“Like a long, winding road, the country life-style meanders in many directions – from a rural landscape to the suburbs and the city. Whatever the setting, country style appeals to those who seek harmony with nature and take pleasure in the simple things of life. Going on picnics and walks through the woods; attending auctions, crafts festivals and fairs; watching the sunrise; finding fascination in folk art and handcrafted things; working in the garden; making quilts and weaving; or just sitting by the fireside with friends – these are just a few of the lures of living the country life.”
What is Country?
Country: A Decorating Style
So many of our customers comment to us that they love the look but just do not know how to pull it all together. It is this high level of insecurity that has lead me to create Country Style as a resource and reference. Through the text, examples, photo’s of shop vignettes and selected homes of customers country look that will help you to define your ‘Decorating Country Style’. With just a little effort on your part each of you will journey down a path of discovery that will define your country look and easily develop it into a reality.
“Country as a decorating style cannot be pigeonholed into a single, static look. For every person who is captivated by the hand-hewn and the homespun of early Americana, there are others who are equally enthralled with the time-honored offerings of England and other faraway places. Each kind of country has its own personality and decorative appeal. Whether you’re attracted to the rustic or the refined, to old-fashioned comfort or uptown style, country acclimates easily and beautifully to any environment.”
What is Country?
Country: The Elements of Decorating
Another area that one needs, not so much to master, but to at least have an understanding of general concepts are in “Interior Design”. As with the text from Better Homes and Gardens on “What is Country” Time-Life Books “American Country” (published 1988) offers one of the simplest and clearest overview of the basic Elements of Decorating most commonly know as “Interior Design”.
The Basic Principles of Interior Design
“Although decorating in the country style permits and informal, unstructured approach, it still requires and understanding of the basic elements of good interior design – among them color, pattern, and texture. Color plays a significant role in decorating, not only because it is so easy for people to respond to, but because it can also be used to unify the furnishings in a room and to set an overall tone. Your color preferences will ultimately effect your choice of furniture, fabrics, and accessories.
Pattern and texture are equally important decorating considerations. Whether you choose one motif – a star or checkerboard, perhaps – or use a combination, pattern can give a décor focus and visual interest. Texture – be it in a tone wall surface, a hand-hewn floor, or a curtain made from antique lace – adds further dimension to a room and can effect the way both color and pattern are perceived. As you will see…..all three elements may be combined in any number of ways to achieve a successful country look.”
What is Country?
Country: At the Heart of a Style
The Rusty Bucket offers American Country with elements of Primitive, Americana, Williamsburg, Rustic, Shaker and Country Casual. “American Country” states that “At the heart of American country style is an easy adaptable interpretation of decorating. There are no hard-and-fast-formulas: a casual, ‘undecorated’ look is just as appropriate as one that is more formal and studied. You don’t need professional experience, a generous budget, or even a precise idea of how everything will fit together to achieve an individual country look. Understanding some fundamental principles of design, however, will ensure that decorating your home in the country style is a satisfying experience.”
Familiarity with basic decorating elements will be of help and will make any decorating scheme initiative successful. The country look evokes “…a sense of the history that is intrinsic to what we now think of as country. In furnishing their homes, American’s settlers made inventive, thrifty use of materials they had on hand, combining local craft traditions and ethnic customs to produce a decorative heritage that is in many ways unique to this nation. The paint treatments they applied to walls and floors they made from hooked, braided, or woven fabric scraps, developed from a desire to have beauty, warmth and color in the home at a time when luxuries were scarce.
Today, the look of country style relies on the same spirit of ingenuity and spontaneity, and it is that legacy that sets American country apart from all other approaches to decorating.
Lets get started…….
Pam Thorpe Mack Thorpe
Shopkeeper Proprietor
Knox, Gerald M., Living The Country Life. Desmoines, Iowa.. Better Homes
and Gardens Books. 1985.
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