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Arts and Crafts-style furnishings are often associated with the rustic lodge look, but this early modern signature is equally adept at expressing contemporary fresh country style. Simple but not skimpy, furniture pieces are designed for human comfort. Their quietly dramatic shapes are handsome in coarse-grained oak and attain a lustrous, elegant beauty in smooth-grained maple or cherry.

This simple furniture is an example of fresh country decorating.
Craftsman-style furniture from the designs of Arts and Crafts-icon Gustav Stickley
look as fresh and exciting today as they did so long ago. Area rugs depicting
foliage, botanical-style fruit prints, and simple, burnt-bamboo shades carry
out the natural yet sophisticated scheme.

While this look is a natural for genuine leather upholstery, fabrics captivate with rich, stylized images of nature. Handmade pottery and ceramics add functional sparkle.

A rug depicting woodland animals in a rich mix of garnet, brown, and beige reflects the surrounding tiles and bricks.
A fanciful custom rug depicting woodland animals in a rich mix of garnet-red,
brown, and beige reflects the rosy glow from the surrounding tiles and bricks.
You could create a similar effect with deep garnet paint, sponged in two tones
for depth, and finished with a clear, glossy glaze.

In a brick or wood-paneled room, Arts and Crafts-style furnishings take on a rich, timeless character; in a white modern room, they take on an almost startling contemporary feeling. Paint the walls ruby, goldenrod, or cantaloupe, and the furniture takes on a quality that seems to be inspired by an artist's studio.

Dramatically shaped furniture from original designs by Gustav Stickley give this prairie-style living room great presence.
Dramatically shaped furniture from original designs by Gustav Stickley give
this prairie-style living room great presence. The architecture is modern, but the
ambiance is one of timeless, reassuring warmth. The mellow jewel tones of the
Oriental rug perfectly complement the rich wood tones.

When pieces have this much character, you never outgrow them.

For more decorating ideas, see: