Dallas-Fort Worth has a rich history as a frontier town of the Old West. Texans are also famous for their food, which draws culinary inspiration from a variety of sources. Many Metroplex homeowners celebrate the area’s heritage by incorporating furniture and decorative touches that blend Western, Southwestern, and rustic decor — especially in their kitchens, which often serve as gathering rooms. Here’s how you can add a rustic touch to your DFW kitchen.

Rustic Decor Basics

Rustic furnishings and decorations are often created with natural, raw, or weathered materials such as knotty pine beams, sofas and chairs upholstered with animal hides, and iron lamp bases and light fixtures. When creating your color palette, go for earth tones like olive green, burnt orange, and brown. Rustic elements typically give a home a cabin-like or farmhouse feel. In many cases, rustic design also incorporates touches of Native American crafts and artwork and Mexican influences, such as bright mosaics and earthy hues that mimic the desert. According to Better Homes and Gardens, rustic decor can include wide-planked wood floors, weathered ceiling beams, and paneled walls. The article also cautions against painting wooden elements in your home: “This decorating style prizes wood in its natural state, mixing the textures of knotty pine with quarter-sawn oak and rough birch bark, for example, to emulate the feeling of living in a tree house.”

Incorporating Rustic Elements in Your DFW Kitchen

Installing new light fixtures and cabinetry are common methods to give your kitchen a rustic look. For lighting, consider using black or rust-colored metal hanging light fixtures. If you want new cabinetry, choose pine or birch (or wood veneers that resemble these rustic favorites). Avoid stained finishes that change the natural appearance of wood; opt for a clear or light-colored stain or finish instead. If you’re decorating on a budget, it’s easy to incorporate rustic touches into your decor. Hang wall art that depicts Western scenery or use place settings and stoneware accented with antlers or hammered copper. Consider using a rustic handwoven rug for your breakfast nook. For flooring, Saltillo tile and stone native to Texas is very popular.

Where to Find Rustic Pieces in Dallas-Fort Worth

Fortunately, it’s easy to find rustic decorations and furniture in the Metroplex. A popular store is Anteks Sophisticated Rustic, located on Dragon Street in Dallas. For residents closer to Fort Worth, try Brumbaugh’s, which boasts over 50,000 square feet of Texas-style furniture, chandeliers, and other accoutrements.

Since Western and rustic decor draws on Texas’ rich heritage, it has more longevity than other design styles. And incorporating this style into your kitchen can be as easy as placing a few carefully selected decorative pieces, or as involved as a total room remodel.

Image Source: Flickr/DL Miller

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