Five Fabulous Rustic Decor Ideas to Bring the Outdoors In

With temperatures cooling down, it’s fast becoming time to cozy up in your living room, study or den. Don’t ignore the call of nature just because there’s rain, ice or snow. Part of the joy of embracing a rustic decorating style is the ability to bring the outdoors in. If you’re keen to add some rustic accents to your home to tide you over until inclement fall and winter weather passes, consider these five easy ideas to spruce up your living space.

1.  Rope and Twine Accents

Nothing evokes the spirit of rustic simplicity as much as texture. With rope-accented home decor items, you can touch, feel and even smell the great outdoors in your home. If you’re DIY-inclined, a waste paper basket or set of matching glass candle holders are easily spruced up with a glue gun and some rope or thick twine. Jute and hemp are ideal and easily found, but don’t discount other fibers, either.

For a more outdoorsy look that requires no crafting, use worn-out fishing nets as wall hangings or to corral children’s toys in the form of a hammock. If you’re without a net, don’t tie yourself in knots: there are other ways to incorporate rope accents effortlessly into your decor.  A rough-hewn rope coiled around a bed frame or tacked around the edge of a room provides an instant rustic facelift.

2. Twig and Log Furniture

Make use of fallen tree limbs by cutting them into affordable, rustic seating. A simple stump makes the perfect place to park yourself while enjoying your morning cup of coffee or tea -- ready-made options are also available from both independent craftspersons and mass-market retailers.

If you’d like a project to keep yourself busy, consider breathing new life into old furniture by affixing found twigs to chairs with industrial wood glue. The addition of tree-themed accents to your furniture will tide you over until you can be surrounded by the real deal soon enough. The key to rustic simplicity in twig and log furniture and accents is to not finish them too much: leave the bark on, or peel it off and oil up the exposed wood for a protective coating that lets the natural texture and color shine.

3. Playing with Paddles

Nothing says “I love spending time on my boat” so much as using reclaimed or recycled paddles as decor. A series of wooden canoe and kayak paddles affixed together and adorned with a coat of paint makes an eye-catching headboard, while a solo paddle can easily become a coat rack with the addition of a few hooks and screws.

If you’re not inclined to do it yourself or don’t have access to excess paddles, commercially available decor options incorporating paddles are available, but tend to cost a great deal more than obtaining used paddles from a buddy, flea market or even your favorite outdoor equipment shop.

4. Buckets and Pails as Storage

If you’ve got old metal buckets that have seen better days, put them to use as catch-alls around the house. The practicality of buckets speaks to the spirit of rustic decor, even if your pails have seen better days. Beat up buckets add texture and a rustic flavor and are reminiscent of days spent on the lake.

Solid buckets are the perfect place to park outdoor accessories such as hiking sticks. Buckets otherwise unusable for holding water due to holes can become an ideal cache for crayons, markers, pens and other art supplies. Meanwhile, minnow buckets make the perfect spot to rest umbrellas, providing enough air circulation to avoid mildew.

5. Outdoor Inspired Lighting

Reel Lamps are made from reclaimed fishing gear -- you can put your old rod to good purpose by letting us turn it into a rustic lighting piece that is sure to become a conversation piece in your home. We also offer lamps made from arrow shafts that are perfect if you prefer hunting to fishing.

Other ideas, including minnow buckets lined with LED fairy lights, branches adorned with string lighting and bare-bulb lighting covered with mason jars. Pull cords fashioned from rope also lend a rustic look to any room, but require a little bit of craftiness and DIY-know how.

Adding Outdoor Touches to Your Home

One of the great joys of rustic decorating is the ability to bring the great outdoors into your home. With dreary fall and winter days preventing all but the most diehard outdoorsmen (and women) from venturing out of hibernation, adding hints of the outdoors keeps spirits high and serves as a good reminder that days spent fishing, hunting and enjoying nature aren’t far off.

While many rustic decor ideas are DIY-able, some require an expert’s touch, especially if you’re dealing with prized equipment such as your old fishing rod. Reel Lamps can turn your favorite rod into a lamp that’ll add a healthy dose of rustic charm to your home or cabin.