4 Fresh Spins on Modern Farmhouse, Straight From West Elm’s Fall Lookbook
This exterior paint idea is a curveball.
Updated Oct 22, 2018 7:06 PM
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Colorful and farmhouse are two words you don’t often hear in the same sentence. Sleek white subway tiles and white oakwood accents have come to define the rustic style, but that’s not the approach West Elm is taking this fall. Michael Bolognino and Nick Spain’s renovated 19th-century home, located in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, serves as the backdrop for the brand’s new lookbook for autumn 2021. The inspiring assortment of photos proves farmhouse style looks best when dipped in saturated shades of teal, mustard, and pink. Here are all the fresh spins we’re stealing from the editorial, plus the items we’re shopping to get the look.
Lean Into Curves
You’ve probably noticed arches are all the rage these days, but they’re not just limited to modern, millennial-approved spaces. Bring in curved silhouettes, be it in the form of a fireplace or fruit bowl, to balance out the straight lines in worn hardwood floorboards and brick accents.
Rethink Controversial Color Pairings
Don’t knock red and green as Christmasy until you try it. A powder-coated rust nightstand and forest green walls can play nicely if they both share the same matte finish.
Leave No Surface Unpainted
Doorknobs, baseboards, ceilings, doors—swathe every detail in the same color for an all-encompassing effect. Happy hues in cooler tones (mustard yellow, mauvy pink) feel timeless and right for a more traditional setting.
Go Geometric
Falling block floor tiles, checkerboard rugs, hexagon-shaped side tables, and other designs that lend themselves to optical illusions bring expected shiplap paneling and galvanized steel up to speed.
