Our home is actually very far from modern farmhouse when it comes to the bones of the space. Our living room has more traditional touches, like heavily trimmed windows, then farmhouse touches, and no built in character that screams farmhouse or modern other than the old schoolhouse thin wooden floors. So when it came to bringing in a farmhouse feel I leaned on furniture to bring a natural, textural vibe.

Many years ago my husband built this modern farmhouse coffee table for me. I originally had it stained a blonde wood but when we moved into this house I stained it an golden oak to match our flooring and craft table. Speaking of the craft table that my husband also built me, we use this for all our daughters crafts and love that the more dings, chips, glitter, markers etc that mark it up add to the rustic farmhouse look we are going for.

Both of these pieces decidedly make the living room feel farmhouse esq. and thats because of the color of the wood. Warm wood tones that aren’t polished and glossy but a little rough and knotty, go a long way in bringing a farmhouse style to your living room. You could of course also add in a barn door or rustic natural beams to the ceiling, but these can be very expensive and not often possible for every floor plan.

Your furniture, rugs, curtains, and throw pillows and blankets are all going to be made of some type of fabric so when it comes to bringing in a modern vibe to your farmhouse living room look for clean, simple fabrics that aid in taking your rustic farmhouse to a more modern style.

In our living room I paired our rustic farmhouse coffee table and craft table with mid-century faux leather armchairs. These are actually also a true mix of modern & farmhouse because the shape is modern and the arms and legs are rustic. It all blends seamlessly together.

We also went with an oversized, streamlined modern sectional for our living room. We chose a simple shape that looks clean and put together at all times to tie in our modern edge.

Decorating your walls

Another great way to add in either more farmhouse or more modern style is to your walls. I love incorporating shelving on our walls for a unique, layered look. I stick with clean, simple floating shelves because I prefer the look to busy wall shelf with intricate corbels underneath. I then layer it with both modern and farmhouse decor like primitive antique brass candle sticks and vintage velvet books. These compliment a round modern mirror and boho accessories perfectly for that curated look.

Window Treatments

I often get asked about choosing window treatments for a modern farmhouse living room. In ours we went with bamboo blinds that are clean and simple but carry the same tone as our primitive coffee table and craft table. I added curtains to our large bay window, and although most modern homes go without curtains I like the coziness the added fabric brings to our living room.

Uniquely you

I will never tire of the combination of quirky, eclectic touches and clean simple modern lines. I almost always have on hand an array of boho pom-pom fringed pillows, throw blankets with tassels, lots of plants in assorted containers and my most loved home decor item, a brass bunny candle stick that resides over my vintage book finds. Mixing these eclectic touches with stripes, grids, solids and plaids will perfectly compliment the modern farmhouse vibe your going for.

Bringing the outside in

We do not have a fireplace in our living room, but if we did I would have gone with either a streamlined smooth body and a rustic thick beam for the mantel OR a chunky stone or brick body and a more modern, sleek mantel. Every home, regardless of its style, should have something from nature inside, to make it cozy and feel alive. Plants can be bought just about anywhere these days, my favourites comes from Home Depot because who can beat that price! You could also head over to your local park or take a walk to your back yard to grab some branches to add to a vase on your coffee table. Nothing living where you are, faux is ok too! I use it often, especially in the winter, and love Michaels and Target for their selection.

Keep it balanced

To achieve a more modern farmhouse style make sure to balance any heavy furniture or expecially rustic pieces with lighter decor. For instance we have a swing arm, bronze floor lamp that adds lots of light but isn’t to over-powering in the space. I also keep as many elements in light neutrals and almost always gravitate towards most of my room being white with added contrast in our rug, side chairs and some decor. This keeps everything feeling light and fresh and steers your living room away from a more traditional country farmhouse look.

Some of my favourite light and airy decor can be found here.

Texture texture texture

Texture, when it comes to decorating, is your best friend. Every home that looks designed and not pulled right out of a big box furniture catalogue is curated with lots of texture. Mix and match texture in throw pillows, rugs, blankets, and window treatments, for that designer look in your home.

Don’t over do it!

The most important thing to keep in mind when implementing a modern farmhouse style in your living room is not to over do it. If you have one or two rustic pieces of furniture keep everything else light and airy. Stick to light neutrals on your walls like classic grey by Benjamin Moore, simply white by Benjamin Moore or Alabaster by Sherwin Williams. Make sure to compliment your rustic pieces with modern mid-can turn shapes like a modern side chair or lamp. And use fun textures and colors on your throw pillows and decor to make your living room unique to you!

Light geometric rug.

Halfway Wholistic’s Modern Farmhouse Home

I love Katie’s light and bright modern farmhouse living room. Her whole home is beautiful and she shares lots of affordable home decor and furniture.

She is definitely one to follow on Instagram and changes up her living room and family room often with lots of modern, rustic furniture and decor.

Studio Mcgee

If you haven’t heard of Shea Mcgee yet, I am so excited to get to introduce you to her!

Shea and her design team create the most stunning Modern Farmhouse designs. Not only are they busy creating beautiful homes in the U.S. for many clients, Shea also has a show on Netflix and a modern farmhouse decor line on Target!

Magnolia

Another famous designer I love to follow along with is Joanna Gaines and her team at Magnolia. Joanna always creates the perfect combination off modern and farmhouse in her homes and I can’t get enough of how creative her and her team are!

Monika Hibbs

Ive been following Monika ever since I first joined instagram. In fact it was after seeing her beautiful neutral modern farmhouse living room on IG that I tried my hand at implementing bright and airy decor in our home and I was hooked. I shared some photos on Facebook and Instagram and started my journey in the blogging world, all because of Monika!