Rustic furniture is a unique and old style of furniture that many people feel drawn to for its classic look and old time nostalgia. This type of furniture is made from all natural materials such as sticks, twigs and logs. It would look right at home in both your living room, summer cottage or a 19th century farmhouse.
When looking for rustic furniture, you will have several different styles and options to choose from. You could go with newly crafted handmade pieces, usually made by some of the best craftsmen in the furniture business, or an old piece handed down through generations. One thing about rustic furniture that makes in so enduring in the decorating world is that the same styles and construction techniques from hundreds of years ago are still being used to make the pieces today. This gives the furniture a historic quality that is unmatched by other style of furniture.
A typical rustic furniture shop in Vermont.
There are two main styles when it comes to rustic furniture, although many pieces tend to incorporate them both equally in their construction. Both styles originate from the purpose the furniture started out fulfilling. It was a style of furniture that was both easy to make and affordable since it was built with whatever natural materials could be easily found laying around.
This is reflected in the two major styles of construction:
The first style is known as bentwood. This style of furniture is made by harvesting fresh sticks while they are still supple and bending them into the shapes needed to construct the piece. Bentwood furniture often reflects a crude sort of woven style, which is very endearing and classic.
The other style of rustic furniture is known as twig work. This style is made from older sticks and logs, which are fastened together with rope or nails to provide a more traditional style of furniture.
While shopping for rustic pieces it is important to keep in mind what style you are going for, since many makers of the furniture only specialize in one kind of construction or another. Unlike mass produced furniture, each maker adds his own bit of style and a personal touch to make each piece unique. This is something to look out for when choosing your next bit of rustic furniture.
It is also important to keep in mind what types of wood you are looking for in your furniture. While most pieces today are made with Willow wood, many other types of wood were often used more in the past.
Other types of wood can include:
– Oak
– Palm
– Cherry
– Other hard and soft woods