Rustic Barnwood Furniture
Barnwood furniture is a real American original. Once created out of necessity by the pioneers who often found themselves short on milled wood, rustic barnwood furniture is highly sought after today because of its nostalgic appeal.
While some furniture is still crafted from the wood recycled from old barns, many pieces are being created using new materials that have been distressed and weathered to match age-old barnwood. There are, after all, only so many old barns available.
Whether its original or simulated barnwood, barnwood furniture is usually made of pine, oak or cedar planks that have that rich, weathered look to them. It’s an unmistakable look that has a classic appeal to discerning homeowners. It is used to make a wide range of signature pieces, including barnwood beds, barnwood cabinets, barnwood tables and even barnwood desks and office furniture.
The term barnwood actually covers a range of styles. For instance, Texas or cowboy barnwood furniture uses the straight lines inspired by ranch furnishings, accented with leather or cowhide. New England barnwood pieces have clean lines, gleaned from the designs of the Puritans who first settled there. Yankee barnwood is more utilitarian in feel and doesn’t usually have a lot of extra flourishes. Finally, there’s Montana style, which utilizes the hewn logs from the barns for added design interest.
Rustic barnwood furniture can usually be found in its original, weathered finish or painted bright farm colors, such as red, blue or green. They are often painted in patriotic motifs or scenes of ordinary farm life at the turn of the century. The finish of natural barnwood can vary greatly depending on the species of wood and the weather conditions of the barn’s locale.
Barnwood furniture is popular both indoors and outdoors. The Montana style furnishings lend themselves perfectly to the backyard, thanks to their use of the more rough-hewn logs and woven branches. Indoors, barnwood mirrors, barnwood bar stools, barnwood desks and barnwood picture frames make great accents to any room.
Barnwood décor mixes and matches with a variety of other styles and themes, including oriental, Americana and contemporary. It adds just a hint of rustic charm to a room without overwhelming it.