I don't want to limit people in the types of houses they consider. I've seen great Rustic Modern farmhouses, lofts and cottages, feel free to use any of them. The house should guide your choices, however.

If you don't know how to do a mood board, read the "About Design Around This" thread. Of just post a series a pictures to give us an idea of what you are contemplating.
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0103181520843.html

First article by Sandra Oster: http://decoratortagsale.com/2010/11/rustic-interior-design/.

The phrase "Rustic Interior Design" used to have me imagining a ski lodge in Aspen adorned with plaid blankets and deer heads over a heavy stone fireplace. However, over the years, this style has really come into its own!

Today's rustic style lays emphasis on natural elements that together look and feel cozy, yet refined. With the emergence and stress on "going green" and being environmentally friendly, rustic design has found its niche at last.

This rustic style works well with modern, contemporary and classic accents.

It is easy, clean and warm, and filled with unfinished surfaces, organic elements, and a mix of new and old.

Distinctive materials such as raw wood with minimal stains or varnishes, simple rug choices such as jute or sisal, a balance of white and neutrals, and understated living spaces with minimal embellishments define the rustic style.

In the midst of our complex economy, I find reassurance in these comfortable interiors. They stress a minimalist calm that relies on scaling down and focusing on just a few good quality things that feel pleasant. That is something most of us can use in our lives!

Some of the constituents of "green" design are sustainability, and using recycled or renewed materials. One of the most prevalent pieces that exemplify the rustic style is the farmhouse table.

These are popping up everywhere these days! Many of them, such as those from Restoration Hardware, are made from reclaimed wood, making them an ideal "green" choice.

One of my favorite mixes of rustic and modern is the combination of a salvaged wood farmhouse table, the Manning chandelier by Arteriors, and Harry Bertoia side chairs, each draped with a bit of flokati. Rustic architectural touches, such as exposed unfinished wood beams and a rough slate accent wall set a backdrop for a rustic meets modern space that is rich in textural contrast.

A home designed in the rustic style is one you can relax and romanticize in.
It is a place to feel contented, while being surrounded by soothing textures and bits of nature in your own space and if you still imagine an Aspen ski lodge, go ahead and sip hot cocoa under a plaid blanket to your hearts content!

A few pictures:

Most of these cottages are full of harvest gold and avocado appliances, rejects from city homes. Lots of MCM furnishings, once loved in the city, but now shunned and housed at the cottage.

Did I mention KNOTTY PINE? It is ubiquitous, and I've factored it into my challenge here. I've always hated knotty pine, but I'm trying to come to terms with it. And the typical Canadian cottage is always about the canoe. That is the single iconic Canadian object that will always be found at every single cottage throughout the land. The one I've used as inspiration for this design is particularly iconic.

I don't own a cottage, but we have been looking for the last six months or so, so I'm looking forward to having one over the next year or so. My objective will likely be to:

1. Retain some of the original feel of the typical Canadian summer cottage: pine, MCM furnishings, etc.

2. Try to add a Scandinavian flavour to the space

3. Keep it rustic, but with a nod to modern design

For this design I'm working with iconic pieces. Iconic Canadian art and objects, Danish modern furniture, Swedish cottage colour (white). I've left the pine on the ceiling, but have painted the walls and floor white - lots of white. I can't imagine ever using pine cabinet doors IRL, but I've tried here. White Caesarstone counter, no backsplash.

Lighting: Twig Chandelier by Gwen Carlton
Lighting: Tripod branch light from Lamps Plus
Painting: Canoe, Tom Thomson (reproduction)
Wall oven:Smeg
Knotty Pine Cabinets: Walzcraft
Cabinet Pulls: canoe paddles from Bellacor
Counters: Organic White by Caesearstone
Tivoli radio
Dining Chairs: Shanghai Chair in White (based on Wegner Chair)
Wood Stove: Hwam Mozart
Sitting Chair: Custom Chair: Poul Jensen for Selig Z Chair frame with Hudson Bay blanket cushions
Table: Hickory Round Table from the LodgeShop

Here is one of my inspiration pictures that may fit this style:

One of my favorite rustic modern spaces is Darryl Carter's Virginia Farmhouse (linked below).

In my mind, these elements make a rustic modern space:
exposed beams, use of salvaged wood materials
white walls
monochromatic decor using white, black, gray and wood. Interest is creating by layering textures.
use of antiques and vintage objects mixed with modern furniture wth clean lines.

I'm not sure if I can live in a space with white floors and walls. And Definately couldn't have dead animal heads looking at me :)

Here are a few pictures of white painted ceilings, walls, etc., that is typical of Swedish country interiors. I think I could live with this - I love these pictures. I also think this look can be paired with rustic modern.

I couldn't live with dead animal heads ether. Or antlers, but they are common in the "lodge" variant of this type of design I guess.

M

Wall color will either be SW Universal Khaki or SW Quiver Tan (undecided).

The table and burnt red chairs are similar what I currently have (I like mine better). I loved them in my old house because they added much needed color but I really wish I could change them and go with a different look in the new house, but they're too new to justify that. They may get moved to the dining room but I'm not sure.

I want some kind of sea grass stool for the island but haven't found the perfect ones yet. The pulls and knobs will be ORB. The floors with be 4" wide white oak stained on site. I want dark (but not too dark) with no orange or green undertones.

The rangetop will be this KitchenAid 6 burner

Finally in my dream (which will not become reality), there would be exposed beams and a sliding barn door like this.

The picture above was actually in a house at our local Parade of Homes. I loved the entire house which was definitely modern rustic and we talked to the builder but ultimately went with another builder. I still go and look at the pictures though because I do love it :-)

Wide plank pine floors, salvage elm open shelves, vintage scale and silver lantern, ucluttered decor, reclaimed teak farmhouse table, botanical print from antique shop.

This space is completely open to the family room. There are rustic components throughout.

Stacked stone fireplace, salvage oak beam mantle.

Old apple picking ladder is used to display throws.

salvage corbels flank the entry to the family room. The console is made from old Indian printing blocks.

There are tribal accents scattered everywhere.

Bottle opener

What do you guys think? Does this fit rustic modern or it more standard transitional?

cbusmomof3--I think your overall look is too elegant to be called "rusic", but I agree that your color choice and materials "earthy, organic and eclectic." The different elements look beautiful together.

pps7--Your house is really cozy. I see the rustic elements much more stongly in other parts of the house (fireplace, corbels and apple-picking ladder) than the kitchen. The shot of the kitchen over the dining table I read as pretty transitional, although in the close up of the shelves I can see how you brought in rustic.

I have been away (at Disneyland!), but have started working on a barn/farm-inspired kitchen. It's coming together pretty well, so I may be able to post something tonight.

Or was that "modern rustic"?

Cheers. hbk

I like the rustic cabs with the cement (I think) walls, but I'm not sure how the classical columns fit in with "rustic," even if they are salvaged. It's certainly a bold combination of choices. But the responses in the other thread about layout are spot on.

I'm off to design my dream space- a rustic modern NYC apartment.

hbk, the reason, I didn't like that space is the dungeon like feel and layout. Where are the windows? I do like the chandelier and island.

honorbiltkit - I hadn't seen that thread, thanks for pointing it out. I've never heard of the guy, but I don't think his kitchen is really modern rustic. Not sure what it is actually. Not a great quality photo to judge.

cbusmomof3 - thanks for playing! I like your pieces too, but tend to agree with cawaps, they edge towards rustic and modern, but aren't quite there. Lovely nevertheless, and probably more in keeping with your home than true rustic modern (whatever that may be) :)

pps7 - I love your home, beautiful. Definitely some rustic pieces and influence, but again, perhaps just enough to warm up your space without looking odd or overdone in your house? I love your reclaimed oak beam and wooden shelving. Looking forward to your NYC apartment.

kaismom - I agree with you (as usual I think). That is why in my first post I specifically referenced "farmhouses, cottages and lofts" because I have a hard time imagining a regular suburban house that could really pull off a full dose of rustic modern. Maybe measured doses like pps7 and cbus. But I'd be happy to see people prove me wrong, I'm the opposite of an expert in rustic modern design.

For my kitchen I am planning painted cabinets in 2 shades of grey, wide plank wood flooring, and fluted barnlight pendants similar to the last inspirational picture that Sochi posted.

I`m not sure if this is modern rustic, but I like the picture.

You don't need to be a designer to pull a quick inspiration board together though! Give it a try if you have a few minutes to spare some time this week.

I think this kitchen is modern rustic:

This one is probably more traditional/rustic. I wish I had a name for that!

The grays are off.
The flooring image is flipped so it is off, but that creates an interesting Escher-esque element :)
There would need to be more to it, but here is the basic scheme.
GlassKote backsplash
Soapstone countertops with Franklin (worn) edge
Plain and Fancy Cabinetry with rustic fingerpulls
Mexican cement tile floor
Robert Abbey lantern-I liked this because it is white inside, black outside
Emeco chairs with walnut seats
Great Windsor chairs table

Perhaps it is what Kaismom was referring to - take a building with rustic elements - walls, beams, whatever, drop in modern furnishings and you've got rustic modern. Drop in traditional furnishings and you've got rustic traditional? Then is there rustic transitional?? I'm not sure. I would say the second picture I posted at the top of the thread is also pretty traditional, not modern. This is what happens when amateurs like me play designer! Lots to learn.

This design incorporates reclaimed wood with modern stainless and rustic stone in modern patterns. No upper cabinets to showcase a beautiful Walker Zanger stone backsplash. A little bit of industrial with the pendant, table and chair. And a resin faux-antler chandelier that my man would absolutely love. The color scheme is simple: multi colored stone (soft beiges, grays, browns), natural wood tones, stainless, and a soft white/cream. Black and white nature photography and fresh cut flowers as accessories.

Concetta Petrified Wood backsplash
LG Hi-Mac solid surface
Color-matched St.Charles Cabinets and Viking range.
Jamie Beckwith flooring
Tramp Art mirror. I show the 3/4 view because it is so robustly done.
Paul Evans Bronze and Slate sideboard
Superordinate chandelier
Nakashima Grass-seated chairs and Conoid Table
Kyle Bunting hair-on-hide rug.
A few PE Guerin "Nugget" pulls and mostly Rocky Mtn. Hdwr. silicon bronze edge pulls.

pricklypearcactus - that looks great. Very cohesive, definitely some rustic and modern there. Not sure about that hood fan - it is modern I guess, but does it work with the stone backsplash?

Reclaimed pine table, bench and chairs: Varian designs, San Francisco
Light: Natural Branch Chandelier, Olive and Cocoa
Painting: Jack Pine, Tom Thomson (reproduction)

None of this is strictly low budget, but it is a fraction of the Gerard kitchen:
Formica 180FX Petrified Wood laminate
Formica Color Core2 black laminate
Kraftmaid Slab Door in Mushroom, black Whirlpool slide-in
Mannington Adura "Hickory" vinyl floor
Pinecone Mirror from Wisteria ($99)
Elk credenza, Malmo table, and Nobu chairs from Organic Modernism
Currey and Company Branch chandelier
Patchwork hide rug

The space would also be useful more generally as a guest space, or possibly for a hired hand in the future.

Because they expected their nieces and nephews, and guest to eat most of their meals with the family, the apartment didn't really need an elaborate kitchen. Ginny planned more of a kitchenette--two burner cooktop, countertop oven, and an apartment-size fridge.

Ginny took her design inspiration from the barn and farm equipment; specifically pulling her color scheme from John Deere's signature colors. For the floor, she insisted that Larry salvage some of the wood from the old barn.

Inspiration photo (from Deere.com):

Slab door cabinets, custom painted by Larry
Knobs and pulls are Hot Knobs Solids in Canary Yellow from Sears
Formica Basalt Slate counter
Backsplash is salvaged corrugated tin (image from EHow)
Elverdam faucet from Ikea
Boholmen sink from Ikea
Cuisinart countetop oven
Summit 2-burner electric cooktop
Broan undercabinet rangehood
GE 12 cu ft refrigerator
Floor salvaged wood from old barn (image from Elmwood Reclaimed Timber)
Benjamin Yellow Skychief Stem fixture from Barn Light Electric
Barn Light Industrial Highlander Pendant from Barn Light Electric
Industrial spool table from 1stDibs (Larry & Ginny would probably find an industrial spool and make a table. They aren't the sort of folks who shop on 1stDibs).
Rustic dining chairs from Kaboodle
Rug from One Way Furniture
Print is an photo of a circle that Ginny had enlarged

There are bits and pieces that we like from a couple of the boards - the gray cabinets from Sochi's first post for instance and I'm intrigued by the bookshelf stacked full of firewood.

I have an interesting dilemma now. I was always planning to go with a look that was a bit of a composite of cbusmom's board and laurajane's second image. But I keep going back to the board that pricklypearcactus posted. I love that look. It's a nice balance of refined and rustic and if I had the budget to carry that look through the rest of the house I would be very happy. Were you going to use any kind of stone countertop to complement the SS? Is there anyway to combine those looks in a cohesive and pleasing fashion. I think it's those amazing beams that I am so drawn to. If I adjust the page so I only see the kitchen components without the beam it doesn't make my heart beat as quickly. Interesting...

Also, I really like the branch chandelier that Pal posted. It seems a little less cliche than the antlers. And Cawaps - I didn't read your intro before I looked at your board. I liked the bold green much better once I understood the concept of where it was going and that it would be a relatively small space, because WOW that would certainly wake me up in the morning. Actually, I think it's really fun for an apartment over a barn on a working farm.

So I guess my question is, what doesn`t mix well with rustic? Is it just a matter of taste?

But this is interior decoration or interior design. The problem comes in when someone starts to attach rustic architectural elements to a house or structure that is clearly something else. Some house styles really lend themselves to some rusticity: colonial revival styles, tudor revival styles, cottage, etc.

But I have been in houses that are pretty transitional contemporary and apartment units that are clearly in modernist high rises, and rustic doors and millwork and flooring attached to these structures looks a little odd. Rustic furniture or art floated within the contemporary space is fine, but trying to make the 14th floor of a highrise or a contemporary open plan with recessed lighting look like a rustic building gets tricky.

palimpsest - I love your "money to burn" rustic, especially the top three elements and the chandelier. I also really like your basic with those lovely cabinets and soapstone and that beautiful table and chairs. I've always loved the Emeco chairs.

pps7 - I've always really enjoyed the pictures of your home. I do tend to agree with others that it might be closer to transitional than modern, but it's so lovely regardless. I really do love the rustic touches including the shelves in the kitchen, the farmhouse table, and your beautiful fireplace.

shmeal - Have you considered trying to put together a moodboard using something like Olioboard in order to see the elements together? These DAT threads introduced me to Olioboard, and I'm hooked! It's been a lot of fun to experiment with these threads and also to explore moodboards for my own home. I love ceiling beams and I think architectural details like beams, stone fireplaces, etc really help rustic modern decor fit with the home. I think you could easily either carry the stainless throughout a kitchen like that or use a complementary stone (maybe soapstone, slate, etc). In my moodboard, I used that Anthropologie island that had a bluestone top. Certainly price-wise some of those elements could have been toned down (standard wood cabinets rather than reclaimed, more basic but still sleek stainless appliances, etc). In terms of carrying the look through the home, I think there are a lot more simple (less expensive) ways to coordinate the rest of the rooms. Certainly not every room needs stone walls, beams, vaulted ceilings, etc. Perhaps just using natural looking wood for bathroom vanities and furniture, stone (slate?) tile where applicable, soft colors, and stainless light and plumbing fixtures would work.

Supertight palette of driftwood set in a white box, grounded by an Ocean Blue tile floor.

Fishscale tile
Unsui Silestone
Nantucket door in Driftwood finish (Plain and Fancy)
Viking Range in Taupe
Oceana Blue Cross Colors tile
Oyster shell mirror on bleached pecky cypress paneling over Dunbar Shell console
Currey and Co. Driftwood chandelier
Vitra Prouve table and shell chairs on casters.

Quilt (http://friestyle.blogspot.com/2011/12/orange-you-glad-you-like-fabric .html)
Chandelier: Plantation Design - Wood & Crystal Chandelier
Range Hood, from Raw Urth designs, Rustic Modern Series
RangeMaster Chocolate Range
Floor Lamp: Meghan Finkel
HBC Points Blanket on bed
Cabinets: Plain and Fancy
Live edge Nakashima Style Curly Maple bench: Dumond�s custom furniture
Counters: Padang dark granite
Table: 1st Dibs, contemporary French

pps and cbus, your real-time projects look like they would be really comfortable places to be.

pricklypear, I think your scheme holds together well.

cawaps, I like the concept of the John Deere kitchen but I think the yellow and green would have to be very carefully color matched, and all that almost all the rest would have to be grounded in some shade of grey--I start to pick up some kind of visual disturbance lines at the boundaries between the pale yellow and green and the wood floor and green. I am a little bit synesthetic though, so some colors bug me in certain ways because I get a taste or its the wrong "number" --it's strange but it affects how I feel about certain combinations.

I tried my shore house one with a more traditional floor color, but I was feeling a blue. Interesting Sochi how we both built schemes around a strong blue. I have been looking at those P&F cabinets on the first page.

Sochi, thank you for the links to the articles and for your work in setting up the thread. I thought your use of the Hudson Bay blanket design in the weekend cabin was terrific. Those big (modern looking) bands of pure color are so iconic they say "rustic" in any setting, and they fit perfectly in your cabin description. Your choice of white everywhere works well to turn the knotty pine cabinets from a possible downside to a great focal point. I actually like them a lot in this board.

Sochi's second pine/white cottage kitchen: I like the tie in with the Jack Pine painting. I know Tom Thomson is a Canadian artist, but his work has such a peaceful Asian feel (to me.) I think the strong edgy lines of the Varian table and chairs are a nice contrast to the softer cottage-y feel of the rest of the elements.

Sochi's third (pricey) cottage: I really like the bold combination of colors in this one, and I think the sliding barnwood doors and Raw Urth range hood do a good job of balancing out the modern elements. This kitchen has a very sophisticated feel. I do love the look of the Alta Moda red table with the ball legs, with the curly maple benches for seating. The red floor lamp is terrific with the organic shapes in the quilt.

cbusmomof3, cawaps used the same word that came to my mind for the pretty choices you're making for your new home...elegant. And very harmonious. I agree with you, there's something about big sliding wooden doors hanging on an iron track...those are only in my dreams as well.

pps7, I admire the unique touches in your home. My favorite photo is the dining table with the mixture of wooden and slipcovered chairs, on that lovely blue and white rug. The salvaged corbels, mantle and open shelves are very appealing.

I thought the Darryl Carter Virginia farmhouse was beautiful. I'd personally feel a little visually hungry to live in a space with so little color, but I appreciate that all the layered whites are a wonderful backdrop that allows the subtle antique surfaces to really shine.

I have to agree with others, Gerard Butler's kitchen doesn't work for me, either. I love weathered surfaces, but this is just too much. (He should keep his day job.)

Laurajane02, I hope you'll post pictures of your new (timber frame?) home when you start working on it this spring. The peeled log frame sounds like something DH and I would love.

jkoebnick, I'm sure your rustic/modern ranch will be beautiful. I'm envious of your beautiful high ceiling with skylights...such great light in that space. Nice stonework, and I do like your chandelier choice, too.

pricklypearcactus, I thought your board captured the character of those lovely resort spaces very well. (I also liked the Anthropologie island that chesters-house asked about.)

Pal Rustic Modern #1 Basic: I like the muted color scheme because it allows the great farmhouse table to really shine in that space (big wallop of warm color and texture.) The little rustic finger pulls are a fun contrast with the sleek glass backsplash. I think I am the only person on GW to not have a natural affinity for the Emeco chairs, and I'm working on that (I even watched the company video on their website.)

Pal #2 Money to Burn Rustic: Of course, you had me at "Tramp Art" (probably not a good sign that my favorite element is almost the cheapest one here.) No kidding, money to burn. Interesting to see how all these elements work so well together even though they're from such diverse artist backgrounds. I'd worry about splattering spaghetti sauce in this kitchen, but it would be a lot of fun to walk through all these very rich textures. I wish I could see a Paul Evans piece in person.

Pal #3 Knockoff of Money to Burn: It's just not the same. ;-) I think most of this works, but I have a hard time with the elk credenza (love mosaic, but does anyone really like this graphic design?) and the vinyl floor tiles. I'm not going to discuss substituting a pine cone wreath for my trampwork frame, it's too painful. (Let's sell the elk credenza and buy a trampwork frame on eBay. Who needs a credenza anyway?)

Pal #4 Shore House Rustic: (Now we're talking, the folky oyster shell frame is much better than the pine cone wreath used in #3.) I think this is a beautiful room, and I love the restricted palette with only the ocean blue underfoot. (I would not normally have caught the reference to the shell chairs.) I like the soothing repetition of all the round elements. Really very pretty.

Cawaps, well thought out kitchen for an upstairs family apartment in a metal barn. The John Deere colors are very recognizable to me as an authentic country/rural element from my years in Texas. So, at first I had to make a mental adjustment to read the cabinets as modern, although the slab doors should read that way. I think the rug helps pull the room back towards modern. I am a fan of corrugated tin used creatively in contemporary spaces, so I like the backsplash. (There's a mini-version of corrugated tin with smaller "waves" that is a bit more refined and (I think) very cool. DH hopes I never find a wad of it at the ReStore, because he knows I'll start nailing it up in the house.)

Schmeal, you did a great board in the Design Around This Pink thread. I agree with pricklypear, maybe you should put together a board to play with some of the elements you like from this thread. You could start a thread with it, and get input from others on your upcoming project.

Just out of curiosity, what is the style of this house??? It's the one I fell in love with at the Parade of Homes and called it rustic modern but now I'm wondering if it really is.

Gray-stained wood floors are installed throughout. One accent wall in the dining area is paneled with reclaimed barn wood, installed horizontally, and broken every 30" with a line of 1" by 6" stainless steel tiles, set slightly below the level of the wood. This stainless accent strip is also repeated in the kitchen above the counter, as a subtle backsplash detail.

He wanted the rest of the walls to be light, but slightly textured, so used large format 12 by 24 porcelain tile on the walls, tiled ceiling to floor, with minimal grout lines.

The cabinets are glossy slab style bird's eye maple (no upper cabinets, to help the low-ceiling room feel more spacious.) Caesarstone countertop, stainless appliances. The sink is natural gray concrete. The boxed range hood is sheathed on three sides with Chemetal copper laminate (in a pattern to simulate weathered steel.)

Southwestern textiles, baskets, and a hide-framed mirror form a regional connection. The work island in the L-shaped kitchen is a freestanding heavy pine table.

High gloss Birds Eye Maple slab cabinets, 27estore.com
Hardware: Atlas Homewares Zanzibar, leather-wrapped stainless
Countertops: Caesarstone Ruby Reflections
Sink: Betonas concrete apron front farm sink with drainboard
Fontaine pull down faucet brushed bronze
Electrolux Induction double oven range
Range hood: Chemetal laminate on range hood, Monet pattern
Island: Timberframe pine table, woodlandcreekfurniture.com
Barn wood: Elmwoodreclaimedtimber.com
Stainless tiles: Susan Jablon Stainless Steel Collection 1 x 6
Wall tile: porcelain Torino Element Series, Wind, 12 x 24
Birch Bark and Hickory sideboard, adkdesign.com
Kyoto bamboo wood dining table in kona finish, Lofgrens.com
Vertigo Pendant by Corbett Lighting
Hunter-Kenroy Deca table lamp
Circolo Collection chandelier, eurostylelighting.com
Brindle cowhide mirror, etsy.com, cowhidemirrors
JB Moore Trading Post Crystal Navajo Rug, charleysnavajorugs.com
Tan/Red rug, David E. Adler Inc. Scottsdale
Birch bark vase, cypresshomedecor.com
Papago Indian basket

I wanted to try a Rustic Modern space without the assistance of great architectural features like ceiling beams, soaring sun-filled spaces, and old stone walls or floors. I think some level of Rustic Modern could be pulled off in almost any type of space, but I don't see how it could ever be quite as dramatic as in a house with the above architectural features. Still, I stubbornly think it can work. :-)

Without clearly rustic architectural features to better define the theme, I struggled more with what felt like a delicate "tipping point" from one style to the next. Choose a chair and the whole room quickly goes this way; choose an area rug and it goes that way. I think a ceiling full of rustic beams (or a wall with great barn doors) would have allowed more leeway in choosing other elements without tipping the style so easily.

I struggle with the "tipping point" problem because I'm still very fuzzy on where each style (rustic, modern, transitional, traditional, country) begins and ends. I can get a handle on extreme examples of the styles, but there are gray areas in between those styles where I get very lost. I may have relied too much on "extreme" rustic pieces in this board, instead of finding more beautifully subtle examples, just because I start feeling a little lost in the gray zones.

I gave myself a problem with lighting, because I can't warm up to the really twiggy/branchy fixtures (just a personal quirk) although I agree they're a perfect bridge between Rustic and Modern. Lantern type lighting seemed to pull the room too far to country, industrial shades pulled it toward industrial/modern. Antlers seemed too much for 8' ceilings. So I dithered.

I'm really not sure how my final choices worked.

But you are right, the mirror is probably cheapest of the "design" elements at $3000.

The Credenza, based on realized auctions would probably top $40,000

The Nakashima table is about $40,000
Six chairs are $19,000

And the Superordinate chandelier is $6000.

You are right, the budget version just isn't the same. I think you could get a wood floor in there, although the Adura flooring looks better in person than in pictures.

I don't like the credenza alot, either. This is a standard offering from Organic Modernism, so maybe it has a following in NYC? But I wanted something that had the relative complexity of an Evans piece on a budget. I am saving my favorite Evans credenza, which will hit $65K or more on a good day for the brutalist kitchen. A lot of people think its hideous.

Pal, I will look forward to seeing the Paul Evens credenza photos you have saved back. I see what you mean about the complexity of the design in the Organic Modernism credenza, and I hadn't considered that feature (or how hard it would be to find something comparable.)

Mudhouse, thanks for the comments. The jack pine cottage is I think the cottage style most similar to what I might have if we ever get a cottage.

I've only become a fan of Tom Thomson and The Group of Seven in
recent years, and The Jack Pine is my favourite. It is housed at our National Gallery just up the road from me and I've never gone to see it in person. Perhaps I will take my daughter with me and go visit it this weekend. Now that you mention the Asian flavour to the painting I see it too and I'd like to have a closer look. Interesting. Here is the short description of the painting from theNational Gallery website:

Inspired by the landscape around Little Cauchon Lake in eastern Algonquin Park, this picture of a solitary jack pine, its drooping boughs silhouetted in the light of a northern Ontario sunset, assumes special emotional and symbolic significance through the artist's formal treatment. The stylization and decorative patterning of natural forms, along with the strong colour and light contrasts, transform this image of a northern tree
dominating its rocky landscape into an icon embodying the spirit of the land and the Canadian experience of nature.

Mudhouse again, very cool and unique board. The birds eye maple cabinets are great in the kitchen and I love the diamonds. I think the colours are good too, but find your DR board a bit overwhelming. I was not sure where to look next, so much to take in!

I found a very good example of rustic modern that I wanted to share. I especially like the use of logs instead of square beams.

But it is still transitional because it has mostly craftsman interior millwork, and a kind of tudor revival massing with farmhouse exterior detailing, and a post-modernist portico.

Video about the same kitchen

I'm having a hard time getting a firm grip on this style in some ways, too, and I appreciate the posts here asking questions, putting up possible examples, and trying to better define it, they help a lot.

I've tried searching through lamp websites and can't determined what they are called.

Thanks so much!

As for the rustic modern...I'm a bit confused. Is it just rustic with stainless steel appliances and accessories and rock-type backsplashes?

The beams and wood I like, but I guess I'm more rustic cottage or cottage with a little rustic. What would these be?

From Courtyard Garden album

From Courtyard Garden album

I think a lot of things that get dubbed "Modern" or Rustic Modern, in this case, are transitional with rustic elements.

The pictures you posted above both have their roots in traditional and the kitchen has a bit of rustic with the beams.

I've read the articles in this thread, and some elsewhere too. I've looked at all the photos/boards here, and I've done a board (which I'm not really loving, but that's OK.) What bugs me is, I'm not confident my own board ended up being a good example of Rustic Modern, and I'm trying to figure out why I'm missing the boat.

Being a newbie to interior design terminology is no doubt part of my problem. I did some reading today to try to understand the difference between Modern and Contemporary, because I thought maybe the "modern" elements I chose were not really modern, but only contemporary (meaning, they are currently in style, thus contemporary to our times, but not really anchored to the history or design principles important to the Modern/Mid Century design.) So, does anyone think that's part of the problem with my board...my "modern" choices (cabinets, counter, table, lighting, hardware) aren't really Modern?

Or...does my board not seem to fit the Rustic Modern theme, because the quantity of whites/neutrals are outweighed by the amount of color in the room? (Some of the articles I re-read today keep stressing the importance of whites/ grays/neutrals.)

Or...are my tribal rugs, with fairly busy/bold patterns, a poor fit for the "calm, soothing, unembellished" Rustic Modern surfaces I keep reading about?

Or...does it not fit Rustic Modern because it doesn't have big rustic architectural elements built in (sliding barn doors, ceiling beams, stone walls, etc.)? I originally didn't like the idea that this style could only be accomplished in rustic style settings, but maybe it does, after all. Can a Rustic Modern kitchen really be accomplished in a home that is not already predisposed to a Rustic style? I still don't really know. Grrrr.

And, are you all thoroughly sick of my annoying questions? Sorry. ;-)

Honestly, I'm not too worried about whether or not my pretend rooms are appealing (I know that sounds awful, but sometimes you have to prioritize.) What I'd really like more is to achieve a better grasp of the style, because I mostly enjoy participating here for the learning and growth.

Can somebody please yell at me, smack me around, or be brutally honest, to help me get Rustic Modern more firmly stuck in my addled brain?

1. What is modern design? How does it differ from contemporary design?
2. Should/must your interior style reflect the style/era/feel of your home?

On one, I only have rudimentary grasp of this. Lavender's last two pictures are neither modern nor contemporary to me - rather I would describe them as classic/traditional or perhaps just country. Same thing with cbusmomof3's photos. Pal's kitchens definitely have modern pieces - although this is not as obvious to me in his first kitchen (basic). I used quite a number of MCM pieces, for the reasons i explained in my first kitchen post. Your table, light fixture, slab cabinets all seem modern to me. Modern to me is simple clean lines, not much embellishment or ornamentation, it can tend to minimalism (which your design is not I think). Glass, light, windows are pretty central to my thinking of modernism as well. I think some true modernist houses tended to be white, but I don't think you need a white interior to have a modern interior. But what do I know?? ;)

On the second point - I think you can have a few rustic modern elements in any space, but I have a hard time imagining how you could pull off a truly rustic style space, modern or not, in a typical suburban home. I think my kitchen is largely "modern", but I don't think I could have pulled off a rustic modern space in my downtown home. That is why I tend to think cottage, cabin, lodge, farmhouse, loft, etc. when I think rustic modern.

But these are just musings, I'm as baffled as the rest. Very interesting discussion though.

But, I certainly like the tribal pattern and I do think it can work in the rustic modern space. Perhaps used more sparingly, or perhaps the problem rests with the mood board. IRL, with the pattern spread across a couple of rooms, it may not overwhelm as much?

This is because the typical suburban interior is neither modern nor rustic--they tend to be contemporary volumes with mostly traditional details applied: the trim and paneled doors and such.

You could do this if you created a different environment throughout the house, but this is expensive and may not make much sense unless the house needed to be gutted.

I think Dwell Magazine often has good examples of rustic modern.

This chair seems both rustic and modern to me:

And check out the link below to the "Sustainable Home with Unique Design Features Near the Great Barrier Reef". Definitely modern, not much rustic. Does the use of wood and the location alone make this rustic modern? I love the look of this place.

That's a neat house. Very unusual, but also kind of cool. Is it just me, or do some of those interior shots (with the round doorways) look like modern/hobbit? I only ask, because without the round doorways and painting some of the trim...I rather like 'hobbit' style :)

www.thefreedictionary.com defines rustic this way:

rustic
adj.
1. Of, relating to, or typical of country life or country people. See Synonyms at rural.
2.
a. Lacking refinement or elegance; coarse.
b. Charmingly simple or unsophisticated.
3. Made of unfinished or roughly finished wood: rustic furniture.
4. Having a rough or textured appearance; rusticated. Used of masonry.

I think that people are definitely pulling in def 3, and to some extent 2 a and b. My design definitely evoked def 1 (barn, John Deere), although I was really thinking in terms of def 2a (corrugated metal, barn lights, and the spool table) and def 3 (reclaimed barn wood and the spool table).

I think there's agreement that you can put modern furnishing inside an architecturally rustic home. And that trying to put rustic inside a minimally modern home (like the 60s tract home) won't work well. What about putting rustic furnishings into a home with emphatically modern architecture, like these, or the ones in the link?

Sochi, I agree with all of your musings. I think the bold patterns in the tribal rugs I chose are distracting in the small board, and pull the design away from my goal of a good example of Rustic Modern, at least as shown in most of the pics on the web.

Pal said: I agree that you could not do a rustic modern kitchen in a typical suburban house, unless the house was built before about 1980 which was the last gasp of any real form of modernism or rusticity in any type of multiples - suburban design, as far as I am concerned.

This makes sense to me. For my board, I was thinking of a modern ranch style, maybe 60's, and I was thinking that Rustic Modern could squeak by in that type of home, although with less drama. I thought a modern ranch home's long low lines, simple single-pane windows, simple slab doors, and lack of elaborate moldings could bring Modern elements to the table, and the careful application of some Rustic materials (if the homeowner liked those) could be pleasing in contrast. I don't think my board succeeded, but I still tend to think somebody with more better design judgement could pull it off...?

I also wonder about scale. In some of the inspiration pics, it looks like Rustic is very recognizable when items of large scale are used (wide barn doors, thick wooden pillars at the ends of peninsulas, heavy-topped farm tables, big beams instead of skinny ones.) If so, this might also make it harder to shoehorn Rustic Modern into a more recent, modest suburban home (I'm thinking of single doors, small to medium windows, smallish moldings, etc.) Upper end, more customized homes here use double doors, large windows, great rooms, tall entryways, beams, etc, and perhaps the scale of those basic elements opens the door to more interior design styles, including Rustic Modern.

Sochi, cool house in Queensland. (Hooray for corrugated metal.) I have also been wrestling with questions like yours: Does the use of wood and the location alone make this rustic modern? I lean towards no, because the modern elements are so very strong, and the wood used is all carefully finished (no weathered or raw surfaces) with clean lines and no raw edges. (But, ask me again tomorrow, lol.) I would be interested to know what others think.

Lavender, I keep thinking that country is a very strong element of the two photos you posted, but I don't see that as a disparaging comment at all. I lived in the heart of "country" style for years in Texas, and I understand your comment. However, I hate to let nightmare images of nasty geese with neck bows tarnish what can be a lovely, warm, and elegant interior style, in any country. (Interesting how European Country has escaped the baggage of geese and pigs, as I assume they have those in Europe...?) ;-)

Cawaps, I agree that not everyone's boundaries to interior styles are in the same place. When I consider that, I worry a bit less worried about my inability to see very clear boundaries between some styles. It should be no surprise to me that some of these questions aren't black and white, as individuality surely plays a big role in any creative field.

(I wonder...if we showed one of the above "example" pics above to ten different professional interior designers, would they all be in complete agreement about how to classify the style?) I could easily visualize rustic elements in the small modern homes you showed, mixed with modern elements.

One reason I wanted to grasp Rustic Modern is the lack of direction we have for our own sixties ranch. DH and I have an affinity for rustic and natural textures/materials, but neither of us are knowledgeable about (or, frankly in love with) mid century modern. Still, Rustic Modern seems an interesting style to learn more about, especially because of our interior identity crisis. I appreciate the conversation here so much, as well as the photos from Dwell magazine. I'm going to look for copies of Dwell, and Atomic Ranch, for more thinking.

Cawaps, thanks for the definitions. I definitely imagine rustic as numbers 3 and 4. Country is more finished and refined to me, more traditional or classic perhaps. I didn't mean to disparage country at all, but I agree with Lavender, I far prefer European country over geese and pigs. But I also find Euro country less refined and polished that country on this side of the Atlantic.

Interesting question Cawaps. At first I wanted to say no, those are 'too' modern, but I think you could upon reflection. Context and knowing the location would help me answer. I want to build a cottage like this one (below) from eplans one day. I'd definitely want to do a rustic interior, mainly because this would be a lakefront cottage in the forest. If it was in the city ... maybe not. But of course privacy concerns would probably not make this a terribly practical city home.

The third has exposed brick and a poured concrete floor/ceiling.

The fourth and sixth are shed-form houses.

The fifth is a converted industrial space: there are an exposed joist ceiling and bricked up windows in the kitchen.

The seventh is a barn.

The eighth is a bit too refined, perhaps.

The ninth is almost all exposed structure inside.

The tenth is converted industrial space.

The 11 and 12th are actually the same room different views, I am pretty sure. They are in a 19th c. Brooklyn rowhouse that was a shell.

I am not sure what part is not rustic or what part is not modern in these pictures.

If it is more detailed, or more vintage or traditional its not modern.

Cabin in Michigan:

Japanese camp (they sleep in tents on the platform in cold weather:

Energy efficient house in Austin:

New York City (this is the entire apartment)

Also New York City: Family of 5 in 700 sq.

Stripped condo in conventional high-rise, Dallas:

Amsterdam:

Pal, would you consider the Queensland house to be Rustic Modern?

Also, back to this: "I agree that you could not do a rustic modern kitchen in a typical suburban house, unless the house was built before about 1980... This is because the typical suburban interior is neither modern nor rustic--they tend to be contemporary volumes with mostly traditional details applied: the trim and paneled doors and such."

Does your the phrase "contemporary volumes" refer to the size/proportion of the interior spaces in a typical suburban (in other words, typical suburban homes lack the large, open spaces that many of the above photos feature?) Thank you for the help.

The one article dubbed the current Restoration Hardware rustic modern but since all that furniture is based upon traditional antecedents (with the exception of the airplane wing stuff), I disagree.

Contemporary volumes (to me): open plan; double height or vaulted, half vaulted ceilings in rooms with relatively small footprints; rooms with broken ceiling plains; rooms with angled footprints.

If you are saying that the contemporary volumes are in keeping with Rustic Modern requirements, but that the main conflicting elements are the traditional details (paneled doors, trim) then wouldn't it be possible to change those things, without a huge expense/effort?

Again, I am sorry to be so muddled.

And a complete vaulted ceiling can work in a relatively small footprint.

However the complexity that has developed in much open plan contemporary suburban design has left us with many rooms and spaces like these, which I think would be very hard to convert to "rustic" or "modern" unless the house was already detailed in that way:

We started out thinking of doing our home in a barn theme with contemporary elements, but now we are trying to flip it and do contemporary/modern with some barn/rustic elements to bring in warmth. I'm trying to figure out how to blend the two so this has been a great thread!

I'm starting to dislike some things I seem contemporary builders doing these days, tossing elements from many styles into expensive homes without much sense of identity...or adding unusual details, just because they're eyecatching. I suppose it sells homes, but the above pics help me have a new appreciation for the simpler interior spaces in our ranch. That's rather a revelation for me, thanks.

cbus, I thought something was up since your first post mentioned a table and chairs, but I couldn't find a March 2012 Elle online, either. :-(

myredhouse, any pics of your house to share?

Not to be critical of anyone who has a room like this, but I don't even know what process of designing such a room was. Actually I don't think there was a process, because no one determined what the room would look like in three dimensions.

I once consulted on a job where two of the rooms, a bathroom, and a bedroom sitting room were specified with vaulted ceilings and a skylight, and I looked at the drawings and said..."well what happens when all these shapes on the floor meet the ceiling? This bathroom can resolve itself in 3 dimensions about three ways I can think off off the top of my head, and one of them is horrible."

No one had considered the actual volumes of these two rooms, one of which had a door opening in a wall with a lowish slanted ceiling. And when it's left to the framer onsite, the results may be very bad.

I imagine that you can 'sex' up the rustic a little and still maintain the modern. Surely adding a vintage rustic cabinet or table amidst modern furniture doesn't entirely erode the modern in the room. This is what I found missing from the Dwell pics. But I guess there is a tension there, a limit that you mustn't pass, or is isn't modern any more. So, exercise some caution with the 'rustic' patterns, accessories, etc.

Thanks everyone for your parts in this conversation.

On the other hand I don't know if peoples interest or energy level is quite at the same point. This may have to do with the specific topic, or it may be that this was topic #14.

So do we move on to another challenge since it has been a week, or should we post a thread saying "Should we take a hiatus with Design Around threads", or what?

My impression is that people are looking at them still but without input except from the people who are also posting boards it's hard to know for sure. I enjoy doing them but I don't want to just do them for ourselves or a few people, and take up space.

I'm not saying this was a correct assumption, but I think that's why there hasn't been as much interest. What if we do something much EASIER this time? We had more responses on French country...so maybe another style thread, where it's easier to 'play' even if our assumptions aren't totally correct.

Any ideas? A certain color for a kitchen was popular, as was a certain era/decade. I think we need to get Marcolo involved again, too. I'll volunteer my kitchen (doesn't have to be the next thread) but let's do something that's a little easier to understand and a topic that has LOTS of pictures on the Internet, to choose from...just my two cents :)

I think that the fact that we are on #14 is also a factor.

Can't we just go back (or at least have the option) of posting pictures and explaining our 'story'?

That's a lot easier and it wouldn't take as much time...which seems to be part of the problem.

I also like that you see each element as it contributes to the story. If a mood board is preferred or at the end, fine...but it shouldn't feel like it's mandatory.

I think it's starting to feel like there are too many rules...and that might be why participation is down. Just an idea :)

I do agree that Rustic Modern may have been more difficult than something like a color-based topic, and that might impact participation. But it also could be a lack of interest in this particular topic, general timing, a waning interest in DAT threads, or who knows. I think it's reasonable to post another DAT topic. If we want to increase participation, perhaps a simple topic that hits on some of the current interests on GW might generate more responses.

Getting Started
1. Do not be intimidated. Most of the posters on these threads had never put together a mood board before they tried it here.
2. Do your homework, especially if the topic is a home style, era or design style.
3. Collect images of stuff you want in your kitchen.
4. Finalize your choices of what you want to put in your mood board.

It later says you can submit pictures, but I think most people are assuming they need to do mood boards.

So, maybe not mandatory, but probably seen as highly recommended. I was just thinking this time, we might say, in the first sentence, something like...you don't have to do a mood board. It is not necessary to do a mood board to post pictures. Just pictures are absolutely fine, but mood boards are fine, too. Have some fun and choose one or both :)

It worries me that anyone might think any one type of presentation (Olioboard, Word, or whatever) is "mandatory" to participate here, and I have to admit I don't think that's how most folks would interpret the set-up posts inviting newcomers. I guess that's because I interpret "concept or mood board" as a broad term, including anything from a detailed room done in Olioboard, to a bunch of collected images with text explaining choices. As long as other people can see and understand the ideas presented, and how the elements work together, I don't think it matters much.

The thing I like about these threads is that each contributor adds their own personal interpretation to the discussion. I love that Pal's boards are structured in his own way, and that everyone else's are different, too. I can sometimes tell whose board it is when I see the first few inches revealed on my monitor, and I like that! I enjoy getting to know the personality and preferences of regular posters, and it's even better to see the ideas of somebody new to the thread.

Lavender, I hope you will pursue your own way to present your ideas in a way that pleases and works for you. As I said in the Country French thread, I thought your presentation was a good example of how people don't need to do a "mood board" to get their ideas across. I stand by my previous comment...the way you added text in between each photo made it fun to read, like a story unfolding. I frankly think the individual presentation style is part of the fun here. It makes for a rich conversation. Just imagine how boring it would be, if we all presented our ideas in the same way. Blech!

Some of my boards have been elaborate. Some work, some don't! Putting the elements together in a finished way seems to help me learn what works in my design, and what doesn't. Sometimes I have ideas that seem brilliant until I try to really put the tile above the countertop, for example, and then it looks awful. So, going for a more finished room helps me keep learning, every step of the way, as I work out the details. Selfishly, that's why I'm here, to try to build some skills (and boy, do I need skills; there's a good reason I don't post pics of my house.) So, if I choose to try to work on a finished board style for a long time, because I'm enjoying it and learning something, I'm really not going to worry that somebody might be discouraged by it, because my board is different from theirs. (No offense, but I think that's kinda goofy.)

(Waving flags) Go forth! Strive! March to your own drummer! It takes all kinds! The more the merrier! I'm happy we're all different. I hope everyone will jump in and find their own way to share ideas, because that's one of the best things here.

For all the ones, who are...I think they're great! Lots of good ideas, too :)

One thing...is there anyway to make this thread normal, again? It's so difficult to read these LONG sentences. LOL

Plus, honestly, it gets really tiring searching for materials online. For this exercise, I wanted to use highly figured slab inset cabinets. Good luck finding those. I do realize there are people in the world facing worse fates than a tedious internet search, but still. It's a pain.

The topic was challenging. Pal read modern as "modernism." Many people use modern to mean contemporary, or maybe that pseudo modern edge of contemporary you find at West Elm, or something. Whatever, it just sounded intimidating, so perhaps we should've made it easier.

Anyway, there's a very long list of possible topics to go through, and surely some of them will inspire people to rev up again.

Keep these up! There are many of us who may not post but gather inspiration and great information from all the mood boards and visuals. This has been one of my favorites and would love to see one on "coastal or beach" theme as well!

The walls have a Maya Romanoff tie-die wallpaper that's reminiscent of birch bark from a distance. I don't know if you can see clearly, but there are no uppers and instead, there is a long mod island light fixture over each run. Silestone countertops. Custom range hood by modern smiths at Raw Urth designs. Porcelanosa flooring in varying-size circles.

The fish scale backsplash tiles in Pal's Shore House Rustic work the same way, although those seem a little more symbolic to me because of the large scale (size I mean, no pun intended.)

I feel like something is lurking out there. (I cover my head when I sleep, too)

Totally rustic and very modern. I have been heavily influenced I think by the Dwell modern rustic and the Vincente Wolf all-white-with-rustic, that probably limits my outlook.

I am glad you were finally able to contribute to this one.

The very tailored, sleek looking Douglas Fir posts used on the porches in that house are an interesting contrast to the usual rough textured square or round posts used around here, usually with big corbels at the top. I also really like the use of 3" thick countertops out of a modern material (there's that scale thing again, I think helping a modern material to feel more heavy/thick/rustic...?)

My materials:
"rustic" open shelving
Ceasarstone counters in Concrete
Kohler Karbon faucet with stages sink
lime-green shiny slab doors with long skinny pulls
hickory flooring
industrial pendant light found through google
"fauxdenza" created from Ikea cabinets by The Brick House
white linen curtains
sisal rug
walnut chairs from Dwell
Saarinen tulip table
BM icicle paint

Bearing in mind that I am totally ignorant about design, here are my thoughts on the previous boards/concepts...

sochi #1 knotty pine cottage: I really like this, and I just realized that the bright stripes in the rug and chair are the key for me. Without those, it wouldn't be ugly but it would lose the fun spark. I did not realize that pattern was a classic Canadian thing!

cbusmomof3: I like those materials together and agree that they make an an "earthy" color scheme.

palimpsest #1 gray: That Escher-esque floor is so cool. The beaded shaker cabinets surprised me here, I think I was expecting all slab doors for some reason.

pricklypearcactus: I don't normally like that style of stone backsplash, but I think it works really well here. I like the overall restrained color scheme - it's really just white/gray/browns, but it somehow has a lot of life.

palimpsest #2 Money to burn: The interesting thing to me about this one is that a lot of the individual pieces are not normally things I'd find attractive, but I can see how they work well together. Is it just me, or does that Paul Evans sideboard have a bit of a "Beetlejuice" flavor?

sochi #2 lakefront cottage: This looks very comfortable to me, maybe leaning more toward the rustic than the modern. I especially like the hutch cabinet.

palimpsest #3 Knock-off money to burn: I really like this approach, doing the expensive vs. cheaper version. That elk credenza is a little too over the top for me, though. Something about it reminds me of the way hipsters wear stuff like '80s airbrushed cat t-shirts and trucker hats, but ironically. Maybe it's the incongruity of what could be a granny-ish embroidery pattern writ large on a piece of furniture.

capwaps john deere: I love the concept! I know that using the exact tractor green and yellow would be the idea, but I think it would be hard to live with unless it was a small kitchen without too many cabinets. They're just so screaming bright.

palimpsest #4 shore house rustic: I love this one. The blue makes it for me.

sochi #3 cottage with blue cabinets: I love this one, too. Clearly I have a thing for blue. Really cool hood.

mudhouse: The red countertops and accents really pull this together for me. All those patterns up close together are a little overwhelming, but I think they'd work in a large enough space.

marcolo: I like the horizontal-grain cabinets here, and I really like the idea of the rustic table with those orange chairs.

Dee850, lovely space. Reminds me of the Dwell type rustic kitchens that Palimpsest posted, contrasts with the perhaps more over the top rustic spaces with added modern elements. I love the colours.

Mudhouse, I was really struck by the appropriateness of the thick Caesarstone counters in that house as well. Glad you enjoyed the pics.

or maybe color match the counters and cabinets and go with Apple Martini for a green block of color through the rest of the neutral palette.

Thanks for playing :) I agree, the Elk sideboard is tragically hip to the point of being a bit annoying. I would chop off the I Dream of Jeanie legs, first.

dee850, I agree with the others, very pretty combination of elements and I think a very successful example of the theme. (Where were you when I has flopping about so, earlier in the thread?) :-)

I'm also fond of that idea of using linear light fixtures over upperless cabinet runs:

As far as the windows, I'm not crazy about them, either. I put them there to break up the Maya Romanoff, which although quite beautiful in good pictures looked on the mood board a bit like a skin condition. I detest nature, unless it's plucked and trimmed like a bikini-clad Brazilian, so this whole rustic thing needs to be heavy on the faux for me.

dee, I agree--great kitchen but the countertop color jumped out at me.

Pricklypearcactus: This is really soothing with the limited palette. I really like the island and the table.

Palimpsest pie-in-the-sky budget: The petrified wood is fabulous, and the mirror and sideboard are great.

Sochi white & pine: Love the artwork. This is very livable and comfortable.

Palimpsest budget version of above: I think I like the laminate version of the petrified wood better than the high end, at least in the photos. I don't have anything new to say about the Elk credenza--my thoughts are pretty much along the lines of the other comments, including your critique of it. Too much. Except for the sideboard and mirror (big exceptions, I grant you), I think I like this one a bit better than the high-end.

I'll throw in a comment on mine as well (John Deere). I don't really like the green and yellow any better than anyone else did. I think at least some of you got what I was trying to do in evoking the very recognizable but extremely LOUD John Deere colors. I probably wouldn't do this in real life, and certainly not in a kitchen anyone had to live with for long periods. The purpose was guest lodging, for a few months at most. It is also only an 8-10 ft run of cabinets on one wall and that's it, in what I figured would be a fairly large open living area. Under those circumstances I MIGHT do it. Pal, regarding the yellow/green interference with the knobs--my hardware also-rans were rust-colored pulls that looked like something my dad would have pulled out from his harware bin in the shop salvaged from some long ago project. Maybe I should have go with those.

Pal fish scales: This one of course reminded me of Anna Chosak's animal prints entry, with the scales and driftwood cabinets. I like the similar elements here with the modern spin.

Sochi blue: I really like this one, especially the bits (dare I say pops?) of strong red contrasting with the blue. I prefer the red table you put in the mood board to the one you posted separately. I think this is one of my favorites on the thread.

Mudhouse: I like the idea of breaking up the barnwood with the courses of stainless tile. It nicely combines rustic and modern in a way I think is very pleasing. I like your dining room. I think it would be less overwhelming in real life with the rugs on the floor rather than being the backdrop to the image. The fixture is great.

Marcolo: I love the cabinets and the lighting fixtures, which are a very creative application. I think I like it. I totally see what Sochi meant by her Muppet comment about the DR fixture, although I like it too. The orange chair is cool.

Dee850: I like the cheery green cabinets. The "fauxdenza" comes off as both rustic and modern, and I like the sisal rug. The only element I don't really like is the counter--the color doesn't seem to be in harmony with the wood elements.

Sorry for taking so long with comments. It's been hard to find the time.

Cawaps, thanks for your comment on the stainless tiles breaking up the barnwood. I thought a wall of natural barnwood might look too country. I'd prefer narrow solid stainless bars (I've seen those on TV, used in bathroom walls) but couldn't find them online, so the stainless tiles were a substitute. I think it would work best if the stainless accents were understated (preferably even skinnier than the 1" tiles I used.)

I really didn't mind the strong colors in your kitchen, because to me they're as recognizeable (and central to your theme) as Sochi's Hudson Bay color bands. If they were more muted, I don't know if they would read as John Deere(?) Once I visualized the scale, setting and planned use of the kitchen I thought the colors were workable.

prickly, are there any paint colors to go in that kitchen, or is it all backsplash? On my monitor the floor and splash, while great, seem to have a burgundy taupe undertone that isn't carried out in the cabs.

I think we should either start planning the next DAT thread or set up a separate thread to discuss it (since this one is getting over 100 posts). I like the idea of picking the topic in advance then waiting a couple of weeks to start it off. Perhaps we should pick the next two in a row.

I chose a creamy white paint color (color splotch is in between range hood and beams in the moodboard), but it might be a little hard to see in the image. I wanted to keep the color pallet very minimal as that seemed to be a trait of some of my favorite of the rustic modern examples provided. Alternatively, I was considering a light aqua paint color and using some light aqua Eames molded plastic chairs.

I'm not certain I see a burgundy taupe undertone in the floor and splash, though I do see some warm beige tones in the backsplash. Are you thinking the reclaimed wood cabinets are clashing with the undertones of the stone? If so, would you suggest a warmer or redder wood?

dee - I really like yours, especially the green cabinetry with the wood floors. It seems like it would fit perfectly into a modern apartment, bringing in rustic qualities without seeming out of place.

May I ask where you got the clipping of the white bookcase-like firewood storage in your first mood board? I have been trying to design something similar and would love to see the original post!

Great thread, by the way!

Stacey

Materials
Knotty pine
Metal cabinetry
Interesting tile (we can do this one over and over)
Vetrazzo
Marmoleum graphic series
Back-painted glass
Commercial Kitchens/Restaurant Supply

Defining the Home
Minimal traditional house from the '40s through the '70s
Tract house (specify decade? or any tract house?) (Do we consider these first two "done?"
Spanish Colonial Revival
Craftsman
Prarie School
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
Pimp this kitchen (choose home/kitchen from real estate listing)
Beach House
Mash-up house (what do you do with a house that is already a mash-up of styles, like a Mission-style Queen Anne)

Theme/Decorating Styles
Steampunk
Eclectic
Starting from clothing fashions as your inspiration pic, design a kitchen that suits the era/mood/style
Rustic Modern Cottage
Hollywood Regency
Scandinavian

Budget/Supply restrictions
$10K budget
Ikea kitchen (all Ikea?)
Mail order kitchen
Home Depot kitchen
Architectural salvage/upcycle/recycle

Define the People
Mid-life crisis bachelor (or cougar) pad
Rabid sports fan wants to decorate in team colors

Presentation Strategies that Can Be Combined with Other Choices
This/Not That (Good taste/bad taste, works/doesn't work)
High/Low (same look, different budgets)

What we have done so far:
1) Apple Jasper
2) Colonial Revived
3) 1920's Kitchens and All That Jazz
4) Formica Patterns are Cooool!
5) Neo-Tuscan/TuscAmerican
6) I'm Dreaming of a White Kitchen, But...
7) Victorian/Queen Anne
8) Animal "Prints"
9) Keeping the Golden Oak
10) Tarting Up a Tudor (posted as #9)
11) Pink for the Present Day
12) 1960s tract house
13) French Country
14) Rustic modern

In no particular order, my personal favorites for the next one include:
- Pimping a real kitchen from MLS (but we'd have to show the house)
- Interesting tile
- Hollywood Regency
- Steampunk

I suggest we pick both a topic and a date to start, given recent discussions about spacing them out a tad. I haven't done a launch post in a while so I can write it if you want.

I would feel better, personally, about a 2 week interval.

I think we have been heading this way since it'e been 10 days since Rustic Modern was started.

Some of these topics, like steampunk, are going to take extra time to find materials for, so I'd still like to pick two topics in advance. You have my votes. Lavender wants yellow, I think.

Oh, and I like your rustic/modern kitchen, especially the table and the hood...and the view!

Pal- The view is only scary...if a truck is heading for your house! Trust me on this. LOL

Dee- I really like the green cabinets and the rustic wood shelves. Great combination :)

Good luck!

1. Upcycled/salvaged kitchen
2. Pimp real MLS house kitchen
3. Hollywood Regency
4. Steampunk

Cawaps, I somehow glossed right over the "guest apartment" description in your post - I agree that the tractor-inspired bold cabinets would be really fun in an occasional-use space.

As an occasional participant on these threads, I'll try to play along on whatever you all go with. I agree that 2 weeks between new ones might be a good interval.

Hollywood Regency is definitely easier to find pieces, but although I'm pretty clear on the style for living/dining areas, I'm not sure how to interpret it in terms of kitchen cabs/counter/backsplash--the nuts and bolts of the kitchen.

I'm also keen to do commercial kitchen & restaurant equipment, since I've been frequenting the restaurant supply store for my own kitchen. I think this would be easier for most people than the other two, which might be good right now.

Oh, and after the pink thread with Pal and me riffing on menswear, I think it would be fun to do the one starting with clothing fashions as inspiration. This one also seems like it might be comparatively easy and attract new blood.

And I'd also be okay with yellow or with an interesting tile choice.

So my list, in order of preference...
1) Commercial kitchen/restaurant equipment.
2) Hollywood Regency
3) Steampunk
4) Fashion-inspired kitchen
5) Interesting tile
6) Yellow kitchens

Clearly, I like almost everything, so don't weigh my opinion too heavily.

- Steampunk
- Hollywood Regency
- Beach House
- Spanish Colonial Revival

If we're looking for something more friendly for new participation, I would probably also enjoy something color-based. Maybe an all color kitchen (no major elements like cabinets, counter, flooring can be "neutral")? Or maybe one of the material-based: Vetrazzo, Interesting Tile, etc.

I don't have a great handle on Steampunk. The idea of "genuine" Steampunk is an item that really works, but has a convoluted structure. (The movie Brazil, Tik-Tok from Return to Oz come to mind)

But when I look at Steampunk images online though, a lot of it looks like so much window dressing or set decoration. I suppose there are some real appliances that could work--because it is the "machines" that are the real Steampunk items, right? But the budget would be outrageous.

I met a guy profiled in the Boston Globe who has a steampunk house, and whose kitchen was featured here once. He was selling a cast iron Victorian stove that had been outfitted with a barely-discernable electric cooktop.

It's not so much working Rube Goldberg contraptions as it is window dressing on modern technology. I think of it as a stage set in search of a story.

Let's say Steampunk is a definite one month from now, as the project that follows the next one.

For the very next one to start this weekend, I'm thinking Hollywood Regency, based on an unscientific review of the preference lists people have posted so far. I would sort of like to do the setup for Steampunk, so if you'd rather I not do two in a row, I can happily defer to pal on the HR project.

Thoughts?

From Fairy tale cottage

And is this rustic modern? Or just rustic with modern island?

From Fairy tale cottage

The second is rustic modern.

He is a superb artist.

Westsider - thanks for bringing Marcolo's 1:03 post to my attention, I had missed it. Somehow that post and Marcolo's light fixture have created a rather frightening Carnival image in my mind.

Marcolo, I guess I'll overlook your theft of my truly awesome hood this time. It is great, isn't it? I used the stone from the photo too, cheating a bit I guess.

So is steampunk after Hollywood Regency? I'm looking forward to HR, but not sure if I'll be able to come up with anything.