Rustic furniture ranges and manufacturers
Together with distressed painted ranges, rustic furniture ranges are in general suited to those with more adventurous tastes in interior style.  Both types of furniture have their origins in rooms furnished on limited means that, almost by accident, produced a charm of their own.  This shabby chic has become mainstream and it is now accepted that new, distressed (or rustic) furniture can have a legitimate appeal.   

One of the most convincing collections of distressed heavy oak furniture is Country Oak. For truly rustic furniture with a painted finish, then the best choice might well be the often underrated is the Shabby Chic.  

For a true hybrid between contemporary design and rustic style, consider the Taj range.

Mexican furniture is generally regarded as being in a rustic style and fans of the genre appreciate the Jali range.

More about rustic furniture
The practice of distressing furniture to give it the appearance of age or wear, has been practiced for a long time.  Even during the Victorian period, there was a market for furniture made to look like it had accumulated a great age.  Today such techniques have gained widespread acceptance, with furniture being sold in the UK under the term rustic furniture.
Now while some ranges of rustic furniture could be regarded as being rural in origin or style, many are simply styles with a distressed finish.  In these cases however, it is still more acceptable to describe them as being rustic furniture.

The Rustic look has been popular since at least the eighties and shows no sign of diminishing. Indeed if anything it has become more developed, diversifying into different specialist areas, for example New England, French, Cotswold and Colonial.

Background

Before World War 2 country properties, and the lifestyle of most of their occupants, had remained largely unchanged since the 18th Century or earlier. But in post war Britain, public expectations changed and the archetypal ‘country cottage’ was shunned in preference to modern housing developments which offered such modern attractions as electricity, inside toilets and bathrooms.

During the sixties and seventies increasing prosperity, the developing network of mains utility services and greater private car ownership made these cottages more attractive and their prices started to rocket. More recently the desire for country properties has been fuelled by changes in agriculture bringing redundant outbuildings and farmsteads onto the market.

Options available

At Right Price Furniture there are several collections of furniture in our rustic group and elsewhere suitable for achieving the right look. Painted furniture is typical of the French country peasant look; perhaps emulating the Baroque styles of the 17th Century.

For a traditional English country furniture style, choose from the Rustic Oak collections. Our ranges combine the comfort and practicality of modern furniture with the look and feel of furniture from the 14th or 15th Century.

If the late Victorian / early 20th Century period is the aim, then consider the French Oak as the overall style and finish is very in keeping with the period. Decorative touches include the ornate Victorian-style handles, while an unusual feature is the decorative ceramic inlays on some items that are perhaps reminiscent of the famous enamel signs for Pears Soap or Colman’s Mustard.

The New England look is more of an amalgam of early European settlers of America and austere religious sects, most notably the Shakers, Amish and Mennonites. Characteristics are an avoidance of ornamentation and a functionality that inspired the modernists in the 1930s.

Furniture with a distressed finish is any furniture deliberately marked or damaged to suggest it is not brand new. The practice goes back at least to Victorian times when the country’s phenomenal rise in wealth and global dominance spawned a fascination with its past. Collecting and owning antique furniture became fashionable, so the practice of distressing newly-built furniture arose to meet a demand that could not be satisfied by the genuine article.

This largely covert, and not always entirely honest, practice began to lose its stigma in the 1950s and 1960s when the look of furniture became more important than its pedigree. Several stories appeared in the press and on television about furniture traders who, much to the bemusement of the older generation, were openly ‘distressing’ furniture with the use of chains, darts and various other tools. Nevertheless, alongside the opening of stores like Habitat and, in Sweden, IKEA, demand steadily grew for distressed furniture.

Today distressed furniture is widely accepted and regarded as highly desirable for interiors where a ‘brand new’ piece of furniture would look out of place to contemporary tastes.

Getting the look of Distressed Furniture

At Right Price Furniture there are several collections in our rustic furniture and reclaimed furniture category  suitable for achieving the right look. Distressed painted ranges in styles known as Baroque, Rococo or simply French style include the Shabby chic.

Reclaimed furniture is basically wood that once had a previous job (say railway sleepers), but now doesnt. It gets re-used and turned into something new, when that something new is furniture, then we call that reclaimed furniture). Woodworkers who use reclaimed materials say they get a real sense of job satisfaction at being part of a restoration project or new build using these materials. Reclaimed Oak sleepers that are already hundreds of years old and full of character, can be cleaned and treated then they can be cleverly combined with responsibly sourced planking to create some truly unique rustic furniture which can become the main focal point of your home.

Reclaimed wood furniture is great for those who like to help the planet. Its taking something that was once used, and turning it into something new. We do not sell any reclaimed furniture here, however we have plenty of stock that is closely related. We stock a huge choice of Rustic Furniture and Shabby Chic Furniture which has all the characteristics of reclaimed furniture. Unique grain pattern and wood knots give each piece of furniture that personalised touch.

But there is still a huge variety within this group, from rustic furniture to reclaimed oak furniture.  Whilst we cannot cater for every possible variation and nuance, we do offer a broad choice of ranges so, if you seek rustic dining room furniture for that renovated cottage or rustic bedroom furniture for the stylish country getaway, then there should be a range to suit.Some of the most popular ranges are the Country Oak and the French Oak collections.We have added some pages to our website to make it easier for customers to find exactly what they are looking for. We notice that customers have been specifically searching for discount furniture so we have added a Discount Furniture page. Examples of other pages we have created like this are, BHS Furniture, Ercol Furniture, Furniture 123, Coach House Furniture, Vogue Furniture and Leeks Furniture. These pages and many more have been created in the hope that customers can find exactly what they are looking for with ease.There are a wide selection of rustic wooden furniture styles, designs, and pieces available here at Right Price Furniture. The rustic furniture style, which was originally based on coarser and simpler designs, has become much more complex yet elegant today. A lot more care has now been taken to add more detailed texture, charm and flair to the rustic furniture design without compromising on its original sophistication and classical effect.

Decorating with Rustic Wooden Furniture

Rustic furniture items can be used to make the outdoor spaces of your home a little more fascinating. For example, gracing the patio, garden and lawn with rustic furniture such as country benches and trellis pieces, will give the style of your home an emphasized flair, combined with a rustic country look.

For indoors, consider decorating with a few rustic furniture items by using them in the right corners and areas of the house can contribute to your interior furnishings getting a stylish look, but without going over the top. For example, the stone fireplace would be an ideal location to place a few rustic furniture pieces such as a nest of tables or a rustic display cabinet. Another great idea is to have a rustic dining table for your porch, kitchen, dining room, or covered patio, and have some traditional food and vegetables on the table, where you and your guests or family can have a nice homely country style meal.

Rustic Furniture

Originally Rustic furniture was produced from whatever natural materials were in abundant supply, and often by poor people as items of trade for food/useful supplies of goats, cows, etc. The wood commonly used for rustic furniture was normally willow, although many other hard- and softwoods were also used. Typical items of rustic furniture can include chairs, tables, desks, clocks, chest of drawers, rockers, coat racks, mirror frames and lamps.

Relaxing Natural, and Comfortable are the first three words that come to mind when we think of rustic oak bedroom furniture. Syndicates of lamplight reflect from the vibrant surface of the polished wooden dressing table. Vases and candles line the shelves of a bookcase, while soft sensuous silk bedding in vibrant tones or soft earth colours complement the beautiful natural grain of the rustic bed stemming from those by-gone days brings authenticity to the decorating scheme as well as being an attractive exhibit in itself. Your rustic oak bedroom furniture has just turned a room into relaxing paradise.