In the shop,I often set our products out as if they would be in situ in a home.This gives customers an idea of how to use or display the items.

Here,my aim is to give you a few ideas on how to achieve the Prim 'n' Country look in YOUR home....

     The first and most important point to mention is that you do not need to have an old home to set a prim and country scene.Just because it looks like a modern house outside doesn't mean the interior design has to reflect that.Do what you want inside your home to please yourself,afterall,it's you that is going to look at it each and every day!!

So,if you love the look in the images above,don't despair if you think you can't achieve this,because you can and it's not as difficult as you may think!

I'm not going to say it won't cost you a penny,as realistically,most things do nowadays,but you my have more in your home already to start creating THE look!When was the last time you had a rummage in your attic or another family members attic(with their permission of course!!)Have you got boxes and boxes of hidden bits and pieces in your garage or shed?

Auction houses are very good at the moment for buying key pieces for a prim look.Dark furniture is not the "fashion" at the moment as beech and lighter woods are in vogue.This being so,there is an awful mass of dark wood furniture from the Victorian era being kicked out,so take a trip to your local  auction and bag yourself a bargain!Car boots,flea markets,eBay and your local newspaper are other places to look.

Remember,the look is very worn and distressed,so if something looks a bit battered and well loved,as long as it's structurally sound,just imagine..perhaps you could paint it?I have painted and stencilled so many pieces of old furniture in the past.There are so many prim stencils on the market now that with a base coat,you can turn a tired piece into something truly special.

Colours

Prim n country doesn't have to mean dark and gloomy.The prim paint colour palette is based on natural pigment colours created originally from natural sources.The finish is usually without gloss or shine too-just matt.Hues of petrol blues,burgundy and black are popular,but also lighter hues of sage green,wheats and creams are used,so you can choose from a huge range to accent your home.Personally,I favour the burgundy and teastained colourways in my living areas.It gives a very warm and cosy feel even on the coldest of days.With mixes of plaid table runners,lampshades,cushions and window treatments with patchwork quilts and and throws,I feel it creates a very homely atmosphere.

Using special pieces for lighting and decorative accents,you can create focal points all around your home.

In my kitchen,I have gone for a dark sage green/khaki on the walls.I inherited with the house,a very stained light oak kitchen.All the doors were of different shades where water had stained some and the sun had bleached others.I painted all the cupboard with a satin paint in cream and changed the handles to pine knobs and it gave the kitchen a whole new look.I did add a bit of decoration on the cooker hood cover of a rooster design.This I painted with acrylics,then sealing the whole design with a couple of layers of varnish tinted with a small amount of raw umber to give it an aged look and a washable finish.

 Thorughout the rest of your home,you can add touches here and there to doors and walls and furniture.Internal doors can be decorated with berried wreaths like this..

 Scent your home for added homeliness-from bakery scents of cinnamon,cloves and baked spices for your kitchen to sunwashed laundry and clean cotton scents for your bedrooms.

 Our freshly made to order room sprays  can revive faded pot pourri or bowls of fixins.

To be continued....