Farmhouse decorating became a set of shortcuts: a word sign, a galvanised bucket, a wooden bead garland, repeated in every room. The original appeal was texture, honest materials and restraint, and the shortcuts are the part that reads as dated.
The style still works. It works better with editing.
One word sign per house
A single well-made wooden sign in the right place is a good object. Four of them in four rooms is a theme announcing itself, and it is the element most responsible for the style feeling tired.
If you want a sign, make it the largest and best one you can and give it a wall of its own. Quantity is what devalues it.
Texture is the actual idea
What made farmhouse interiors appealing was the contrast between rough and smooth: unfinished wood against painted plaster, woven fibre against metal, matt against a little gloss.
That contrast can be achieved with almost any objects. It does not require any specific motif, and it is what survives when the motifs go out of fashion.
Galvanised metal, sparingly
Galvanised finishes are genuinely useful because the grey sits comfortably with wood and with white, and it is neither warm nor cool. As a repeated finish across a whole room it flattens.
Two or three galvanised pieces in a room is a scheme. Six is a hardware aisle.
Colour, or the lack of it
The palette is narrow by design – white, cream, natural wood, grey, black – and that is what makes it restful. It is also what makes it easy to get wrong, because a narrow palette with no variation in texture is simply bland.
The remedy is not to add colour but to add material variety. Three shades of natural wood in one room does more than a coloured cushion.
Mix in something that is not farmhouse at all
A single modern or antique piece that does not belong to the style stops a room reading as a showroom. It provides a point of contrast that makes everything else look chosen rather than bought as a set.
This is the difference between a room that looks like a home and one that looks like a catalogue page, and it usually costs nothing because the piece is already in the house.
Buy for the room you have
Farmhouse pieces are photographed in large rooms with tall ceilings and a great deal of natural light. In a New York apartment the same pieces at the same scale overwhelm.
Scale down: smaller signs, fewer objects, more wall left empty. The style adapts perfectly well to a small room, but only if the quantities are adjusted rather than copied.
From our shelves
The signs we stock, for anyone who wants one and wants it to be the only one. Everything below is in stock as this piece is published, and the prices shown are read live from the catalogue rather than typed into the article, so they cannot drift out of date. Across the whole group prices currently run from $7.99 to $42.99, and the listing pages carry the full specification for each one.
- Bless The Food Before Us Wall Sign by Easozoom – White 40" x 11" Wood Art — $42.99
Add a touch of vintage charm and heartfelt sentiment to your home with this Easozoom "Bless The Food Before Us" wall sign. - Geetery Bless The Food Before Us Farmhouse Blue Wall Decor, 5-Piece Wooden Sign — $9.99
Enhance your kitchen or dining area with this inspiring 5-piece wooden wall decor from Geetery. Featuring heartfelt words and a charming farmhouse blue finish, it's a beautiful reminder of gratitude and family. - Maitys 3-Piece Eucalyptus Greenery 'Bless Family Food Love' Wooden Wall Signs — $7.99
Enhance your home with this charming 3-piece set of Maitys eucalyptus greenery wooden wall signs. Featuring a heartfelt message, these rustic plaques bring warmth and a touch of nature to your kitchen, dining room, or any space needing a welcoming accent.
These are 3 of the items in Wall Signs and Art; the category page lists the rest with current stock and pricing.
Ordering, delivery and returns
Shipping runs to $5.99, unless the order reaches $49, in which case it is free. Orders are packed in one to three business days and travel for five to ten, so plan on six to thirteen business days between placing an order and opening the box. Everything ships from New York, NY, to United States addresses.
If something is not right, the return window is 30 days from delivery for unused goods in their original packaging. The Shipping Policy and the Refund and Returns Policy carry the detail, and the FAQ answers the questions that come up most often.
Read next
- How big should a wall sign actually be?
- Faux greenery that does not look fake
- Tiered trays and small vignettes that do not look cluttered
Browse everything in stock or ask us a question — we answer written enquiries within one business day.
