Rustic Folk Art
For some, the phrase “rustic style” suggests a house like “La Pitchoune,” the late chef Julia Child’s cottage in Provence, with its exposed wooden beams and well-worn antique furniture. For others, rustic furnishings and decor prompt images of a place like the Lake Placid Lodge in Upstate New York, with its stone fireplaces and knotty pine paneling. Indeed, rustic furniture design takes many forms: twig furniture, a plank trestle table, a hand-stitched quilt, a chandelier made of deer antlers.
The rustic style originated in the late 1800s in England, where it was heavily influenced by Romanticism. By the 20th century, it had spread to the United States, adopted by wealthy New Yorkers and the National Park Service alike. Although there are many categories of rustic furniture, one of the most popular and familiar manifestations of the style is Adirondack furniture and the low-slung 1903 Thomas Lee Adirondack chair.
Rustic design is perhaps mostly about texture and humble materials: hand-hewn reclaimed wood, woven rush seating, wrought iron, coarse stone and weathered metal. As a decor, it exudes warmth and honesty, while a single piece of countrified design adds an intriguing visual counterpoint in a sleek, modern environment.
Easily identifiable by its rough textures, earthy colors and natural materials, rustic wares help bring the beauty of the outdoors inside.
As you can see on 1stDibs, vintage rustic chairs, dining tables and other pieces of rustic furniture offer endless inspiration.
19th Century French Antique Rustic Folk Art
Ceramic
20th Century English Rustic Folk Art
Brass
20th Century American Rustic Folk Art
Metal
1940s French Vintage Rustic Folk Art
Wire
20th Century American Rustic Folk Art
Metal
Early 20th Century English Rustic Folk Art
Brass
Early 20th Century German Rustic Folk Art
Antler, Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Rustic Folk Art
Ceramic
19th Century Guatemalan Antique Rustic Folk Art
Terracotta
15th Century and Earlier French Antique Rustic Folk Art
Stone
Early 20th Century Persian Rustic Folk Art
Wool
16th Century French Antique Rustic Folk Art
Metal
20th Century Rustic Folk Art
Steel
Mid-19th Century German Antique Rustic Folk Art
Pewter
Early 20th Century German Rustic Folk Art
Antler, Horn
Early 20th Century German Rustic Folk Art
Wood
Late 19th Century German Antique Rustic Folk Art
Antler
Late 19th Century German Antique Rustic Folk Art
Antler
1880s Swedish Antique Rustic Folk Art
Bentwood, Pine
Early 20th Century Chinese Rustic Folk Art
Wood, Willow, Fabric
Early 20th Century Chinese Rustic Folk Art
Willow, Bentwood
Early 20th Century Persian Rustic Folk Art
Wool
Early 20th Century German Rustic Folk Art
Leather
Early 20th Century Turkish Rustic Folk Art
Wool
Early 20th Century German Rustic Folk Art
Wood
20th Century Rustic Folk Art
Wood
1930s French Vintage Rustic Folk Art
Wood
Early 20th Century Turkish Rustic Folk Art
Wool
Late 19th Century Antique Rustic Folk Art
Wood
Mid-19th Century Antique Rustic Folk Art
Wood
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Rustic Folk Art
Paint, Wood
Early 20th Century French Rustic Folk Art
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Rustic Folk Art
Ceramic, Clay, Terracotta
Early 20th Century Indian Rustic Folk Art
Wood
Early 20th Century Persian Rustic Folk Art
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Rustic Folk Art
Ceramic, Clay
Early 20th Century Rustic Folk Art
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Rustic Folk Art
Ceramic, Clay
Early 20th Century Chinese Rustic Folk Art
Pine