10 modern farmhouse decor ideas for a cozy, comforting space

Modern farmhouse decor is not the farmhouse style of yore. So you can leave the chicken-themed knickknacks and bright red accent pieces in your granny’s living room where they belong.

Farmhouse interior design has been reimagined for the 21st century. The new version pairs the best elements of modern and rustic farmhouse design. It’s clean lines, minimalism, and a neutral color palette combined with lived-in, laid-back touches.

You end up with the parts of modern design that make a space feel calm and organized, but you avoid the parts that make it feel cold and impersonal. The rustic, worn-in touches of farmhouse style ensure your space stays cozy.

Modern farmhouse style really is the best of both design styles. We’ll show you the quintessential pieces of modern farmhouse decor you can add to your home to get the look.

10 pieces of modern farmhouse decor for clean and cozy style

No matter what your favorite home design show may have made you believe, the modern farmhouse aesthetic isn’t about shiplap walls or sliding barn doors. (Both of which are slowly falling out of favor with interior designers after being overused for years.)

This style is all about creating a space that’s functional for everyday living. Your home decor should never feel too precious for everyday use. So get ready to fill your space with sturdy materials and functional furniture. These modern farmhouse decor ideas will make your home feel lived-in and easier to live in.

Add these 10 pieces of decor to your space to transform it into a modern farmhouse.

1. A hall tree

Your entryway introduces visitors to your home and sets the tone for their visit. A hall tree invites them to take off their coat and stay awhile. This functional piece of farmhouse furniture also allows you to organize your essentials — all those things you reach for right before you walk out the door. And because of its height, it serves as both an entryway bench and wall decor.

We like the Alise 5 Hook Coat Rack Hall Tree for modern farmhouses. The minimalist silhouette, the dark wood tones, and the rustic combination of wood and metal embody the modern farmhouse aesthetic.

2. Metal lamps

Hanging pendant lights, bedside sconces, and candelabra-style chandeliers get a lot of attention in modern farmhouse design, but you don’t need to install a permanent light fixture to get the modern farmhouse look. The humble metal lamp adds rustic charm to any room.

Whether it’s a bedside lamp with a classic glass shade, like the Shoto 20-Inch Glass Shade Metal Bedside Table Lamp or a statement-making floor lamp like the Eduardo 54-Inch Bell Down Bridge Floor Lamp, these pieces bring simplicity and style to your space.

3. Rattan tables

Modern farmhouse style takes advantage of texture to add visual interest to your space. You’ll often see this through the combination of natural wood and black metal — two contrasting textures. Another way to add rich natural texture is with rattan. The Cahya Woven Rattan Square Coffee Table and End Table can bring a unique combination of natural materials with black to your modern farmhouse living room

Modern farmhouse design isn’t shy about incorporating black furniture. But unlike design styles that use black instead of earth tones (like Art Deco or Glam style), modern farmhouse uses black alongside earth tones. It treats this color as another earthy neutral — after all, iron and slate are both natural materials. So an extra touch of black furniture makes a bold statement in an otherwise subtle design style.

4. Saddle stools

Casual living is at the heart of farmhouse design, and casual meals happen around the kitchen counter. Creating a counter seating area in your modern farmhouse kitchen will give you space for memorable moments. It’s the ideal spot for after-school snacks or appetizers before a holiday meal.

Saddle-style stools, like the Bayu Leather Upholstered Counter Stool, are the perfect casual kitchen decor. Saddle stools add comfort with their padded, curved seats. And they can be tucked away beneath your counters when you’re not using them. If a counter seating area isn’t part of your current layout, you can add a free-standing kitchen island to your space.

5. A dining table centerpiece

A centerpiece adds rustic charm to your dining room. It can be as simple as a burlap table runner with a few candle holders, a silverware and napkin caddy, a metal pitcher full of flowers, or a planter box full of succulents. Making a centerpiece for your farmhouse table is a fun DIY project that only takes minutes to do. For an authentic farmhouse feel, use seasonal or found objects, like pinecones, pumpkins, apples, or citrus fruits.

6. A rustic rolling cart

While they’re often called bar carts, rolling storage carts have so many uses. Yes, they’re great for storing your barware and serving your favorite mixed beverages, but we also love to use them as breakfast carts — you can roll them straight into your bedroom for breakfast in bed.

These carts also make a fantastic addition to a modern farmhouse bathroom where they can hold your bath time essentials, like your favorite book, a scented candle, bath salts, and all your lotions and potions. Look for a bar cart with a rustic finish, like the Ventura 2-Tier Bar Cart With Storage Drawer in Grey Driftwood.

7. Nature-inspired wall art

Whether it’s a print of farmhouse herbs, a wreath or other greenery, or a wood-framed wall mirror, like the Winslow Standing Floor Mirror, your farmhouse wall decor is another opportunity to bring the outdoors in. 

Look for minimalist designs, like a single leaf rather than an entire landscape, to keep the aesthetic modern. And choose pieces that pair with your modern farmhouse color scheme, like shades of green, black, and earthy neutrals.

8. Distressed wood finishes

One of the reasons everyone feels comfortable around modern farmhouse decor is that every piece already has a lived-in look. Unlike some decor styles where everything seems breakable, farmhouse style seems sturdy. Plus, dings, scratches, and everyday life make pieces better instead of worse.

Furniture that is already artfully distressed will never feel too precious to use — even when they’re brand new. Look for items with a weathered wood finish, like the Lilith 4-Piece Queen Bedroom Set. The distressed white wood ensures that any scratches you add over the years only make the piece look more authentic.

9. Woven baskets and wood crates

A home can never have too many baskets. They’re a great tool to organize your space. You can use baskets as decorative covers to hide the plastic pots around your plants and greenery, or you can fill them with blankets, pet toys, or supplies for your favorite hobby. They’re the epitome of functional designs, which is why they’re important to so many design styles — from boho and Scandi to modern farmhouse.

Woven baskets add natural materials to your space, which helps bring the outside in and creates the countryside atmosphere that’s so important to the modern farmhouse aesthetic. You can add even more visual variety to your space by using a combination of woven baskets and natural wood crates, which are plentiful in most working farmhouses so they’ll add authenticity to your interior design.

10. A bookcase with open shelves

Open shelving is a blank slate for organization and decoration. Pairing wood shelving with metal brackets or choosing a wood and metal bookcase, like the Owens 96-Inch 6-Shelf Wall Bookshelf, offers another opportunity to incorporate that signature combination of natural materials and black metal into your modern farmhouse decor.

Open shelving also allows you to line up multiple shelving units side by side to create a custom fit for your space. This is one of our favorite design ideas. It gives you the look of built-ins for less. Be sure to add plenty of framed family photos, favorite books, and of course, woven baskets to your shelving to create a cozy farmhouse feel.

Create your best modern farmhouse

Modern farmhouse decor is laidback and approachable. It’s comfortable to be around. And yet, it’s also refined, organized, and clean. If our best self were an interior design style, it would be modern farmhouse style.

And if our best self were to go shopping for modern farmhouse home decor, it would shop in person at a local furniture store. Sure, our normal self might spend hours browsing furniture online, but our inner interior designer knows that you can find much better pieces when you shop in person.

You can open drawers, sit on sofas, run your hands across upholstery, and analyze every detail of that farmhouse dining table. So you’ll know the pieces of modern farmhouse decor that you’ve picked out are the perfect fit. Start your hunt for farmhouse furniture at your local Coaster Furniture retailer.

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