Renewed interest in all things country—from the lifestyle to the look—has more than confirmed what we’ve always known: country is cool. With so many new voices and interpretations of all things “country” floating around the internet, I thought it was high time we reevaluate what country style actually is and what makes it so appealing.
While my job as the senior homes & style editor at Country Living is to distill bits and pieces of this aesthetic every day, I felt it was best to turn to the experts: our Country Design 100. From our favorite architects crafting the best new old builds to designers beautifully layering rooms with color and pattern to artisans reinventing the crafts we love so dearly, each of these 100 experts lives and breathes all things country. Recently, I asked each of them what they love most about country style design and what makes the style so singular. Their responses were wide-ranging but quickly established a few key tenets that we’ll explore below. So, get out your notebooks, class. Design school is in session.
Soulful Interiors Imbued with Nostalgia
If I had to sum up, in one word, what a country interior is, I would say “soulful,” and so would many of the designers I spoke to. “Country style is all the things I love,” says renovation guru (and HGTV star!) Leanne Ford. “[It’s] a little bit rock ’n’ roll, totally free at heart, and full of soul,” she says.
“It’s a doors-open, come-on-in, nothing-is-too-precious-here, sit-on-this-very-comfy-sofa, grab-a-book-to-borrow, let's-look-through-this-stack-of-magazines, here’s-my-latest-vintage-find, have-a-cup-of-coffee-and-eat-this-yummy-cake-that-collapsed-but-still-tastes-delicious feeling,” adds designer Grace Mitchell. “It’s a freedom to express yourself in your home at its finest,” she says.
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This is where country style excels above all else. It’s comforting, nostalgic, and everything feels familiar—like a slouchy roll-arm sofa—but happily unexpected, like a well-worn quilt hung on a wall instead of laid across your bed. Country interiors make room for the muddy boots shuffled off by the door and the precarious stack of books piled in the living room corner. “There is a relaxed and not overly contrived feeling to the spaces,” says designer Meta Coleman. Nothing is perfect, nor is it meant to be.
An Appreciation of Antiques
Antiques are the lifeblood of country interiors. And while, yes, they can be fancy mahogany pieces that need to be oiled regularly, many of the antiques you’ll find in the best country homes fall into the “can take a beating” category. The dents, scratches, and flaky paint only add to their beauty, not detract from it. “They bring a certain warmth and character to an interior that you cannot achieve with new pieces,” says designer Erick Espinoza.
Chippy antiques excel at reinforcing the “yesteryear sensibility” inherent to well-designed country homes, according to designer Lauren Liess. “[They’re] unpretentious and welcoming,” she says. Nothing is overly fussy, and the most-loved antiques—think Shaker-style furniture or a simple English pine dresser—are grounded in both beauty and utility. “The country aesthetic epitomizes all of these qualities,” says antiques dealer Tori Jones. “There is no pretense, but rather an enduring blend of form and function.”
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A Devotion to the Handmade
Perhaps more than any other aesthetic, country style embraces and exalts the handmade and homespun. Whether it’s a woven basket or the hand-painted details on an antique trunk, human touch is at the core of what makes country interiors special, and it seems the rest of the design world is finally catching up.
“The future is all about handcraft,” says Dara Caponigro, the creative director of Schumacher. “So many people are attracted to making things now; it’s an antidote to the technological overload we’re all experiencing and a way to be completely present without distraction,” she says.
Makers like Kentucky-based weaver Emily Ridings or Texas-based embroiderer Mariana Barran have dedicated their lives to craft and are confidently leading the next generation of collectors. “I think—and hope—as mass-produced products remain ultra-available, handmade pieces sourced close to home will become more valued than ever,” says Emily. “They stand as a quiet rebellion against the culture of convenience, offering longevity, uniqueness, and meaning.”
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Inspiration from Nature
Whether it’s working in the flower garden during peak growing season or baking with seasonal produce, country life is nothing if not defined by the rhythms of nature. But the relationship with the earth doesn’t start and stop there. “Country design captivates me in the way that it allows home and nature to flow as one, where interiors feel almost inseparable from the fields, forests, and skies beyond,” says designer Becca Casey. “It is a style that honors simplicity and permanence, creating spaces that feel both rooted and layered.”
The 100 design experts I spoke with cited this relationship to the natural world as the single biggest influence on country design, and who am I to disagree? Allowing the outdoors to guide a designer or architect’s hand ensures the finished product feels of a place, not against it. “The most inviting interiors are the ones that reflect their surroundings—where the colors, textures, and materials are drawn from the landscape right outside the windows,” says designer Shea McGee. Channeling these seasonal influences is what keeps country homes humble. The timeless interiors that define Country Living—and have defined it since our very first issue in 1978—have taken inspiration from the world just beyond the pages of the magazine.
Anna Logan is the Senior Homes & Style Editor at Country Living, where she has been covering all things home design, including sharing exclusive looks at beautifully designed country kitchens, producing home features, writing everything from timely trend reports on the latest viral aesthetic to expert-driven explainers on must-read topics, and rounding up pretty much everything you’ve ever wanted to know about paint, since 2021. Anna has spent the last seven years covering every aspect of the design industry, previously having written for Traditional Home, One Kings Lane, House Beautiful, and Frederic. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia. When she’s not working, Anna can either be found digging around her flower garden or through the dusty shelves of an antique shop. Follow her adventures, or, more importantly, those of her three-year-old Maltese and official Country Living Pet Lab tester, Teddy, on Instagram.
