Bungalows blend in with their environments.
You don't have to have the decorative eye of a Frank Lloyd Wright to appreciate the possibilities of a Craftsman house, or other bungalow layouts that feature natural woodwork in the exterior. Many bungalows are designed to mesh with their natural surroundings and feature wooden beams on the outside, as well as different wooden custom features on the interior. To decorate this style of home, you will need understated accents that blend with natural surroundings. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Mirror natural colors in your interior and exterior design decisions. Paint in greens and beiges, and choose upholstery and fabric surfaces that match those colors.
2. Let your hardwood surfaces stand on their own. There's no need to paint any exposed wooden beams or to carpet over hardwood floors. Apply a finish that will protect them from the traffic in your home over the long haul and maintain the floors as needed.
3. Choose furniture that comes from the time period when your bungalow was constructed. Ornate furniture with rococo curlicues don't really match the bungalow aesthetic, but Mission-style or Amish pieces would work very well.
4. Purchase accessories that also come from the correct time period for the house. A genuine manual typewriter would be a conversation piece on a natural-wood bookshelf, and vintage fixtures and lighting will also accentuate your bungalow.
5. Use curtains and shutters that just have one tone and do not contrast sharply with the walls. With curtain fabric, choose simple designs and stay away from curls and frills.
6. Resist the temptation to plaster your walls with artwork, plates and other items. While it is important to have the decor items on your wall that are important to you, the style of the time period when bungalows were most popular was more minimalist, which means that you'll need a level of comfort with some blank space on your walls.
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