Rural Is the New Urbane

Have you seen the cover of the new Country Living magazine? Pure beauty and sophistication, I am in love. I am a tried and true damask and toile fan and love to use them in little pops of fabric and pillows here and there around my house, I also love stripes and paisley and the new cover has it all.

Country Living

SWOON!
So because the cover was so fab I grabbed the magazine knowing with a cover that great the inside would be great too, and of coarse no let down there!
In fact, there was this really great article named Rural Is the New Urbane and in it the EIC Sarah Miller was talking about all the things that used to be country that are cool now, timeless traditions that people mocked her for when she moved from Mississippi to Manhattan like her love for Loretta Lynn and running around barefoot. It got me thinking about how this applies to our life, our decorating and design habits and even how we dress.

Shopping at thrift stores and Goodwill  was not always accepted amongst the majority but now it is a happening place for stay at home moms who have the eye for a good deal. Items like bookcases with the heart cut out in the top center are being purchased for next to nothing and thrifted into the ultimate storage.
Old wire baskets and crates are being re purposed and used for storage in the bathroom or pantry. We are even seeing new crates made to look old at stores like Hobby Lobby and Pottery Barn.

BHG

Even ladders are being used in homes to add a touch of rustic class to our design theme.

Pottery Barn

I find myself shopping at antique stores at least twice a month and loving things like old oars, newel posts and garden animals.

Pottery Barn

When I see these things I think "how can I incorporate this into my design, what door can that stone rabbit prop open?" Speaking of oars, I recently found several at my local antique store for $15-$18 each, gonna get a few really soon!
 Items such as old books toting names like Huckleberry Fin or To Kill A Mockingbird are making a comeback, not as reading material but as a design element, you see it all over Pottery Barn and even in blogland a bit. People ripping the covers off and putting them in vases or stacking them next to a couch. Even vintage song books are popular for wreath ideas.
Which I must say I absolutely love but have not the patience to make.
We are scouring the isles of these stores looking for a timeless classic that we can add to our house.

Even the idea of living in the country is urbane. We come from the metroplex and over the last 10 years have migrated further and further west. The idea of owning land with horses, goats and cows is actually appealing to me! And not just me, I am finding amongst my friends and fellow bloggers the idea of living away from the hustle and bustle is popular, making these very rural areas suddenly urbane.

And dressing......being from the metroplex where I am used to 6 inch heels and and top notch hair, I now find my favorite things are my Justin boots with the bright pink tops and jeans or sundresses. I remember going into stores like Cavenders when I was younger and thinking to myself "only country hillbillies where stuff like this", but it's EVERYWHERE! Girls of all ages here are wearing boots and skinny jeans (gotta be trendy after all). It makes me laugh. We have traded Ann Taylor's sheer ruffly dress tops for The Buckles button down flannel shirts instead.

Cavenders

It seems like the shift of life has gone from a dressy fashion is painful and your house must be top notch and "IN" to a just be comfortable in your own skin, cloths and house. But is this shift due to us really doing what we love or is Rural the New Urbane only because it's what the rest are doing??

What do you think? I know what I love and sometimes what I love happens to be in new "IN" thing... Are you doing what you love, dressing how you love and decorating how you love?
What do you love...are you like me and in love with the simplicity of the old and comfy?

Jen