With its comfortable, laid-back decorating vibes, no room says “come and sit awhile” or “aah, I’m home” quite like a beautifully inviting rustic and cozy living room. Whether you live in a farmhouse, cabin, cottage, a new-build in the suburbs, or even a city apartment—rustic living room ideas bring a certain homespun style that ranges from downright traditional to modern and chic.Here at Country Living, we’ve discovered that the very best classic and country rustic living room ideas begin with good ol’ tried-and-true character-rich decor. We're talking reclaimed wood, stone focal points (there are so many rustic style living room ideas with cozy fireplaces!), and a casual mix of natural textures and materials (think wood and woven furniture, perfectly worn leather sofas, vintage wool rugs laid atop natural sisal). More modern rustic living room ideas include a less-is-more approach with calming neutral color palettes and clean-lined furniture. Paint colors, fabrics, and accessories in grays, browns, and greens pulled from nature make for the just-right warmth—all simple rustic living room ideas at their finest. So relax and sink into our best country rustic living room ideas from some of our all-time favorite Country Living house tours!Here are more creative ways to make your home feel rustic and cozy:1Fill the Room With CharacterSean LitchfieldFrom floor to ceiling and wall to wall, this rustic living room packs in loads of character. Comfy leather and upholstered furniture, a vintage patterned rug, and a blue and yellow painted cupboard found on Facebook marketplace sit well together against a backdrop of rustic wood.2Source Local MaterialsLincoln BarbourIn this beautifully rustic Mississippi barn. the owners sourced local wood materials from a nearby military depot to clad the walls and ceiling, bringing maximum warmth and texture. Large windows let in loads of natural light during the day, while a chandelier and mounted sconces make for a romantic glow come nighttime.RELATED: These Wood Ceiling Ideas Bring Country Charm to Any RoomTOUR THE ENTIRE HOUSEAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below3Pick a Cozy Paint ColorAlpha Smoot for Country LivingThis cozy living room has a built-in warmth, thanks to saturated navy blue walls (“It’s sort of a gentleman’s navy,” says homeowner Justin Reis). Its handsomely worn floorboards, doors, mantel, and warming cabinet above the fireplace complement the dark blue beautifully. The fire and candlelight emit a magical glow.Get the Look:Wall Paint Color: Dark Navy by BehrTOUR THE ENTIRE HOUSE4Lay a Comfy RugSara Ligorria-TrampWhat's cozier than a roaring fire on a cool night? A soft, fuzzy rug in front of it! The fireplace features mantel made from a tree felled on-site and white Zellige tile. The artwork is a vintage find paired with a contemporary painting.TOUR THE ENTIRE HOUSEAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below5Embrace Log Cabin DetailsLisa FloodIn this stunning Wyoming log cabin, the family usually gathers in the wonderfully rustic great room. Its cozy factor is off the charts, thanks country decorating classics like unpainted log walls and beams, a woodburning stove, textural rugs, and a sweet swing that hangs from the ceiling. Get the Look:Swing: The Oak & Rope CompanyTOUR THE ENTIRE HOUSE6Wrap a Room in WoodMarta Xochilt PerezIn this rustic and cozy cabin, an original fieldstone fireplace creates the warmest welcome. A pair of cushy leather sofas piled with pillows blankets face off, anchoring the wood-wrapped space, and providing the perfect perches for game night. TOUR THE ENTIRE HOUSE Advertisement - Continue Reading Below7Build an Rustic Stone Accent WallMarta Xochilt Perez for Country LivingThis impressive wall of moss rock surrounds the fireplace. Chiseled stone corbels provide mantel supports. On cool nights, you can count on a roaring fire! Throughout the home, carved timbers, rough-cut stone, and walls of windows reflect a combination of the homeowners’ Scandinavian heritage and Irish roots.TOUR THE ENTIRE HOUSE8Go Big in a Small SpaceEmily FollowillThis tiny living room is packed with so much character. Designer James Farmer added decorative oomph with a large tobacco basket, an art-forward fireplace screen, and natural design elements like plants. Details like arranging the paneling on the diagonal to “point” upward enhance the vertical space. Says James, “Tall ceilings, bold plant arrangements, and large light fixtures have even more impact in a small home. Play with scale to find what feels right.” Advertisement - Continue Reading Below9Mix and Match FurnitureLincoln BarbourFor the ultimate collected-over-time vibe, forgo matching furniture. Here, a wingback chair and a spool chair look right at home in this living room. Other period-appropriate decor found in this 100-year-old home: painted paneled walls, exposed ceiling beams, and a rustic mantel wood.TOUR THE ENTIRE HOUSE 10Let There Be Light (Wood)Christopher DibbleWe put this family room in the “rustic light” category. For a top-to-bottom cabin-like feel, designer Max Humphrey wrapped the space in eight-foot knotty pine planks on the ceiling and walls. A clear coat of polyurethane protects the wood while letting its natural color shine through (a stain would’ve darkened the room). Colorful national park posters, globes, camp grounds signage, and a linen modern sectional create a hip yet homey living space.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below11Customize a Focal PointHomeowners Victoria and Marcus Ford’s vision of a custom wood fireplace surround included open shelves and striking floor-to-ceiling firewood nooks (our favorite detail!). “We figured go big or go home,” says Victoria. Brass sconces provide a library-like touch, and a custom frame has the TV looking picture-perfect above the mantel.Get the Look:Wall and Trim Paint: Endless Sea by Sherwin-WilliamsCeiling Paint: Oyster White by Sherwin-WilliamsTOUR THE ENTIRE SPACE12Incorporate Rustic Furniture FindsAnnie SchlechterTopped with a plaid cushion, a rustic yellow daybed nestled in the corner makes for the coziest spot to take in lake views. The 22-foot cathedral ceilings are clad in wood, warming up this lofty open-concept space designed by Amy Meier that also includes a dining area and kitchen.TOUR THE ENTIRE HOUSE Advertisement - Continue Reading Below13Paint the FloorsDane Tashima for Country LivingWhile the homeowners of this New Jersey dairy barn were able to salvage the structure’s original knotty beams, the walls and floors in the soaring 25-foot-high space needed to be replaced. Simple poplar planks painted white got the job done affordably. A new cast-iron pellet stove warms the space with a rustic, authentic look. Get the Look:Wall and Floor Paint Color: Alabaster by Sherwin-WilliamsTOUR THE ENTIRE HOUSE14Tell the BackstorySean LitchfieldWhere possible, the original Eastern Hemlock posts and beams of this 1819 Maine barn were carefully preserved when, in 1999, the structure was disassembled and then reassembled several miles down the road. Hand-split slabs of Maine granite (some from the barn's original foundation) and brick were used to fabricate the massive woodburning fireplace. The walls and floors are lined in rough-hewn, nonuniform wood planks. The sofa table, made from an old piece of barn wood found on the farm, shows off collections of books, ceramics, and shells.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below15Use Old Materials for New BuildsBrie WilliamsIn this new build, reclaimed materials create instant patina for a warm and welcoming family room. Here’s what makes it rustic: reclaimed beams came from an 1800s mill in Massachusetts mill; log skins salvaged from old Midwest barns; North Carolina stone on the fireplace. A soft palette for the furniture and window treatments was inspired by the antique rug that covers the ottoman.TOUR THE ENTIRE HOUSE 16Balance Natural Wood with ColorNick JohnsonA pretty blue on the fireplace and in the fabrics balances the overall rustic vibe in this country house. “I wanted this room to feel rich and cozy and warm—the kind of place you’d sit by the fire to read a book,” says Erica Harrison of Detroit-based design firm Hudson and Sterling.TOUR THE ENTIRE HOUSEAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below17Make It WorkHelen NormanDespite the renovation challenges, this cozy sitting area situated just off the open kitchen works. The fireplace, which had to be rebuilt from the inside, was covered in stucco to balance all the exposed brick that was discovered underneath damaged drywall. For attic access, a ladder that was found in a barn on the property gets the job done in lieu of stairs. On the other side of the fireplace, a sturdy wooden bookshelf replaces an existing one that was crumbling.18Paint It WhiteZIO AND SONSFor the ultimate modern farmhouse vibe, start with an all-white palette, like in this home of designer Anthony D’Argenzio. This allows you to layer in character-rich architectural elements, like wide-planked wood floors and ceiling beams. A comfy sectional piled with pillows balances perfectly with hard elements, like the wood-and-iron coffee table, handmade oak stump side table, and a round iron chandelier. The hanging chair in the corner provides a wink to this serene design. RELATED: The Best Warm White Paint Colors For Every Room in Your HouseAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below19Leave Materials NaturalJames MerrellRustic meets cozy in this cabin that features walls constructed of hand-hewn logs, a stone fireplace, exposed ceiling beams, and a pair of comfy armchairs. Leaving all materials in their natural finish and unpainted contributes to the overall homespun feel.RELATED: The Best Places to Find or Buy Reclaimed Wood Near You20Choose Neutral FurnishingsSeth SmootIn this California living room, a comfortable collection of neutral furnishings complements the home’s rustic redwood walls. The solid sofa and barrel chairs that are upholstered in linen leave room for visual delights, like the wicker and fringe lamps, an antique rug, a patterned ottoman, and piles of pillows.Jennifer KopfJennifer Kopf is the Executive Editor of Country Living. She also covers antiques and collecting.Amy MitchellManaging EditorAmy Mitchell is the managing editor for VERANDA and Country Living, where she writes articles on a variety of topics—decorating and design, gardens, and holidays. Amy’s experience in the shelter magazine category spans more than 20 years, as she’s previously held positions at Coastal Living and Cottage Living. Her personal pursuits include cooking, gardening, and hunting her favorite tag sale spots for the next piece of Pyrex for her prized collection.

All products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.“I don’t like fame. I don’t like the sense of belonging to the public,” Elizabeth Taylor admits in Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes, the 2024 documentary featuring unearthed recordings of the Hollywood legend by journalist Richard Meryman. “The person my family know[s] is real. But the other Elizabeth Taylor, the famous one, really has no depth or meaning to me. It’s a commodity and it makes money. One is flesh and blood, and one is cellophane.” Taylor, who skyrocketed to fame as a child actor and was among the first film stars to receive a $1 million payday for a role, spent much of her life in the spotlight. It’s not surprising, then, that the late icon considered her public image to be completely divorced from her private persona.The Lost Tapes grants viewers a glimpse into that life through Taylor’s candid reflections on it all—the romances, the tragedies, the opulence, and the scandals. Though her superstar status meant that even her rare private moments sometimes got the on-camera treatment, the below selection reveals an intimate look at the “real” Elizabeth Taylor’s time at home, outside the limelight.Photo: George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images1/211942In 1939, Taylor, her older brother Howard, and her parents—stage actress Sara Sothern and art dealer Francis Lenn Taylor—moved from London to Los Angeles. After a couple of years living in LA’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood, the family moved into a Spanish-style Beverly Hills home. Here, Howard and Elizabeth are seen in the backyard with their pets during the year in which the 10-year-old began her acting career.Photo: Earl Theisen/Getty Images2/211947This 1947 shot shows Taylor and her mother prepping hamburgers and hot dogs in the kitchen of their family home. Biographer Alexander Walker wrote that the 1929-built abode sported “pink stucco walls and red roof tiles, a huge round-arched window facing the road and a dusty front ‘yard’ with an olive tree in it.” It would remain the young starlet’s home until her first marriage.Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images3/211949Featuring decorative tiles and terra-cotta floors, the dwelling had all the classic Spanish-style details that remain beloved throughout Los Angeles today. The Hollywood legend is pictured here at age 17, drying off her dog, Amy (named after Taylor’s character in the film Little Women, which hit theaters in March of that year).Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images4/211949The future Oscar winner is seen here with her mother reading sheet music at their piano. At the time, Taylor was engaged to William Pawley Jr., the son of a US ambassador. “I want our hearts to belong to each other throughout eternity,” the teenage actor wrote in a letter to Pawley. It wasn’t in the cards, however; the engagement ended just a few months later.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images5/211950Photographed in her childhood home, the movie star twirls in a velvet dress before an ornately framed painting. Walking in her father’s footsteps, Taylor continued to collect art throughout her life. The very same painting can be seen in photos of Taylor’s final residence, six decades after this snapshot was taken.Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images6/211950Eager for independence from her sheltered upbringing, Taylor married hotel heir Conrad “Nicky” Hilton Jr. in May 1950 at the age of 18. However, Hilton was “abusive, physically and mentally,” the actor wrote in her 1988 book Elizabeth Takes Off. “The honeymoon and the relationship were both over by the time we returned. I couldn’t bear to reveal that my marriage was a failure, and I kept quiet for months. Around Christmas, I could stand it no longer and moved out of our house.” The residence in question, pictured here, was a Pacific Palisades rental where the pair stayed after a stint at the Bel Air Hotel.Photo: Ed Jackson/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images7/211951The young couple officially divorced in January 1951 and Taylor moved into New York’s Plaza Hotel, which was owned by Hilton’s father at the time. The exes met on October 15, 1951, in her suite to wrap up some loose ends—including a property settlement, per the New York Daily News, which published the above snapshot. The star speaks fondly of her time at the iconic hotel in The Lost Tapes, describing it as “the first kind of free, independent time I’d ever had in my life.”Photo: Ed Jackson/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images8/211951The couple discusses the divorce settlement and meets with the press in Taylor’s Plaza suite here. “I was a divorcée, and I was 19. Roddy [McDowall] was there with me, and Monty [Clift]. Just having fun with my chums, doing all kinds of crazy things,” Taylor said of her time living at the famed hotel. “If I wanted to go ice skating at nine at night, we would. Or we’d just have hot dogs all day long. Completely irresponsible sort of behavior. I didn’t have to keep proper hours. I didn’t have to do anything properly. And I had a ball.”Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images9/211952In 1952, Taylor married English actor Michael Wilding and moved into his London apartment, where they are pictured here playing piano. The starlet looked to Wilding, who was two decades her senior, as a source of stability and comfort following her volatile first marriage, she explains in The Lost Tapes.Photo: WATFORD/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images10/211953Taylor and Wilding bought a house in Beverly Hills in 1953, the same year that the Cat on a Hot Tin Roof star gave birth to her first child, Michael Jr. Pictured in September of that year, the 21-year-old actor reclines on her sofa with the infant. “We will have the outside painted yellow, with white shutters, the living room will be in gray with periwinkle blue—my favorite color, ” Taylor allegedly said upon buying the home.Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images11/211953Baby Michael’s sweetly decorated nursery had a butter yellow, baby blue, and pink color scheme. Taylor described the storybook Beverly Hills dwelling in her 1965 tome, An Informal Memoir. “One whole wall was built of bark with fern and orchids growing up the bark,” she wrote. “You really couldn’t distinguish between the outside and inside. And all the colors I loved—off-white, white, natural woods, stone, beigy marble. The pool was so beautiful. There were palm trees and rock formations—it looked like a natural pool, with trees growing out of it. It was the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen.”Photo: CBS via Getty Images12/211957Taylor and Wilding split after nearly five years of marriage. One month after the divorce was finalized, the Cleopatra star married film producer Mike Todd in February 1957. The two are pictured here in their penthouse apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Taylor and Todd kept estates on both coasts; in addition to their NYC abode, they maintained a 1920s Spanish-style primary residence near Coldwater Canyon in Beverly Hills. The roughly 4,000-square-foot home didn’t offer the high-profile pair much privacy—its front steps began right at the curb, winding around a turret, and up to an arched wood front door.Photo: CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images13/211957A few months after they married, Todd and Taylor welcomed CBS’s cameras into their NYC home at 715 Park Avenue for a 1957 Person to Person segment, which showed the newlyweds’ duplex filled with art; a Monet painting in a gilded frame hangs behind them in this photo. Taylor gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Liza, before Todd’s tragic 1958 death in a plane crash.Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images14/211966After a five-year marriage to singer and actor Eddie Fisher that generated tons of scandalous tabloid fodder, Taylor married her Cleopatra costar, Richard Burton, in 1964. The couple, whose relationship essentially birthed modern paparazzi culture, is pictured here at their Gstaad, Switzerland, property. Dubbed Chalet Ariel, Taylor and Fisher purchased the estate early in their marriage. The Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? star retained ownership of the dwelling for the rest of her life.Photo: James Andanson/Sygma via Getty Images15/211967The couple—again pictured at their Swiss vacation home, with a trio of petite pooches in tow—were known for their passionate yet turbulent marriage. “We enjoy fighting,” Taylor reportedly said. “Having an out-and-out, outrageous, ridiculous fight is one of the greatest exercises in marital togetherness.” It’s fitting that the relationship was filled with drama, seeing as it began with some: The couple started their affair while Taylor was still married to Fisher and Burton was married to Welsh actress Sybil Christopher.Photo: David Cairns/Getty Images16/211967The frequent costars also spent a great deal of time on their yacht, Kalizma. They reportedly bought the luxury vessel for $192,000 (roughly $1.8 million adjusted for inflation) in 1967 and invested another $200,000 in refurbishing it to their liking. It was onboard the Kalizma that the Welsh actor gifted Taylor the famous 69.42-carat Cartier diamond now known as the Taylor-Burton diamond.Photo: David Cairns/Express/Getty Images17/211967The couple looks out from the deck of the Kalizma in this snapshot. They reportedly outfitted the vessel with Chippendale mirrors, Louis XIV chairs, and English tapestries. Taylor’s suite—from the bedroom to the bathroom—was done up in a hot pink color scheme. Grace Kelly, Orson Welles, and Ringo Starr were among the A-list guests that Taylor and Burton entertained on the yacht.Photo: Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images18/211977After divorcing Burton (twice—once in 1974 and again in 1976 after a brief second marriage), Taylor married American politician John Warner in December 1976. They are pictured here in the kitchen of their roughly 7,000-square-foot fieldstone-walled manor in Marshall, Virginia. Taylor reportedly kept horses on the sprawling property, which was known as Atoka Farm.Photo: Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images19/211977Warner and Taylor roam the grounds of the 400-acre plot in this photo. The actor helped her husband with his 1978 senate campaign, though his busy government schedule put a strain on the marriage, and they divorced in 1982. “She was my ‘partner’ in laying the foundation for 30 years of public service in the US Senate,” Warner said later. “We were always friends—to the end.”Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images20/211987Taylor’s primary residence from 1981 until her 2011 death was at 700 Nimes Road in Bel Air. This 1987 photo shows the Hollywood icon smiling on her sofa in the ranch-style home, which was formerly owned by Nancy Sinatra. Taylor worked with AD100 Hall of Fame designer Waldo Fernandez to decorate the dwelling, which was posthumously featured in the July 2011 issue of Architectural Digest. A trophy room, plush pastel carpets, and abundant flower gardens were among the estate’s highlights.Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images21/211987Taylor sits in a welcoming living room at her Nimes Road dwelling in this shot. “Of course when she had to appear at an important event, she would put on the most beautiful dress and the most amazing jewelry and become Elizabeth Taylor, the star,” famed fashion designer Valentino once said. “But at home she liked a cozy life, friends, good food.”The Hollywood legend died in 2011 at age 79.

The world is awash in data about, well, the world — thanks to satellites and environmental sensors. But there’s still a lot we can’t see, and Fieldstone Bio thinks microbes can change that. “They’ve evolved to sense and respond to information. It’s just trillions of calculations going on at all times all around us,” Brandon Fields, Fieldstone Bio’s co-founder and chief science officer, told TechCrunch. “How do we take that and actually manipulate that to gain benefits for us?” Fieldstone’s technology emerged from that question. The startup was founded in 2023 after spinning out of MIT, where professor Chris Voigt’s lab had developed a way to turn microbes into sensors. The scientists programmed the microbes to change color when they encountered something of interest, whether it be nutrients in soil or landmines hidden in the dirt, and then figured out how to detect them. “The key technology out of Chris’ lab is this idea of, ‘How do we actually visualize these cells from really far away?’” Fields said. Fieldstone Bio recently raised $5 million in seed funding led by Ubiquity Ventures with participation from E14 and LDV Capital, the company exclusively told TechCrunch. The startup has been testing its technology in the lab, and the funding will let it test those microbes in the real world. Each strain is tailored to sense a particular compound, such as nitrogen on a farm field or TNT residue from a landmine.  “We isolate microbes from the environments we want to sense,” Fields said. “We build our sensors the DNA pieces, and we just drop them into these different ones and see which ones behave the best, which ones can last the longest.” Techcrunch event Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot for our leading AI industry event with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere. For a limited time, tickets are just $292 for an entire day of expert talks, workshops, and potent networking. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you’ve built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | June 5 REGISTER NOW Once the microbes are ready, Fieldstone will broadcast them using drones. After the microbes have some time to sense their environment — several hours to days, depending on the target — the company will have another drone snap photos of the area. The images aren’t the usual aerial photography seen on Google Maps. Rather, they’re taken using what’s known as a hyperspectral camera, which divide visible and infrared light into as many as 600 different colors. Because Fieldstone’s microbes will reflect light at a very specific wavelength, it can train AI models to look for those signals amid a torrent of data. “That’s where the power of AI comes in, because we can start using that information to tease out these really faint signals to produce really cool heat maps of the microbe sensing the environment,” Fields said. In addition to agriculture and national security applications, Fieldstone is also programming microbes to detect environmental contaminants like arsenic, CEO Patrick Stone said. “Instead of going to do core soil samples over every 100 feet — and then you have 100 foot resolution — we could get a one-inch resolution and really map out exactly where they need to go clean up stuff,” he said. Gene edited microbial sensors broadcast over farm fields are sure to raise the eyebrows among people who oppose genetic modification. Fields said that the company has been in contact with the EPA to ensure that the company follows regulations. Fields said that, over time, he hopes the company’s database will become large enough that it can train models to associate other signals in the environment with whatever data is returned by the microbes. That would allow hyperspectral cameras to detect, say, arsenic contamination without needing to spread the engineered microbes. “Eventually, you don’t need to apply the microbe at all,” Fields said. “You have drones, planes, and satellites now collecting information about chemical information on a global scale.”