Country Living Rooms

Set up for conversation, this room feels both intimate and open. A large piece of artwork hides a flat-screen TV, while a spray of forsythia displayed at eye level is a dramatic focal point.

A comfy lived-in sofa, coupled with a rough-wood coffee table make a classic country living room. A pitcher with fresh-picked daisies complete the cozy, lived-in look.

Wide stripes in this living room's plank floors hide flaws in the floor and anchor large furniture. Small rooms don't mean small furnishings; use large-scale items as a visual trick to make the room look larger.

A garage-sale daybed piled with oversize pillows is a lounger's dream in this living room, while a small dining set offers a sunny spot to eat. We love the overhead swag of paper cutouts that draw the line between nap and lunch, and the layered patterns that make this simple rooms sing. Worn textiles—Navajo rugs, a grandmother's patchwork quilt—provide an overall theme.

A classically designed stone fireplace sits pristine in white juxtaposed by the worn, exposed brick of the interior.

Exposed brick walls counteract the modernity of an L-shaped couch engulfing a petite glass bistro table nestled atop a tripod stand.

Turn the fireplace into a lounging area by providing front-row seats to the coziest show in the house; and with firewood storage nearby, no one has to get up.

In takes only a few simple touches to create a cozy inviting vibe. A used Vermont Castings woodstove heats this house and greets guests. The stepped room partition, made from lumberyard beadboard, screens sleeping quarters from living room without walling out heat. Collector's items add character—a flea-market log holder, caribou antlers carried back from a hiking trip, and vintage signs express the home's thrifty and cheerful spirit.

Unconventional, but fun: A hammock hung from wood beams is dressed with a featherbed topper. Add additional comfort with no-sew bolster pillows rolled in outdoor fabric and tied at the ends.