These days, anyone looking to purchase home furnishings is faced with a seemingly endless range of choices. There is enough bedding, bathroom accessories and furniture products available for you to indulge in all your interior decoration desires, but with the wide assortment available it's sometimes difficult to know where to start!



A popular method nowadays is to decorate a room according to a theme; haphazard décor displays just doesn't cut it anymore. For example, you can choose to go the modern route with steel, glass and leather or an Eastern-inspired theme complete with a divan and mirrored bedspreads. However, one the most popular choices among home decorators remains the tried and true theme of a rustic lodge or cabin.

Rustic-inspired furnishings usually feature warm colors and tend towards practicality and comfort. You can co-ordinate your whole bedroom with appropriate rustic bedding accessories, matching drapes, carpets, lighting fixtures and bathroom accessories. One of the more distinctive features of a rustic bedding set is its colors and motifs. They usually come in warm colors like brick red, deep greens, oranges, blues and dark grays – all colors inspired from nature. The motifs are distinct in that they sport the themes of wildlife and the wild outdoors. They evoke the comfortable and relaxed atmosphere of a lodge or cabin.

Most rustic bedding sets are available in a wide variety of sizes and sheet combinations. A standard sheet set usually includes a top sheet along with a fitted bottom sheet and two pillowcases. It should be noted that in many cases only a single pillowcase is provided with the twin set of sheets. Rustic bedding sets come in all the standardized sizes – Twin, Full, Queen, King and CAL king. This makes it easier for you to choose a set according to your needs and you don't have to worry about the bedding set being either too small or too large for your bed.

You generally have the choice of two types of fabric: flannel and percale. While flannel is made from 100% cotton fibers, percale is 30% cotton and 70% polyester. The pricing also differs for the two fabrics – on the whole the percale bedding sets are somewhat cheaper than flannel ones. Apart from the usual themes like woods, moose, bear, fishing etc., some companies also offer a 'heritage' bedding collection. These are classic designs for the more traditionally inclined.

Apart from the regular bedding sets you can also buy matching comforters (available in all the standard sizes), pillow shams and bed skirts. Some manufacturers also provide throw pillows and shower curtains to match your rustic bedding set. To complete the look of your room, you can even go so far as to use compatible window treatments. The drapes usually match the pattern of the comforter, and the headers, rod pocket and tiebacks complete the set. Blanket ensembles made from the finest fabrics are also an option if you're looking to splurge. Heck, if you are so inclined, you could even invest in an heirloom quality handmade quilt with a rustic theme.

Copyright © Jared Winston, 2006. All Rights Reserved.