The farmhouse or rustic theme is a great style for any man cave or other pub. There is something special about a traditional rustic looking pub. Recreating the same atmosphere in your man cave isn’t always easy but here are some ideas that will get you the décor you want. Here’s what you can do to give your
How to get a farmhouse décor in your pub? There are three things you’ve got to tackle; The structure, furniture and decorations. Common themes in all of those are; rough wood, bare bricks and light colors. Use old wooden and metal items for decoration. You can repurpose those items into something new or use them as is.
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Recommended farmhouse decor products
Here are some of the products I recommend to create the farmhouse decor in your man cave. Take a look at them and see if you like any. In the rest of the post you can see how, where and why to use these items.
Product links (Amazon)
- Brick wallpaper with 3D texture
- Rustic floor lamp
- Reclaimed wood wall panels
- Wagon wheel
- Wine barrel sink
- Blackboard
What is a Farmhouse Décor?
Farmhouse or rustic is a specific style that’s pretty popular nowadays. The word rustic might be a bit cryptic but farmhouse is pretty clear. It looks like a farmhouse. Although in most cases, I would say that “fancy barn” would cover the actual look better.
Check out the Pinterest albums below for a better idea
What can we see in the pictures?
There are some common themes in the pictures.
- Brick walls (with deep seams)
- Bare wooden beams
- Rough wooden furniture
- Black window frames
- Distressed looking furniture
- Classic lights
- Light colors
Now you’ve got a basic idea of what the farmhouse or rustic style means, let’s get into some concrete tips you can implement to make your man cave or pub look how you want it to.
This post is split up in three parts. The structure, furniture and decoration. So we’re going from big to small.
A. Rustic Pub Structure
Structural changes are the most expensive and time consuming. They also make a huge impact in the end. While you could certainly create a rustic looking pub without doing anything to the structure, the end result just won’t be the same.
If these things are possible to change or build in your situation is of course up to you.
Here are the parts of the structure that can make an impact:
1. Ceiling
The ceiling of a lodge or farmhouse is often a characteristic feature. An open ceiling with thick wooden beams by itself creates an amazing atmosphere in any space that has it.
Of course this is not possible to accomplish in most spaces but, if you’re building a man shed or other new structure, this is an awesome feature to create.
In an existing space with a “normal” ceiling, you’ve got the option to add some wooden beams to mimic part of the look.
2. Floor
With the floor you’ve got some more options than with the ceiling. It depends on if you want to go for a combination of rustic and modern, or purely rustic.
Modern + rustic flooring options
- Polished concrete. A very popular option for offices and spaces with a lot of traffic. It actually looks great.It’s also really sturdy and hard wearing.
- Wood look. Wood look is good for many interior styles. It can look very classic or modern depending on pattern, color and the rest of the décor. There are tons of options to get a wood look. Vinyl, laminate, hardwood, and more. There are differences in wear rates and price for all those options. Pick the best you can afford. For the modern look, go for lighter or gray colors.
- Carpet? Since we’re talking about a pub setting, carpet would be a terrible choice. It gets dirty and is difficult to clean when it does.
- Tiles. Tiles are very varied. There is something for everyone. For a modern but rustic look, go for a matte, white tile with a classic pattern.
Rustic flooring options
- Wood. As said, you can make wood look modern or classic. For a more classic look, go for darker colors.
- Tiles. Tiles come in a huge variety of styles, colors, shapes, sizes, etc. There will be something you like. I’m personally partial to smaller, brick colored tiles.
- Wood + Brick. An awesome choice that will take some work. You create a framework with 2x4s or any other wood you like. You fill up the gaps with bricks. This gives an amazing result. It’s not the most comfortable for your feet however.
3. Wall
Many parts off the walls will be covered with furniture and decorations. A significant part will still be uncovered however. So what can you do to get some more farmhouse atmosphere into your man pub? There are a few options you can consider.
- Brick wall. Every farmhouse pub or man cave needs at least one bare brick wall. It’s mandatory. Brick walls with deep seams are a great look for any rustic décor. Not everyone is in the position to create this in their space however. Luckily there are wallpapers that mimic the look and are easy to put on almost any wall.
- Painted brick wall. The same thing as before but painted.
- Wood. Put some wood on the wall. Not too much since it can become a bit overbearing especially with all the other wood you’ll certainly be putting in this space.
- Paint. Just simply paint the walls. Don’t go for any super bright colors (except white). Stick to colors on the grey scale. Lighter colors for a more modern and bright look. Darker
4. Windows
Your windows are the shape they are. What you can change is the window frames. That’s if they’re made of wood. Any other material is quite difficult to change the color of.
There are three choices for the color of your window frames.
- Natural. This is only an option if your window frames are made of wood with a nice grain. Otherwise you’ll just make things look worse.
- Black. This is great to modernize the look of your man cave. It creates a more industrial look. Of course the rest of your décor has to support this too.
- White. White is the safest and most appropriate choice for most farmhouse decors.
5. Doors
Farmhouse doors are made of…. Surprise, surprise,… wood!! Bet you didn’t see that coming. Doors are expensive to replace so it’s not a huge deal if you can’t do this but to get everything perfect from the first entrance, it’s certainly an important part.
While changing the doors might not be easy, painting the doorframes shouldn’t be too challenging. Especially if you’re already painting the window frames, why not also do the doorframes?
B. Farmhouse pub furniture
Getting the furniture for a rustic décor is pretty easy. It’s readily available in most shops and certainly on Amazon. Here are the necessities;
1. Bar
This post is about creating a pub so the most important piece of furniture has to be the bar. It’s where the beer is being dispensed after all. Like with all the other pieces of furniture, wood is the key. Especially the bar top makes a big visual impact. Having a thick slab of wood will go a long way in creating the farmhouse look.
2. Bar stools
A bar needs some bar stools. You can get bar stools in the same style as the bar. Although you’ll want to make them a bit less rough and raw for comfort’s sake.
Another option is to go for a modern industrial look. These bar stools are usually quite cheap and work well to balance out the heavy look of the big wooden bar.
Check out my post on bar stools for more information.
3. Big table
Part of the farmhouse appeal is the communal aspect. The best way to come together is around a big table. Big tables are multifunctional and in this décor style, you can get some very cool ones.
The perfect table for a cottage style is a long slab of wood. Cut a tree in half, length wise and put legs on it. The top of the table is usually flat and treated but the sides are untreated and rough. This makes this style of table look amazing.
4. Small tables
Maybe you need something smaller for more intimate settings. Something that takes up a little less space and is appropriate for 2-4 people. There are two great options you can consider:
- The same style as the big table. A big slab of raw wood with some legs attached. For the smaller table you can take a cross section of a good sized tree instead of a lengthwise cut.
- Use an old wooden barrel. The barrel can be the base of the table. Put any table top you like on top of it.
5. Sofa
With all this wood going on, you might want some more comfortable seating. What’s better than a sofa? The good thing is that you have quite a lot of freedom in choosing a sofa for the rustic décor style. Just stay within the color scheme you’re using for the rest of the man cave. Colors on the grey scale are great. Alternatively you can go for a natural leather sofa.
C. Cottage pub decoration ideas
At this point we’ve talked about the structural changes you can make and the furniture that will create the rustic style. Now it’s time to put the finishing touches on your man cave pub and decorate the place. There are countless of possible decorations, here are five of the best options.
1. Tap tower
The tap tower is one of the things everyone sees when they walk in. Most people come to a pub or bar for beer. So when they come in, they look at the thing that will give it to them. Since we’re talking about man caves, having a huge tap tower with 7 different kinds of beer would be nice but probably unreasonable for several reasons.
Even if you just have a single kegerator, which is likely in a man cave, you can do better than the standard tap tower.
A black iron or bronze tap tower looks much better than the stock one that comes with the kegerator.
2. Wooden barrels
Barrels are amazingly versatile. Not only can they hold a variety of awesome beverages, they can be used for a variety of decorations. You can turn them into;
- Tables
- Welcome signs
- A sink
- Clock
- Trays
- Wall art
There are tons of things you can do with old wooden barrels.
3. Blackboard
A nice blackboard with wooden frame fits very well into a rustic décor. The colors of the board itself are good already. On top of that you can write or draw something on it. This can be a kind of menu, which special beers you’ve got, a message, funny drawing, etc.
For a pub you’ll need something to advertise your wares anyways. The blackboard is perfect. Just find someone with a little artistic talent to do the writing.
4. Wagon wheels
Old cartwheels have a cool character. Like barrels they had very practical uses and are usually old and used on a farm. This makes them excellent decorations for this décor style.
Like barrels, there are tons of things you can do with cartwheels.
- Turn it into a chandelier
- Just hang it on the wall as-is
- Use it as a window frame
- Use half a wheel as a post for a sign
5. Lots of pictures and “stuff”
This is not one single item. Most traditional pubs are filled to the brim with all kinds of pictures, paintings and what can best be described as brickabrack. This busy look is something that adds a lot of character to a pub. Some examples;
- Vintage signs
- Old farm tools
- Paintings
- Pictures
All these things should be old or look old. Modern looking items will break the atmosphere you’ve got going by all the effort you made in the previous steps.
For more Man Cave decoration ideas, check these posts:
Hi there. I’m BetterDaily. I’m a man in his early thirties that likes to travel, ride motorcycles, work out and write. Usually I write about men, things related to masculinity and things men like. Teacher by day, blogger by night.
