Antique Mexican Shutters

For some, the phrase “rustic style” suggests a house like “La Pitchoune,” the late chef Julia Child’s cottage in Provence, with its exposed wooden beams and well-worn antique furniture. For others, rustic furnishings and decor prompt images of a place like the Lake Placid Lodge in Upstate New York, with its stone fireplaces and knotty pine paneling. Indeed, rustic furniture design takes many forms: twig furniture, a plank trestle table, a hand-stitched quilt, a chandelier made of deer antlers.

The rustic style originated in the late 1800s in England, where it was heavily influenced by Romanticism. By the 20th century, it had spread to the United States, adopted by wealthy New Yorkers and the National Park Service alike. Although there are many categories of rustic furniture, one of the most popular and familiar manifestations of the style is Adirondack furniture and the low-slung 1903 Thomas Lee Adirondack chair.

Rustic design is perhaps mostly about texture and humble materials: hand-hewn reclaimed wood, woven rush seating, wrought iron, coarse stone and weathered metal. As a decor, it exudes warmth and honesty, while a single piece of countrified design adds an intriguing visual counterpoint in a sleek, modern environment.

Easily identifiable by its rough textures, earthy colors and natural materials, rustic wares help bring the beauty of the outdoors inside.

As you can see on 1stDibs, vintage rustic chairs, dining tables and other pieces of rustic furniture offer endless inspiration.

There may be no greater design piece in a home than antique, new or vintage windows, each a portal through which light enters a space. Natural light is the ultimate accessory to any room, especially when it enhances your other items, bouncing off their surfaces.

From stained glass in churches to industrial and warehouse styles, windows have always presented a grand opportunity to transform a space. And they have changed over the years. Antique arts and crafts windows are layered with an array of complex colors that manipulate the light that flows through them. These windows provide an eclectic yet classic aesthetic with abstract patterns, mosaic tints and arched panels.

The craftsmanship of wooden panel windows has an air of the traditional style of the East. Rustic oak shutters and Persian carved panels present an intricate technique and artistry appreciated by sight and touch.

Industrial-style windows of the 1920s to the ’50s typically paired geometric patterns with metal frames. This window style emerged in home decor as a result of the residential repurposing of former manufacturing and warehouse districts.

By the 21st century, windows were less ornate in their designs, touting a more uniform panel layout. Still, you can find modernist windows that add a touch of artful vigor with eye-catching colors and designs you don’t see every day.

Browse 1stDibs for antique, new and vintage windows that will make a beautiful and unique addition to any home.