No décor is complete until the windows are decked out to your satisfaction. Of course we all know that country style curtains bring out the ambience of a special room, but each of us has a unique outlook. 

If you are new to country decorating, you may be set on the concept that the curtains have to perfectly match the fabric in a couch, a quilt, placemats, or throw pillows, or that the curtains or valances have to be a solid color.  In country décor, that is just not true. When I originally started decorating, I was convinced that curtains had to be hand-made using fabric from other items in the room.  Otherwise, it would look like "Grandma's place." Then I began branching out into the country!

 I realized, Grandma's place was decorated country style and it screamed, "Make your self at home".  That was exactly the atmosphere that I wanted to create in my home. I wanted it to be welcoming and homey rather than exquisite and stuffy.  I wanted my guests to feel like it was okay to kick off their shoes and enjoy a glass of iced sun tea, just like we always did at Grandma's house.

Décor is all about the feelings that it develops.  When my house was decorated in modern décor, people acted differently.  The feel was more like a business meeting rather than a friendly, warm and hospitable home.    

Honestly, it is okay for your country style curtains to stand out a bit and it is common in country decorating to mix and match different fabrics in a room. At The Country Store of Geneva, we have lots of ready-made curtains in standard lengths and lots of valances in great-looking old fashioned homespun (not printed!) fabrics. If something suits you, it may be ready to ship that day! If you need a little more planning or if you have a funny sized window, as is common in older homes, you can ask for some homespun swatches and think about it for as long as you need. You can then have the curtains made in your choice of many homespun fabrics and in the lengths and widths you need. Most of our curtains can be made wider by simply adding an extra valance in the middle. We can also cover patio doors and door panels with the same or a coordinating homespun fabric. If you are buying country curtains for a bedroom, you can have a coordinating bed skirt made to tie everything in! If you are working on a bathroom, we can get you a made to order shower curtain. Special orders only take about three weeks and are very lovingly made one at a time!

Our country style chandeliers, tea-dyed quilts, braided rugs, and chair pads can be coordinated with our Virginia House curtains, tiers, and our many other styles of country curtains. And, accessories like the Colonial Spoon Rack, the Glass Butter Churns, and our old fashioned battery operated tapers will complete the look you are striving for, making your home very welcoming – Country Style!   

If you are challenged with the mix and match concept of country décor, the ladies at the Country of Store Geneva can help you out.  Nancy, Marla, and MaryAnn are experts at selecting country style curtains and accessorizing country décor.  Quite frankly, they even amaze me.  Give them a call to get started!

A lot of people forego changing lights due to the perceived difficulty and expense of installing tin switch plates and tin chandeliers. 

Tin switch plates are easily to install.  I can even do that myself.  If you get the right size and configuration, you just remove the old covers and screw in the new ones with the matching screws that are provided.  It is as simple as that.  It doesn’t matter if your ground fault is to the right or the left of your switch because all the switches can be turned upside down and they will still look the same way!

Installing tin chandeliers is a bit more challenging, but many people have the experience of changing out chandeliers or lights themselves without hiring an electrician.  It is as easy as putting in a ceiling fan if the electricity is already there. 

Personally, I don't mess with electricity myself, but I know many people who do and I can offer to fix them dinner in exchange for them installing my lights or tin chandeliers.  They’re happy, I'm happy, and my decorating budget is conserved for better things than paying for labor, and to boot, socializing is great as well.  

If you intend to install a chandelier, ask around to find out if any of your friends or acquaintances feels comfortable changing out light fixtures.  If you're married, be sure to ask your husband if he can do it.  If you hire someone else to do it, you may be stepping on his toes (and his pride) if he could do it himself.      

If you wish to put a tin chandelier in a spot where there wasn't previously a light, you may have to hire an electrician to run the wiring, but overall it is worth the expense.

Many older homes don't have ceiling light fixtures.  I had a hard time figuring that out, but I think it is because many living rooms and bedrooms depended on table lamps and floor lamps instead of wired in ceiling lights and chandeliers. 

It is totally acceptable to use table lights and floor lamps in country décor.  The Willow Chandelier Floor Lamp is just lovely amongst antique furniture and country décor.

Tin switch plates and tin chandeliers don’t necessarily sound too appealing; however, when it comes to country décor, they are pretty much a "must have."

Many decorating themes play more to luxurious metals like polished brass, antique bronze and so forth, but wrought iron and tin are perfect for country décor.  Honestly, an antique bronze and crystal chandelier would look totally out of place in a country style decorated home. 

Iron, tin, and wood represent the "at home, country hospitality" that many homeowners prefer.  Tin switch plates and tin chandeliers are hard to find in most home decorating stores, but they are always available at the Country Store of Geneva.  In fact, we have a great variety so that your choice of style and size is pretty unlimited. 

You might prefer something fancy, like the Shaker Star Chandelier for a dining room, or you might be impressed by the Distressed Pembrook style for a more casual setting.  At any rate, they are all beautiful and countrified. 

The tin chandeliers are perfectly complemented by tin switch plates and outlet covers.  They are available with a punched tin border, punched tin hearts and punched tin stars, so as to combine with just about any country décor.  They also come in your choice of soft black or pewter. The soft black ones are a better match for the majority of our chandeliers, such as the Peppermills and the Jeffersons.

The switch plates come in a variety of configurations so you can get that "old, antique country look" even if your house features modern technology such as dimmer switches, ground fault outlets and so forth. There is a switch to be had for ‘most anywhere, so just ask us!

Country décor is wonderful, and by adding tin switch plates and tin chandeliers, you can complete the appeal!  Tin switch plates beat the plastic outlet covers for sure and they are more countrified than ceramic covers. 

Replacing those modern lights with a tin chandelier or a flush mount ceiling light, such as the Punched Star Ceiling Light, will quickly make a newly built or newly purchased house look rustic and countrified.

Americana country décor has been a preference of many Americans for a long time, but it is has gotten even more popular during the various conflicts that the United States has faced. 

Since September 11, 2001, when we experienced the horrible terrorist attacks on American soil, it seems like tons of people have wanted to redecorate their homes to show their patriotism. 

Americana décor items seem to bounce off the shelves here at the Country Store of Geneva. 

Previously, they just seemed to sell around the Fourth of July, or to veterans who decorated their homes in an American theme, but now there is a lot of interest in the country-style decorations. 

Shades of red, white and blue are used in most Americana decorations along with symbols such as stars and stripes, and words of inspiration like faith, hope or liberty. 

The colors used in the country style are not as bright as the American flag.  Burgundy, off-white and navy blue is common.  It is also ordinary for the country décor to use black and beige. 

For instance, our best selling Blazing Star quilt is commonly used in Americana country décor.  It is perfectly complemented by the punched star shade light and a primitive star valance. 

The Old Glory quilts that are burgundy, beige and blue are a perfect match for the Americana valance that features the stars and stripes of the American flag in burgundy, off-white and navy blue.  The iron wreath holder, topped with a star, adds to the ambience. 

Personally, I have always loved Americana country décor.  It is welcoming as well as patriotic. 

I honestly can’t imagine having bright red, white and blue in a bedroom, kitchen or living room.  I think it would be shocking instead of comforting.  In the bathroom might be okay, but the country-style version, known as Americana, is right up my alley.  

I love tea-dyed quilts.  They just have the country look that you can’t get any other way.  I had to laugh when one of my customers asked me what they are.  She said, “I have a quilt that’s stained with tea.  I don’t know why anyone would want one.” 

I think she was kidding, or at least I hope so. 

Actually, a tea stained quilt is made from fabric that is intentionally dipped in tea, then dried and washed to create an antique look, like the quilts that my great grandmother made.  It makes the quilt look aged without all of holes, stains and other signs of long term use. 

The fabric is actually dipped in tea that is made from steeping teabags, just like the ones that you use when making a cup of tea.  The acid from the tea ages the fabric and makes it look old, even though it isn’t. 

Nowadays, there is actually tea dye that can be used instead of making it yourself if you are into quilting as a hobby. 

This method is so popular, that quilts are made commercially using the tea-stained technique to create antique-looking quilts that home decorators love. 

Not everyone inherits antique country quilts to add to their décor, so it is good that you can actually buy newly made quilts that give the same appeal that comes from displaying an old quilt that is a family heirloom.

Here at the Country Store of Geneva, the best seller of our tea-dyed quilts is the Blazing Star quilt pattern. The simplicity of the pattern, using only two colors, is a favorite of many home decorators who simply need something to “fit in” with their attractive antique furniture.  Honestly, it just wouldn’t look right with a modern-day comforter atop of a bed that is from the 1800s.

Country style decorators also love this quilt along with the matching pillow shams, bed skirt, curtains and runners and placemats to accent the decoration.  It just gives that “at home on the ranch” feeling when you enter the room. 

If you are not into simplicity, you might like the Pinwheel quilt pattern.  It is one of my favorites and it is also a best seller.  It uses four different fabrics, instead of two like the Blazing Star.  It makes it easier to combine several colors in your country or antique décor. 

I always worry when I have to have my antique quilts cleaned.  I simply don’t wash them after my first one unraveled.  Because these tea-dyed quilts are actually new, you can gently wash them and hang them to dry, so in my book, they overrate actual antique quilts that I am afraid to actually use. 

Now, I use tea stained quilts on my beds and I display my heirlooms using quilt rack shelves.  The quilt rack and shelf combo that we carry here at the store is pretty awesome for displaying heirlooms such as figurines, jewelry boxes and so forth in addition to your quilt. 

There is less stress when you simply display a quilt that means something to you, but thanks to the tea-dyed method, you can also enjoy using antique-looking quilts on your beds.