Rustic Bedding

Flannel Sheets

• Outfit the bed or beds with flannel sheets to evoke rustic, rugged work shirts, childhood pajamas and cozy cabin nights. While plaid is the classic pattern for flannel work shirts, you can find flannel sheets in virtually any color and pattern. Flannel sheets are particularly well suited for people who live in drafty houses or cabins or who like to sleep with the windows cracked even in wintertime. If the weather is too warm for flannel, plain cotton sheets can form a soft base for your rustic bedding.

Feather Pillows

• Pamper your head with feather pillows encased in a pillowcase that matches your sheets, whether they are flannel or summer cotton; feathers come from geese, which are raised on farms and are the very embodiment of "rustic." For the charmingly mismatched rustic look, buy pillowcases that complement but do not match the sheets. For example, if your sheets are brown plaid flannel, get cream-colored pillowcases with tiny brown polka dots.

Wool Blanket

• Layer a wool blanket over the comforter or top sheet if the bedroom gets cold or if you sleep with the window open in all seasons. Natural materials like cotton and wool say "rustic" much more than synthetic materials like fleece. Not only are wool blankets warm, but they also visually evoke the rough, wild days when cowboys rode the range with little more than a blanket and a campfire to get them through the cold nights. In the summer or in warm climates, you can fold the blanket and lay it on the foot of the bed or on an old rocking chair for rustic decoration.

Quilt

• Add a quilt to your bedding for the ultimate in rustic bedding comfort. Pioneer women would piece together quilts from carefully saved scraps of worn trousers and outgrown dresses. Even if you don't happen to be a quilter or have hand-me-down quilts handcrafted by your great-grandmother, you can commission a quilt or purchase a store-bought one for a dash of homespun style.