Each region of the country has its own variants of Rustic Style, from bent-cypress settees of the Deep South, to fine hickory pieces originating in Indiana, to steerhide-covered lodgepole pine armchairs of the West.

But not all of it is antique. As author Ralph Kylloe reveals in this, his sixth book on the subject, dozens of first-rate contemporary makers, including Doug Tedrow, Lestor Santos, Peter Winter, and Barney and Susan Bellinger, are crafting a wide variety of rustic household furnishings - from beds and armoires to dining room sets, from easy chairs, desks, and storage chests to all manner of other comfortable, durable household objects that offer a distinct flavor of the outdoors.

In addition to wood, of course, many other natural materials are used: rattan, rush, or leather thongs may be crafted to weave seat backs and bottoms; antlers that are seasonally shed by animals such as elk and deer find use as table legs, arms of chandeliers, and other delicate linear forms; birch and other bark may be found covering the flat surfaces of chests, headboards, and desks; even tiny lengths of twigs may become mosaic patterns on all sorts of wooden furniture.

Here are ideas for the home-owner, decorator, architect, and collector.