When designing your perfect kitchen, there are seemingly endless style options to choose from. But for those looking for warmth and coziness rather than sleek and modern finishes, a rustic kitchen can be a stylish and comfortable option. Do you love cozy cabins, welcoming farmhouse kitchens with seating for the whole family, and antique touches that bring memories flooding back? If so, read on to discover our best tips for creating the rustic kitchen design that best suits your home and lifestyle.
What Is a Rustic Kitchen?
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Rustic kitchen designs cover a vast range and draw from a variety of sources. This includes everything from wood-paneled mountain cabins to suburban homes with nostalgic farmhouse touches. “Rustic” can mean different things to different people; however, there are certain elements that are consistent throughout the design style.
The first element is wood and lots of it. The colors and textures of wood furniture and finishes can create a feeling of warmth and comfort–whether it is used to create a log cabin look with fully paneled walls or as a subtle accent in the form of floating wooden shelves. Wooden floors and exposed ceiling beams can also go a long way toward creating a rustic look. The most important wooden accent of all is, of course, the iconic farmhouse table.
Rustic designs also tend to feature colors on the warmer end of the scale to encourage feelings of comfort and coziness. In many designs, you’ll see a lot of reds, yellows, and earth tones. These can be incorporated into floor rugs, table settings, curtains, flower arrangements, cookware, cushions, or towels. For fabric used throughout the space, floral prints or checkered styles can add to the rustic feel.
Rustic Elements of Design
Rustic kitchens are essentially the antithesis of contemporary designs. While modern kitchens might have sleek, new-age coffee makers, a rustic kitchen would be more likely to have an antique coffee grinder proudly displayed on an open shelf. Vintage pieces and design theories play a huge role in creating a rustic look.
These designs are all about nostalgia, whether it’s for an era in your own family’s history or an admiration of the old-fashioned farming lifestyle. If you don’t already have family heirlooms for your kitchen, it’s easy enough to wander down to your local antique store to pick up some interesting pieces. If you go out searching for vintage kitchen items, you may be surprised how many can still be functional for modern cooking methods.
At the end of the day, there is no one true definition of “rustic” design. It’s about the overall essence and the idea of creating a space that feels warm, inviting, and functional, with a touch of nostalgia. Rustic design can be used throughout a home, but the kitchen is truly the perfect place to give it a try. The kitchen has traditionally been the heart of the home for decades and is often the easiest place to begin.
What Are the Benefits of Rustic Kitchen Designs?
When we think about the benefits and uses of modern-day kitchens, the main idea that comes to mind is simply cooking meals to feed our families or entertain our friends. While it’s true that the average kitchen serves a primarily practical purpose, a rustic design can also provide a place for the family to come together. Traditionally, farmhouse kitchens were designed around a stove and range which provided warmth in the winter months. A large table was usually placed near the heat source and became the gathering point for meals and socializing.
Rustic kitchen designs also provide many opportunities for personal expression. One common feature of rustic kitchens is open storage. For example, larders and butler’s pantries can be open or have glass panels. Another popular trend is to have copper or cast-iron pots hanging above a stove or range top. If you have unique or interesting-looking cookware, you’ll have the chance to show it off and incorporate it into your overall design.
No Rules Design
Of course, there is one overall perk of having a rustic kitchen design–nothing has to be perfect. In contemporary spaces, things that are imperfect or slightly messy stand out right away. But in rustic kitchens, the same messiness or imperfect color matching just looks homey and adds to the overall charm of the design. There is no pressure to look a certain way, just the freedom to create a room that fits your life.
Some Top Rustic Kitchen Design Elements to Consider
Although there are many design elements that you can utilize to create your rustic kitchen, we’ve chosen five key features that can create a rustic look even in the most modern of homes. They’re the essential building blocks; and though you don’t need to incorporate all five into your design, selecting the items that will work for your space will get you well on your way to creating a classic rustic look.
Farmhouse Table
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This is easily one of the most important features of any rustic kitchen. As mentioned earlier, the kitchen has traditionally been a gathering place in American homes. In the past, the kitchen was where the best, and sometimes only, source of heat was in the home. The kitchen table was often the center point of the room.
When looking for a farmhouse-style table for your own home, there are some important things to consider. The first is the size. Do you have a large space that can accommodate a table that can seat twelve? Or are you in an apartment that can only handle a small table? The more classic look is a long table that can seat a large family, but any length can be used. The key element to look for is a wooden surface that is roughly hewn, has a natural finish, or features raw-looking edges. Avoid wood that looks too “perfect.”
To complement the farmhouse table, seating options can include matching wooden chairs, a mixture of chair styles for an even more rustic feel, or long wooden benches that run the length of the table.
Butler or Apron-Style Sink
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Farmhouse sinks (also known as butler or apron-style sinks) are a trendy way to add a bit of rustic elegance to your kitchen. They’re a classic style that has been making a comeback recently, and their simple design makes them extremely versatile. Farmhouse sinks consist of a square bowl with rounded corners, which projects slightly past the edge of the counter. They most commonly come in white or cream porcelain or ceramic, but can be found in more eye-catching materials like hammered copper.
Farmhouse sinks also provide a lot of functionality. They tend to be large and deep, so when you have your whole family over for dinner, you can wash up afterward with ease.
Wooden Storage Area: Dresser, Butler’s Pantry, or Larder
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Storage is another common way to incorporate wood into a rustic kitchen design. Many older homes have features like butler’s pantries, larders, or dressers, which were used to store and often display serving items. If you’re lucky enough to live in a home from the early 20th century, you may already have something like this. If you don’t, you always have the option of building storage space into your existing plan. For those who are looking for a more subtle or modern storage option that still incorporates the use of wood, you could try floating shelves made of wood planks.
Range Stovetop
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An absolute must for any rustic kitchen is a range stovetop. After all, nothing says “rustic” less than a modern glass panel cooktop. However, if your living situation calls for an electric stove, a heated coil system usually fits into the theme a little better. The choice of cooktop doesn’t necessarily need to be an antique wood-burning stove, but cooking with an open flame will add so much more of a rustic, farmhouse element than cooking with electric heat.
Rustic Kitchen Accessories
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The final key element of a rustic kitchen design is the accessories. These are the little things that can make or break an overall design; but with a rustic design plan, there is a lot of freedom for creativity. The main thing to remember is to keep things feeling cozy. An easy way to do that is by sticking to warmer earth tones, keeping prints natural or vintage-inspired, and layering different textures. Think checkered tablecloths, fur rugs, natural wood stains for furniture and cabinets, and copper pots hung above the stove.
Conclusion
Rustic kitchens are classic, convey a feeling of comfort, and give guests the sense that they are welcome. They’re functional as well as visually charming, which has cemented their appeal throughout the ages.
While there may be many ways to style a rustic, farmhouse-style kitchen, we’ve provided five of the most important design building blocks above. By using these tips, anyone can transform their space from modern to farmhouse-chic, or simply add rustic touches to make their kitchen feel more like a home. This design style offers homeowners the opportunity to put their personal spin on the style and truly make it their own.
