Country Kitchen Decor Is Homey, but Never Old Fashioned

The Kitchen Master

Country kitchens have a feeling of home and comfort that is always appealing. Sometimes termed farmhouse style or cottage kitchens, the warmth stems from a feeling rather than a temperature, and they recall pleasant family gatherings, holiday dinners, the great scents of a simmering stew or a freshly baked pie, laughter and congeniality.

Country Kitchen Decorating Ideas

If you want to achieve a peaceful, country aura for your planned kitchen remodel, it’s entirely possible, and doesn’t involve much more than a bit of ingenuity and a willingness to combine time-honored traditions with modern function. It’s often the unexpected elements that come together to make a unique statement. The country kitchen design concept focuses on “feelings” rather than formulas.

Some of those elements include:

• Personal collections — Put your favorite things on display, but don’t overdo the clutter.
• Use open shelves or glass-door cabinets to show off pretty dishes and serving pieces.
• Serene, neutral palettes punctuated with natural materials speak of a slower time. Add wood accents, baskets, homespun curtains or antique kitchen implements. Display your wooden spoons. Store coffee in plain sight in an antique canning jar.
• Add a farm sink and a weathered-brass or patinated copper faucet.
• Use mismatched and freestanding cabinets, or vary the finish of perimeter and island cabinets.
• Think about the appeal of old baking cabinets, vintage stools and ceiling racks for cookware.
• Install stone or wood floors, tile backsplashes, well-used marble or imperfect granite counters. Find a freestanding butcher block!
• Shop for simple pendant lighting, maybe with metal shades.
• Opt for exposed brick walls; wainscoting; beamed or paneled ceilings.
• Include French doors and divided light windows, or add a Dutch door.
• Repurpose furniture and accessories for new uses.

Country Style Kitchen Decor Is Unique

There are many ways to achieve the comfortable ambience and cozy feeling of a country kitchen, and that doesn’t mean that you have to embrace gingham curtains and retro appliances. Modern fully-integrated refrigerators and dishwashers accept cabinet panels to disguise their function. Placing ovens and microwaves at counter level or below will lessen the modern impact. Ranges and cooktops with gas burners are perfectly at home in a country setting but, if you prefer the look of pro-style appliances, go ahead and use them; simply complement their efficient personalities with some nods to yesteryear.

Keep kitchen towels, potholders and mitts, even placemats and napkins in plain sight, stowed in wire baskets or wooden crates.