Modern kitchens full of gleaming stainless steel appliances and shiny marble countertops and white-on-white-on-white décor certainly have their appeal—sleek and up-to-date with the kind of fancy appearance that usually comes along with being frustratingly difficult to clean. This kitchen style has been very popular for a long time but it is not the only trendy, fashionable type of kitchen.
The rustic kitchen is just as visually appealing, but with a more homey, comfortable aesthetic, and generally includes a color scheme a little more forgiving of a less-than-perfect cleaning regimen.
Rustic Countertops
Quartz and granite countertops can be fitted into a rustic style, but the classic rustic kitchen countertop is wood or butcher block.
Butcher block countertops are kiln-dried and pre-sanded, giving it years of warp-free use. Wood is porous, so you will need to find a food-safe sealant and seal the surface once a month, but this is true of other popular porous countertops as well and it’s not a difficult process.
Wood or butcher block counter tops are also incredibly versatile to style, depending on things like the type of wood and the grain, the stain you choose for it, and the finish you decide on. A wood countertop can fit with nearly any décor.
Rustic Appliances
There are a few routes you can go with your appliances to achieve the rustic look. The first is to use vintage (or vintage-styled) appliances. This will certainly look striking and lend an air of verisimilitude to your rustic cooking haven, but bear in mind that any vintage or antique appliance may have different requirements for care and upkeep and different functionality than you’re used to.
Another option is to use copper or brass, or another material that can give an air of rustic chic without sacrificing, well, the chic. The key to a complete rustic appearance that doesn’t strike a wrong note is not to forget the details. If, for example, you match all of your appliances to your style but your sink is still stainless steel, it may not come together like you want as well as if you remembered to look into matching vintage, copper, or brass sinks.
Rustic Cabinetry
If you’ve gone with a wooden counter top, you want to make sure that the wood you pick for your cabinetry complements the counters but does not match them. You don’t, after all, want to feel like you’re cooking your meals inside of a wooden box.
When it comes to your cabinetry, the style will say rustic more than the material. Cabinets with no doors have become increasingly popular, and if your cookware or tableware matches your decorative theme, this may be a great option to consider for some of your kitchen cabinets, and this is the style that seems the easiest to maintain and the least at risk of becoming outdated.
Some cabinet styles being billed as rustic are ornate and distinct in a way that may go out of style rather than attaining “timeless” status. Look over your options with an eye not only to the trends of the day but the overall tone of your kitchen and the longevity you hope to gain out of a big remodeling project.
Rustic Flooring
So far we’ve talked about wood a few times, but here is where we break the mold.
Stone flooring is the way to go for a truly classic rustic look in your kitchen. In terms of fitting in with whatever flavor of rustic you’ve selected for your kitchen’s appearance, there is a stone that can do the job.
Stone flooring can come in a wide array of colors. You can find off-whites and beiges to yellows and golden-browns, to reddish tones and bluish grays and even stone with green undertones. Stone flooring also varies widely in the shade, giving you lighter or darker options.
Beyond merely the tone and shade of a stone floor, you can also choose the shape. Stones can be cut into tiles or laid in more natural appearing patterns, or anything in between.
And a solid, beautiful stone floor will be the perfect backdrop for your gorgeous rustic kitchen.
Rustic Doors
There are so many options for doors and doorways in your kitchen, but it’s difficult to think of anything that will fit better or be more striking than a beautifully repurposed barn door (or a new door styled to look like a beautifully repurposed barn door).
Rustic Decorations
Let your imagination run wild! Clay jugs, hand-carved wall art, prints of pastoral scenes, simple pots overflowing with houseplants, wrought-iron detailing. Decorations are the final personal touches that will not only put the polish on your rustic kitchen, but will make it completely and uniquely yours. Let your taste and your personality shine through in your choice in decorations!
A Versatile and Classic Style
Whether you’re building a new kitchen, remodeling an old one, or touching up your current kitchen’s look, you can’t go wrong with a well-planned rustic vibe. You’ll give the space character, class, and an appearance that is unlikely to go out of style any time soon, if ever.