How to create your very own country kitchen
Design and decor ideas
Quintessentially English, the classic country style kitchen looks great whether you live in a cosy cottage or a modern townhouse. By ridding your room of stainless steel and flashy appliances, and incorporating homely comforts with a backdrop of stone flags and wooden beams, you’ll be well on your way to creating your very own country kitchen.
So, read on to discover what exactly a country kitchen is, how to achieve the look in your home through flooring, cabinetry and more; as well as the key things to consider.
What is a country kitchen?
Cosy yet rustic, country style kitchens provide a welcoming, homely atmosphere to whoever steps into your kitchen. Minimalism is out the window, with quaint clutter welcomed, so don’t be afraid to proudly display your pots, pans, and cutlery; and experiment with chintzy wallpaper and busy patterns.
The opposite of the industrial-style kitchen, which favours sleek, effortless design, the country kitchen is supposed to look lived-in, and that’s why so many homes across the country love it!
How to create a country kitchen
So, now you know what a country kitchen is, it’s time to start looking at how you can transform your room to fit the theme.
The great news is, there are so many ways you can decorate your kitchen – whether you want to go the whole hog and transform your entire space, or just incorporate a subtle nod to the trend.
From switching up your cabinetry and worktops, through to considering your finishing touches and colour schemes, here’s how you can create your own country style kitchen.
Sophisticated cabinetry
Pulling together any kitchen begins with choosing your cabinets; and when it comes to country kitchens, natural materials are a must. Opt for wooden cabinet doors in chalky vintage hues, such as sea foam grey, olive green, or buttermilk cream, with sturdy handles so you can easily access everything inside.
To enhance the English country style, you could opt for fluted glass doors on your top cabinets; or style open shelving with rattan baskets, vintage teapots, and galvanised milk jugs.
Island life
The beauty of a kitchen island is that it adds a feeling of grandeur in your kitchen, whilst also being extremely practical. If you’re blessed with a spacious kitchen, then adding in an island will enable you to really lean into the modern country kitchen trend.
Opt for a wooden island with oak or beech countertops; and you could even consider adding in some stools for seating space. Alternatively, if you’re kitchen’s on the smaller side, then a butcher’s block can achieve the same look and feel.
Traditional colours
Want to create a cosy country kitchen? Use warm neutrals and pastels to create a spacious, yet welcoming atmosphere.
For kitchens that lack natural light, pastel blues, greens, and pinks will help to open up your room and make it feel airy; whereas larger kitchens can experiment with chic yet practical olive green.
Don’t feel you need to stop at one colour: adding in a complementary neutral hue such as deep navy or rustic red will add extra drama to your space.
Stately home worktops
For a real stately home look, only quartz or granite worktops will do. A marbling effect will add a touch of luxury to your modern country kitchen, which can then be continued through to your splashback.
A cool white quartz worktop will set off traditional colours such as navy blue and forest green perfectly; and will act as the perfect contrast to your thick timber worktop on your kitchen island. Add in task lighting under your cabinetry to light up your worktops while you prep and cook food.
Classy finishing touches
One of our personal favourite country kitchen ideas, is enabling your finishing touches to keep the theme running. Choose hardware and faucets in glass, ceramics, and warm metallics; with stylish chrome appliances such as a hob and oven, transforming what would be a rustic feel into a modern haven.
To avoid the look veering into minimalism; incorporate rustic cup handles on your cabinets, alongside vintage chandeliers, with drying herbs and old crockery proudly on display.
Add a country kitchen sink
A staple of any country style kitchen is its sink, and you can’t go wrong with a Belfast or Butler sink, if you have the depth from your worktops.
Deep and spacious, these sinks are perfect for everything from scrubbing vegetables, to cleaning sizeable platter plates, and even washing your dog, if you need to!
Sturdy ceramic in pure white looks great against darker cabinetry; or if you have neutral units, you could opt for a modern take and install a black Belfast sink.
Wooden features
Wood is a key feature of any country kitchen, and is most easily incorporated in your cabinets and worktops. Lighter shades look better with wood kitchens, but you could go with the unexpected with the incorporation of rich mahogany or walnut in your worktops.
Alternatively, you could utilise wood in your flooring, to make your room look extra modern; or opt for wooden open shelving painted white or cream. However you choose to incorporate wood in your space, it’ll help you to nail the country look.
Lighting
When searching for your very own country kitchen lighting, you’ll be pleased to know you’ll have a few options available. Steer clear of modern lighting options, in favour of something more rustic, such as metallic or iron lace pendant lights.
If you have a kitchen island or peninsula, then hang a single pendant light over the area to draw focus to it; and if you combine it with spotlights, you can maximise the light in your room, and dim when wanted for a touch of intimacy.
What to consider when styling a country kitchen
So, now you know how to create your very own country-inspired kitchen, there are a few things you’ll need to consider first, which our expert kitchen designers can help with, if you need some inspiration getting started.
Colours, textures, and patterns all play a big part in decorating your room, as does the size of your kitchen; and the shades and features you opt for will ultimately depend on all of this. Here’s what you’ll need to consider ahead of decorating your kitchen.
Colours
When creating your own country style kitchen, you’ll first need to consider the colour. Muted palettes are the way forward, with accessories and appliances allowing for subtle pops of accent shades.
Think soft ivories and champagnes paired with duck egg blue, or aubergine. The softer base tones create a welcoming atmosphere, and are less harsh and vibrant than whiter, glossier tones.
By incorporating a key focus colour, you can easily coordinate your accessories or soft furnishings to maintain a unified scheme.
Textures
If you’re lucky enough to have exposed brickwork or wooden beams in your kitchen, then you’re already halfway there with a country kitchen! If you’re not a fan of burnt orange brickwork, then you could always whitewash it, to tie into your neutral design.
Wood is the perfect material for your worktops, as it creates a natural look, although you’ll need to be a bit more careful with hot pans on your surface. However, it’s easily maintained and non-porous, so its an ideal option for families.
Patterns
To keep your country style kitchen looking and feeling summer fresh year-round, experiment with floral patterns to brighten your room, giving it the lure of a beautiful British meadow.
Subtle pastel shades and delicate patterns are one option; or you could opt for checks instead, with tablecloths and blinds a great way to achieve this look. Alternatively, a bird pattern lends itself nicely to the look – why not install open shelving, with wallpaper peeking through, for a touch of the unexpected?
Kitchen size
Whilst the country kitchen look works in a range of sizes and spaces, your styling will depend on the space you have. A large, open-plan kitchen can handle darker colours, and the inclusion of a kitchen island, alongside a clutter of chintzy accessories.
However, if you’re working with a one-wall or galley kitchen, you’ll probably want to opt for lighter shades of cabinetry and pale wood countertops; as well as fewer accessories on display, to avoid making your kitchen look smaller and darker than it is.
So, now you’ve had a read of our country kitchen ideas, it’s time to turn your dream kitchen into a reality! Simply book an appointment to visit your nearest Wren showroom today, where our designers will help to tie the look together; or book a free home measure.
The great thing is, whether you want to completely redesign your kitchen, or just add a few key features to your space, the country look is easily achievable, and looks great in a range of kitchen sizes and styles… so there’s nothing stopping you!