If you’ve ever dreamed of living a slower pace of life on a country farm somewhere, you probably also love the farmhouse decor trend. It’s everything that’s good about the rustic lifestyle — shiplap walls, distressed wood, industrial lighting, farmhouse sinks, wood beams, copper pans, big farmhouse tables, the list goes on. It’s no surprise that it’s a hot trend that also is completely timeless.
But one of the best parts about farmhouse decor is you don’t have to live out in the country on an actual farm to enjoy the look. You can easily incorporate farmhouse style decor ideas in your kitchen, even if the rest of your home isn’t farmhouse style. It’s affordable, accessible, and great for small spaces. Here are some great farmhouse kitchen ideas that’ll get you excited to try the trend in your own cookspace.
1. Wall paneling is a signature farmhouse kitchen accent.
Without the shiplap panels decorating the kitchen peninsula, this cottage in the Bahamas would be simple and somewhat boring. The shiplap panels add texture and give it the classic farmhouse kitchen vibe.
2. The best farmhouse kitchen ideas are simple.
Just glancing at this rustic kitchen in this Hawaii home transports you back to a simpler time. Instead of lower cabinets, the homeowners covered lower kitchen shelves with fabric curtains that add to the vintage charm.
3. Rustic furniture is key in a farmhouse kitchen.
In this Buenos Aires home, the wooden kitchen island is sturdy and full of charm. If you want to make your farmhouse kitchen look a little more rustic, head over to your local antique store (or a few) and find a tall wooden table, like the one shown above, to use as your kitchen island.
4. Farmhouse kitchens mix materials.
Wood is essential for achieving that rustic farmhouse kitchen look, but brick and stone also help. As seen in this Philadelphia home, the wood cabinets work well with the marble countertops and red brick architectural element.
5. Farmhouse kitchens don’t have to be boring.
Farmhouse kitchens are often characterized by white cabinets and wood countertops. While that look is simple and timeless, it’s not the only way to achieve the look. In the eclectic farmhouse kitchen in this small Buenos Aires house, the owners took a different approach to design their farmhouse kitchen by adding lots of color and nostalgic decor. To enhance the farmhouse look, they incorporated lots of wood and an apron sink.
6. Black appliances look chic in any farmhouse kitchen.
Some of Chip and Jo’s most famous kitchen renovations feature black appliances like kitchen faucets along with knobs and handles. When combined with white cabinetry, countertops or backsplashes, they lend a clean farmhouse vibe.
7. Open shelving is a popular farmhouse kitchen element.
We love the open shelving trend, which goes hand-in-hand with today’s popular minimalism movement (admittedly a difficult thing to do in a kitchen). The open shelves in this kitchen expertly cop that farmhouse kitchen look.
8. A farmhouse chic color for the cabinetry adds to the aesthetic.
Sometimes, all it takes to turn a basic kitchen into a farmhouse kitchen is the right color. Take a cue from this beautiful UK kitchen.
9. Farmhouse style design is inherently simple and timeless.
This home in rural England is a beautiful, dreamy farmhouse, and the kitchen shows off the signature simplicity of this style. Colors are muted, materials are honest, light is abundant, and function is prized. The wood beams in this kitchen add a sprinkle of “rustic” to this room, too.
10. Farmhouse style can be elegant and classic.
The rustic white farmhouse kitchen in this cozy, “Southern eclectic” Nashville home is another great example of how simple farmhouse style can be elegant, classic, and feel complementary to the existing architecture of a home. Though there are definite “rustic farmhouse” elements — the rough wood, the old enamel bowls, and more — it’s also neutral enough that it won’t look dated in a few years.
11. White backsplash tiles are a great choice.
Two common and easy-to-incorporate farmhouse kitchen backsplash ideas can be found in this creative Berlin apartment. On the left side of this galley kitchen is a plain, no tile wall to accompany a farmhouse look. On the right, white backsplash tiles. Both are a simple and affordable design choice that won’t age quickly.
12. Modern and unfussy cabinetry can complement farmhouse style.
This farmhouse-style room in a renovated Barcelona apartment also just happens to be a straightforward white kitchen. Modern, unfussy cabinetry and sleek appliances seamlessly blend with the natural wood elements, the industrial lighting, and the country-cute Mason jar storage.
13. You can incorporate farmhouse kitchen ideas on a budget.
As mentioned above, rustic farmhouse style is all about embracing a simple, relaxed look, which is great for those on a budget. The rest of this rental apartment is Scandinavian-inspired, but the small kitchen exhibits a few ways in which someone can enjoy a farmhouse look on a budget: Installing beadboard on a wall, incorporating some greenery and simple pottery, and adding in a rustic wood object.
14. You can thrift rustic farmhouse items to get the look.
I love how this Illinois house embraces farmhouse decor in an affordable way. Can you spot the elements that give this kitchen a slightly rustic look? Lots of light, lots of white, and a cute collection of pitchers — the kind of thing you could pick up cheaply at a thrift store — all give the room a farmhouse vibe.
15. Butcher block countertops are simple, chic, and can be affordable.
This home in South Africa has a kitchen that shows farmhouse style is attainable on a budget (well, minus the expensive stove!). Vintage yellow pottery lends pops of color to clean white open shelving and a standard white tile backsplash.
Simple butcher block countertops bring in a woodsy element. The drawer handles could easily be found for a good price at your local hardware store. Even the minimalist bare-bulb hanging light fixtures could be DIYed.
16. Wood cutting boards are a shortcut to a charming rustic look.
Rustic kitchen decor like wooden cutting boards never goes out of style, and these cutting boards evoke a French countryside and European farmhouse look. As seen in the Swiss kitchen, rustic wood cutting boards incorporated into the room’s decor are both visually powerful and functional.
17. Farmhouse kitchen lighting goes with most anything.
Lighting fixtures that are typical of rustic or farmhouse style kitchens tend to be industrial in shape and material — think of the kind of straightforward lighting you might see in someone’s barn or factory, like the industrial-style pendant lights seen in this new traditional farmhouse home. Because there’s such an emphasis on the fixture’s functionality, you don’t have to worry about elements and details that will go out of style.
18. Farmhouse style focuses on functionality.
Though there are certain visual design aesthetics that hint at a rustic farmhouse kitchen style — white, light, wood, copper — one of the biggest tenets of the design style is the fact that it focuses on functionality. Like the industrial farmhouse kitchen decor spotted in this Spanish home, farmhouse style can’t really go out of style because a good kitchen that functions well is always en vogue.
19. Keeping tools within reach creates an incredibly functional kitchen.
If you have any crumbly brick in your kitchen, you’ve got a great basis for a rustic farmhouse style kitchen. But other elements like wood countertops and simple tile backsplashes work well with this look. And if you can’t or don’t want to do anything permanent to your home or rental, consider incorporating other rustic farmhouse style elements. In this Brooklyn kitchen, copper pans and pots and red buffalo plaid cafe curtains add not only to the ambiance of the kitchen, but also its functionality; pots and other kitchen tools are easily within reach.
20. Functional, easy-to-use design is always a classic.
From simple metal hardware that stands the test of time to open shelving where everything is easy to see and access, the working farmhouses of yesteryear needed to be durable… just like kitchens today. You won’t find delicate materials in a farmhouse style home, but you will likely see cooking tools out in view on open shelves or hanging on the walls. And while the argument could be said that someday the open shelving trend will be passe, like the kitchen above shows, good, functional, easy-to-use design is always a classic.
21. Dark grays, blues, and black can ground a farmhouse kitchen.
White — something easy to incorporate whether you rent or own your home — goes with just about anything, and can immediately evoke the feelings of a fresh country farm kitchen. But dark colors like deep grays, navy blues, and even black can help ground a kitchen’s color composition, as seen in this Louisiana farmhouse’s kitchen.
22. Nature-inspired colors work well with farmhouse decor.
Since farmhouse style design really relies on the earthy, rustic elements of wood, adding in colors found in nature to a prominently white kitchen can evoke the look. And since nature can never go out of style, it’s a color palette sure to stand the test of time. You can see this theory applied in the kitchen of this Charleston house.
23. If you crave color for your farmhouse decor, consider red.
It’s true, many of the kitchens described as rustic farmhouse often feature a lot of white, or muted colors, or soft colors from nature. But that doesn’t mean you can’t go bold with hue! Like the California farmhouse’s kitchen above, red is always a good idea… and has been a popular color for interiors for hundreds of years.
24. Warm wood will always be in style.
Wood is one of the most ubiquitous, warmest materials that we build our homes out of. And while you can absolutely have a rustic farmhouse kitchen without a ton of wood, its presence immediately lends itself to the look. In the Buenos Aires house’s kitchen above, wood is on the wall, the furniture is made of wood, and the cabinetry is made of wood as well. This kitchen would work in any decade.
25. Embrace wood and keep functional kitchen tools within reach.
Looking for rustic cabin kitchen ideas that will always be in style? Again, it’s all about embracing wood, keeping functional kitchen tools within reach, and prizing well-made products that will last, like in the cute coastal cottage above.
26. You don’t have to use dark finishes to incorporate rustic wood.
You don’t have to incorporate dark wood in your kitchen to give it rustic farmhouse vibes. As this Canadian home shows, a white-washed wood island that doubles as dining space added an instant sprinkle of rustic to the entire room.
27. Shiplap is a solid design investment.
It’s true, thanks to Chip and Jo, shiplap walls are a hot kitchen trend. But just because it’s popular again today doesn’t mean it will be out of style tomorrow. Again, wood is a material that will always be in style, so wrapping your walls with it is a solid design investment you can be proud of. Painting it white, like this Michigan kitchen/dining room, tones down the woodsy-ness of it while also embracing the light and fresh feeling of a farmhouse style room.
28. Choosing well-made furniture is always timeless.
This rustic farmhouse dining room and kitchen is covered in wood, yet doesn’t feel cluttered or claustrophobic. That’s thanks to lots of light and walls coated in white paint. But what makes the farmhouse kitchen above so timeless is its dedication to well-made goods. A sturdy table, chairs, and cabinetry will always look good and last for years, too.
29. Farmhouse sinks are functional and beautiful.
Apron-front farmhouse sinks — with tall sides, durable materials, and visually strong apron front — are often associated with farmhouse kitchens, and they’re one of the few elements that can immediately give a farmhouse vibe. But because they’re equally functional and beautiful, you can feel secure in the money you’d spend installing one; they go incredibly well with all home styles. The kitchen above is from a simple and chic Austin house.
30. Farmhouse sinks are inherently timeless.
I’m including the kitchen above, located in this Queenslander-style home in the country town of Dayboro, for the confluence of subtle design elements that all lend itself to a modern yet rustic farmhouse kitchen style. The farmhouse sink gives the style away immediately, but combined with lots of light, white, rough wood, and beadboard, it’s a beautiful example of how to get the look.
