There are many ways to decorate your kitchen, and one of those is with a rustic theme. While rustic can sometimes be a polite way of saying old or rundown, having a rustic kitchen in this day and age means a bit of country life with all the modern fixings. Here are four design elements of a rustic kitchen.
1. Natural Elements
One of the biggest design elements of a rustic kitchen is to bring the outdoors in. Start with big items like wooden beams across the ceiling or even natural stone work on the walls. These pieces can quickly take over the room, so be sure to pick one major design element. Too many and your kitchen can feel too chaotic.
2. Open shelves
It can take a fair bit of organization to achieve an open shelf look. While it’s tempting to have cupboard doors to mask the clutter, open shelves add to the rustic charm. It’s important to first organize everything that will be on display. Otherwise, your kitchen will quickly take on a cluttered feel to it.
Find china that looks nice to be displayed. If you’re not sure about a specific pattern that will match your rustic theme, you can’t go wrong with classic white. Find pieces of pottery or a china set that you want to display and be sure to include these on your shelves.
Open shelves can also hold dry ingredients and spices. Be sure to put them in matching jars for a unified theme. Mason jars are a great way of adding rustic kitchen design elements and can be found inexpensively at most thrift stores.
3. Built-in furniture
Having a bench on to it on at the dinner table is quintessential rustic charm. While you can be a bit more modern and have the bench freestanding, you can also have one built in for the kitchen area. Choose a long bench down one side of the table. If your table is in a corner, you can opt for bench seating against the two corner walls. Then, place a round table and have chairs on the other side. No matter the configuration, a bench will help the kitchen feel warm and comfortable, which are important elements of a rustic kitchen.
4. Add a Fireplace
Ok, adding a fireplace to a kitchen is obviously not going to happen for most kitchens, but it is such a lovely idea to have. A fireplace is above the stove is a true showstopper of a feature and having the ability to create homemade pizzas will wow over any crowd. If you’re like the average person who can’t quite swing this, see if you can have a fireplace in the living room next to the kitchen. Most design themes work best if they can be used throughout the home. If you have an open-layout home, be sure to carry your kitchen theme into your living room theme.