25 Farmhouse Kitchen Ideas That Are Undeniably Charming
When you think of the “heart of the home,” the space that comes to mind is likely of the idyllic farmhouse kitchen variety (think classic wood floors, lovely painted cabinets and paneled walls, a verdant view, and, of course, exposed ceiling beams). Cozy design details like these make for a warm, welcoming space where you—and your guests—can spend endless hours. Read on to see kitchens from AD–featured homes that feature a variety of charming farmhouse-style accents to great effect. But be warned: If you don’t live there already, you will quickly begin debating a move to the country (or at least a rustic revamp of your city apartment).
What makes a kitchen a farmhouse kitchen?
Generally farmhouse kitchens employ more wood than typical kitchens. Think natural wood beams on the ceiling (whether original to the building or not), shiplap wall paneling, reclaimed wood tables as islands (rather than marble or stone ones), along with other wood accents. Farmhouse-style kitchen decor is also usually sprinkled in, in the form of rustic vases, decorative antique milk cans, and unfussy linens. Overall, farmhouse style tends to put functionality first, but without sacrificing personality.
What kind of countertops are farmhouse style?
Plenty of different countertop types can blend right into farmhouse style, but wood countertops seem to be the most popular among farmhouse kitchens. Dark wood is particularly great in that any scuffs or stains are less obvious, but light wood is a wonderful choice if you’re hoping for a space that’s bright and airy. If you do go for stone countertop, try a neutral tone rather than a dramatic and bright marble.
What is the difference between farmhouse and country decor?
Where country decor skews shabby chic, farmhouse kitchen decor is merely unfussy. Instead of intentionally distressed accents, farmhouse details tend to be deliberately utilitarian, but still cutesy, in a midcentury homestead way. Especially in the age of modern farmhouse mania, farmhouse decor is thought to be much less in your face than country decor, the latter of which often involves kitschy plaques and retro trinkets.
Photo: Gieves Anderson1/25The showstopper of this Pennsylvania home’s kitchen design is undoubtedly its original rustic farmhouse sink. Architect Megan Prime chose to slightly relocate it to place the fridge in a spot where it wouldn’t be so in the way. “Because it’s more or less an unfitted kitchen, we wanted to build in some storage,” Megan told AD for a story on the entire home’s design. “Typically these sinks have a skirted fabric base to them or no base at all, so we had a local millworker add this simple cabinetry.”
Photo: Chris Mottalini2/25For the renovation of an 18th-century New York farmhouse, AD100 architect Elizabeth Roberts worked at making the grand property more livable for the 21st century. The kitchen went from low-ceilinged and dark to sun-drenched and spacious, employing painted white bricks that speak to the home’s farmhouse appeal. An old farmhouse table appears instead of a typical marble kitchen island and feels more harmonious with the aged structure.
Photo: Stacy Zarin Goldberg; Styling: Kristi Hunter3/25When one Washington, DC, homeowner decided to trade city living for life on a 100-acre farm, they picked up and moved, but they still wanted a space that reflected their colorful tastes. Working with Cameron Ruppert Interiors, architect Suzie O’Brien and Jeffco Development, they created a space that honored the original structure and their own tastes. In the kitchen specifically this meant holding onto the existing range hood, tilework, and cabinets, the last of which they fashioned into a focal point by repainting them in Benjamin Moore’s Peale Green.
Photo: Michael Muller4/25At Jared and Genevieve Padalecki’s modern farmhouse style home in Austin, Texas, the kitchen opens wide onto the large living room. Naturally, then, the kitchen was kept simple to not distract from the colorful and no doubt typically activity-filled lounge space. Pots and pans are easily accessible from their hanging rack and double as decoration in the white kitchen. Rather than a huge pendant light dominating the space, sconces line one wall and smaller spotlight-like fixtures dot the ceiling between exposed beams.
Matthew Williams5/25There’s a soothing quality to this General Assembly–designed farmhouse kitchen, largely owing to the custom cream concrete from which the countertop, backsplash, and floating shelf were crafted. Though sometimes an absence of upper cabinets can lead to a lack of good storage options, the abundance of lower white cabinets and storage in the island make this lack a plus. The island’s contrasting black color calls to the black duct that’s nestled alongside the ceiling beams and the marble top offers an additional work surface.
Photo: Max Burkhalter6/25When celebrity stylist Leslie Fremar bought her 18th-century farmhouse, it was in desperate need of rehabilitation. And rehabilitate she did, with the help of architectural designer Oliver Freundlich. The kitchen underwent a full remodel and was left with a new subway tile backsplash and off white cabinetry, but it was important to keep the aged charm that she fell for in the first place intact. Instead of a marble-topped island, Fremar sourced a vintage table and stools, along with adding vintage home decor pieces throughout the space.
Photo: Björn Wallander7/25This modern farmhouse-style kitchen was imagined as the heart of the home for a family that loves to cook and grows their own food. Architect and interior designer Niels Schoenfelder patented his ingenious island design that incorporates built-in drawers, shelves, a traditional AGA stove, a butcher block top, and a bar for guests to cozy up to while the homeowners cook.
Photo: Meghan Marin8/25Painted kitchen cabinets, copper cookware displayed over a fireplace, and copper pendant lights to match—there are so many modern farmhouse kitchen ideas to admire in celebrity hairstylist Harry Josh’s space. Rather than a tile backsplash, shiplap painted the same color as the cabinets is employed, with a special short shelf for Josh’s sizeable spice collection.
Photo: André Jones; Styling: Leila Nichols9/25While this Fritz Haeg and Jeremy Schipper–designed California home isn’t a farmhouse, its kitchen has a decidedly farmhouse bent. The space doubles as a dining room, with a large table in place of a kitchen island, surrounded by charmingly mismatched wood dining chairs. Both the cast iron sink and the windows are architectural salvage.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn10/25At a retreat in the Adirondacks, the kitchen cabinetry, designed by decorator Thom Filicia and architecture firm Shope Reno Wharton, is painted in a Farrow & Ball white. The hood is by Wolf, the backsplash tile is by Urban Archaeology, the sink fittings are by Waterworks, and the barstools are by Marsia Holzer Studio. The wing chair, from Lillian August, and the Thom Filicia Home Collection sofa are upholstered in Perennials fabrics, and the rug is by Stark.
Photo: Oberto Gili11/25In Sir Evelyn and Lady de Rothschild’s Martha’s Vineyard getaway, the kitchen’s pot rack is from Ann-Morris, the reclaimed-oak open shelves feature brackets by Rocky Mountain Hardware, and the backsplash tile and farmhouse sink are by Waterworks; a Ralph Lauren Paint white was used on the Rivkin/Weisman–designed cabinetry, and the antique granite flooring is from Exquisite Surfaces.
Photo: Nikolas Koenig12/25Large windows overlook the pasture in this Martha’s Vineyard kitchen by architect Mark Hutker, which includes a La Cornue range and granite counters.
Photo: Oberto Gili13/25The boldly patterned Aguayo tiles in the kitchen of a Dominican Republic estate designed by Genevieve Faure were locally sourced. The range is by BlueStar.
Photo: Richard Mandelkorn14/25Rustic meets modern in designer Ellen Denisevich-Grickis’s Rhode Island home, which features a Murano-glass chandelier hanging above a vibrant Shaker-style island.
Photo: Scott Frances15/25This streamlined upstate New York kitchen designed by Thad Hayes includes a circa-1910 iron chandelier.
Photo: Eric Piasecki16/25Barstools by Mulligan’s add a homey element to this kitchen in Dutchess County, New York, by Gil Schafer, who also designed the cabinetry.
Photo: Eric Piasecki17/25In a Hamptons house designed by Steven Gambrel, the kitchen is appointed with a RangeCraft hood, a Lacanche range, Waterworks sink fittings, and cabinet hardware by Sun Valley Bronze; the vintage lanterns are from Olde Good Things, and the chairs are by TK Collections.
Photo: Giancarlo Gardin18/25Fulvio Di Rosa restored the ceilings and designed the cabinets at this home in Borgo di Vagli, a tiny village in Tuscany.
Photo: Joshua McHugh19/25Jewelry designer Elizabeth Locke’s Virginia kitchen, which was decorated by Jean Perin, features vintage Italian lanterns, Roman shades of a Bennison linen, and a Wolf range.
Photo: Björn Wallander20/25Bespoke cabinetry offers abundant storage in the kitchen of a Greenville, South Carolina, house decorated by Barbara Westbrook of Westbrook Interiors.
Photo: Bilyana Dimitrova21/25The kitchen and dining area of Dean Marchetto’s upstate New York farmhouse juxtaposes Arts and Crafts with modern furnishings.
Photo: Erhard Pfeiffer22/25The island in architect Howard J. Backen’s sunny Napa Valley, California, kitchen doubles as a work space and a gathering spot.
Photo: Oberto Gili23/25Counters of reclaimed mahogany top pine cabinetry in the kitchen of writer Amanda Brooks’s Oxfordshire, England, country home. The range is by Lacanche, and the brass sink fittings are by Barber Wilsons & Co.
Photo: Derry Moore24/25The unfussy kitchen inside Angela Lansbury’s farmhouse on the southeast coast of Ireland features a long table so that meals can be prepared and eaten in the same room.
Photo: Tony Soluri25/25Mark Manardo and Barbara Balow designed this Michigan kitchen to look like a communal Shaker kitchen.
