60 Best Rustic Kitchen Ideas

There’s something undeniably comforting and charming about rustic kitchens. They inspire feelings of warmth and family and harken back to a simpler time when families gathered together around a glowing wood-burning stove and not the mind-numbing idiot box.  

You don’t have to purchase a log cabin in the woods to achieve your dream of having a homely kitchen. The best rustic kitchen ideas incorporate rustic elements into a kitchen that you can achieve with a soothing mix of modern functionality and farmhouse style. 

These rustic kitchen design ideas will inspire you to give your kitchen a modern farmhouse makeover. 

1. Natural and Distinctive Countertops

When choosing a countertop material for your rustic kitchen, you want to stick with something natural. This helps bring nature into your home. You could use wood, marble, or granite countertops. Granite and marble will give your kitchen a more upscale feel, which can help your kitchen blend with the rest of your home and keep your kitchen from looking too rustic. 

When choosing the stone for your kitchen, look for one with prominent coloring. This natural design will add detail and interest to your kitchen. You can use marble and granite to create both white and black countertops. 

Another option is to choose a wood countertop. There are three styles to consider: rough hewn, butcher block, and reclaimed wood. Using wood as your countertop will bring warmth into your kitchen and prominently display the beauty of the wood. 

Choose a wood that’s durable and strong so that it will withstand the abuse of daily use. Bamboo is popular right now because it’s durable and easy to obtain. Other popular wood choices are black walnut, mesquite, maple, and cherry.

Wood with a rough hewn edge brings the raw beauty of nature into your home. It also adds a unique detail to your kitchen as no other counter will have that exact edge. Butcher block adds strength to your wood countertop while also staying on-trend.

2. Vintage or Modern Appliances

Stainless steel appliances can add the right amount of modernity to your rustic kitchen. Modern appliances will help keep your kitchen from looking too rustic and outdated. They’ll also have recent technology like Wi-Fi connectivity and energy efficiency. 

Modern steel appliances will also keep your kitchen on trend. If you go to sell your home, stainless steel appliances will be a desirable selling point. 

To keep your kitchen looking cohesive, have all of the appliances match with the same finish. If you’re afraid of your appliances looking too modern, then you could choose pieces that have a vintage feel to them. For example, instead of choosing a sleek stove, choose a gas one with large knobs. 

There are several vintage-styled appliances on the market, especially fridges and stoves. If you choose one of these overly stylized pieces, be sure it has the functionality you need. You don’t want to choose style over function for your kitchen.

3. Rustic Storage Solutions

You can’t go wrong with wooden cabinets when creating a rustic style in your kitchen. If committing to all wooden cabinetry seems like too much wood grain, then you can use wood on the island cabinets and then paint a color on the rest of them. A third option is to skip the wood completely and have white or light grey cabinets. 

If you choose wood cabinets, you can balance the rustic aesthetic of the wood with modern kitchen trends by using a slab style for the cabinet doors and drawer fronts. For a less modern look, try shaker-style cabinet fronts. This keeps the styling clean while also embracing the rustic look. Another option is to embrace the rustic country look with open shelves or custom cabinetry. If open shelves are too much for your taste, then try a happy balance. 

Make sure to complete the vintage look of your cabinets by choosing the right hardware. Wrought iron cabinet hardware completes the look for your cabinets and drawers. Create a cabinet door with an outer frame, then stretch chicken wire over the open center of the door. This lets you see through the door with the illusion of open cabinetry but still some privacy with the chicken wire doors. 

When designing your cabinets, don’t forget about your appliances. Create matching fronts and hide them behind a false cabinet door. This will make for a cohesive look throughout your rustic kitchen by hiding the look of your modern appliances.

4. Kitchen Table Inspiration

Instead of having a formal dining room that you eat in, consider placing a kitchen table somewhere just outside or inside the kitchen. This creates a casual place for you to eat meals with the family. 

A classic farmhouse table will be made of wood. The wood will either be reclaimed with iron hardware, or it will be polished smooth with carved legs and plenty of details. 

Choose a table that will fit the space you have available. This could be anything from a square table that seats four to a long rectangle that seats six or eight. 

Another option is to create a breakfast nook. If you have large bay or picture windows, then you can build a bench below them. This will make up the seat for one or two sides of the breakfast table. Then place chairs on the other side. 

When choosing the chairs for your table, think about what would fit a farmhouse style. They could be made entirely of wood or use other materials like wicker or wrought iron.

5. Grounded Flooring Choices

Tile and wood are the two best options for your vintage kitchen floor. Both materials are incredibly durable and come in a wide variety of color options. When choosing which floor is right for your kitchen, think about the amount of wood already in your kitchen and how rustic you’d like your kitchen to look. 

Kitchens that already have wooden ceilings and cabinets mean that adding a hard or softwood floor will surround you with wood. This will make your kitchen look very rustic. To better balance your rustic kitchen with modern trends, choose tile instead. 

If you have colored cabinets, then wood flooring can be the perfect rustic touch to your kitchen. You can create a stunning effect by choosing a wooden floor that’s made from reclaimed or distressed wood. This lets you recycle and reuse while also creating a beautiful country cottage effect.

For kitchens that will look better with tile flooring, stick with more traditional-looking tiles. Natural stone is a great option. These tiles are a bit uneven and each piece will have its own personality and charm. Try to pick a larger tile with fewer grout lines. This will keep the focus on the stone.

6. Cozy and Inviting Decor

Once your kitchen is done, it’s time to add the finishing touches. Rustic kitchen decor will complete the farmhouse look. Try to bring nature inside with green plants and natural wood grain. 

Start by choosing the right vase or container to hold your greenery. Wood, clay, porcelain, or iron are all great options for your bowl or vase. Glass is also a good choice if you’re looking to balance modern and rustic. 

Fill your container with things like stalks of barley, wheat, or other grains. Use herbs or other greenery. Seasonal fruit or vegetables in a bowl is always a nice touch. Consider adding other touches throughout the kitchen like a vintage wall clock, steer skull, grain wreath, or antique baskets. 

Look for kitchen features that you can highlight. Natural stone or brick walls are a perfect accent piece. Choose a wall that will work well as an accent wall. You could also create a centerpiece around your stove instead of a tile backsplash.  

Consider creating a mock fireplace where instead of the fire, you have your stove. This will also give you a creative way to hide the range hood. Build the stones or brick out to extend up to the ceiling the same way a fireplace design would. 

This is one of those kitchen features that are commonly seen in custom kitchens. This takes your rustic kitchen and makes it feel more upscale while still feeling homey and comfortable.

7. Classic Farmhouse Style Apron Sinks

No rustic kitchen is complete without an apron front sink. These are sinks that are traditionally found in barns and farmhouses. These sinks are larger and deeper than your regular kitchen sink. 

This makes them perfect for those who love to cook and need extra space in the sink for cleaning. Their unique and classic look will bring instant recognition as farmhouse-inspired.

If you are after a traditional look for your sink, then classic white is the only way to go. Porcelain is a traditional material but can be expensive, so fireclay is an affordable option. But if you’re looking to blend a bit of modern, then look for an apron front sink made of stainless steel, copper, or marble.  

If you do want a farmhouse sink, be sure to plan ahead: they require adjustment of your countertops and the cabinets below them. You may also need to reinforce the cabinets supporting the sink due to its increased weight.

8. Breakfast Bar Options

If you don’t have room for a kitchen table then a breakfast bar is a great alternative. They require minimal space since you can extend your counter out and then slide a set of bar stools underneath. 

The first thing to do is to decide where you want your breakfast bar to be. Most people have it on the outside edge of the kitchen so that when you’re sitting on a barstool, you’re facing someone working in the kitchen. This could be a part of your counter or on an island. 

The next thing to decide is how high you want the bar to be. You could choose a counter height bar and then use taller barstools. You can also have the counter step down and then extend out. This will enable you to use regular-height chairs or low stools. 

When designing your breakfast bar, the counter needs to come out far enough that it’s comfortable for someone to sit at it and not hit their knees on the cabinets underneath.