Designing and building a custom home means a home design that is designed specifically to suit your needs and style. Choosing a theme helps keep the overall style cohesive and consistent while still giving you plenty of flexibility with different design elements and decor. Farmhouse is still a popular home design, especially if you want a touch of rustic, country style. When it comes to the kitchen, here’s what to know about farmhouse kitchens and some farmhouse kitchen design ideas to consider for your custom home:
What is a Farmhouse Kitchen?
A farmhouse kitchen takes inspiration from country living and rustic lifestyles and brings it into kitchen design. Farmhouse kitchens often prioritize natural materials and feature rustic accents. They also tend to be an open-concept architectural design where the cooking, eating, and recreational areas of a home are merged into one.
This design has stayed in style due to its classic status. The best part about this design is its versatility – it can be elegant and modern or more traditional and rustic. Farmhouse kitchens are built to be practical and functional with a warm, comfortable, and inviting atmosphere meant for gathering.
11 Classic Elements of Farmhouse Kitchen Design
Classic elements of a farmhouse kitchen include:
- Farmhouse sinks
- Natural materials
- Shaker cabinets
- Open shelves
- Freestanding furniture
- Warm, neutral tones
- Classic flooring
- Vintage counters
- Rustic accents
- Mixing modern and vintage
- Large gathering spaces
7 Farmhouse Kitchen Design Ideas to Consider For Your Custom Home
Although these are classic elements of a farmhouse kitchen, there is still a lot of flexibility with design choices that are still in line with the farmhouse kitchen aesthetic. Farmhouse is a classic style, and several types of farmhouse styles have developed over the years that add a rustic, charming farmhouse touch to existing styles or put a modern twist on the traditional farmhouse look. Here are a few farmhouse kitchen design ideas to consider for your custom home:
1. Choose a Farmhouse Sink
An apron-front sink, or a farmhouse sink, is a popular type of sink. The exposed front panel, or apron front, helps make the farmhouse sink a classic design element in a farmhouse kitchen. Farmhouse sinks are typically fireclay or cast iron, but do sometimes show up in stainless steel or other materials.
Modeled after the large basin sinks in old-fashioned farmhouses, these sinks are larger than ordinary. This is why, in addition to farmhouse design, these sinks are also vintage kitchen decor ideas. They remain popular for their unique look as well as their practical functionality.
These sinks can be single or double basin, and are deep enough to do anything from washing dishes to canning vegetables. They’re even set below the surrounding counter, an undermount sink complete with draining grooves, for splash control. Farmhouse sinks are at the top of their game for utility.
2. Opt for Rustic Cabinets
Rustic decor and natural materials are classic farmhouse design elements. In a farmhouse kitchen, shaker-style kitchen cabinets are a traditional choice. These cabinets feature a simple structure and flat panels that make them a great option for a variety of styles.
Because shaker kitchen design can overlap with farmhouse design, shaker cabinets work well with traditional farmhouse styles as well as transitional and modern farmhouse styles. Classic colors include white, off-white, gray, and navy, but you are not limited to those.
3. Upgrade Cabinet Hardware
Shaker cabinets in a classic, traditional farmhouse kitchen tend to be simple, which usually also means not a lot of eye-catching adornments. Upgrading the hardware on kitchen cabinets is a white kitchen design idea that translates well to farmhouse kitchen design. Keeping the hardware rustic and understated can offer visual interest while keeping with a traditional or industrial farmhouse look.
You can also upgrade the cabinet hardware with shinier metals or handles and pulls made of more interesting and eye-catching materials. This can be a subtle way to add more luxurious details to a farmhouse kitchen, whether you’re going for luxe farmhouse, modern farmhouse, or something else.
4. Mix Cabinet Styles
There are many popular kitchen cabinet styles. Although shaker-style cabinets are a classic farmhouse element, you’re not locked into that type of cabinet or only that style of cabinet. Farmhouse kitchens often mix cabinet styles, especially traditional cabinets and open shelves. Often, open shelves take the place of upper cabinets, or are mixed with upper cabinets to complement them.
If you like the look of open shelves, but need to have cabinets or be able to child-lock cabinets, mixing traditional cabinets and glass-front cabinets can help you get a more “open” look and feel without actually having open shelves. You can also play with cabinet lighting ideas to illuminate glass-front cabinets for an interesting and useful kitchen detail.
5. Pick a Classic Flooring Option
Classic farmhouses often had wood or linoleum floors. These served as sturdy, and simple to install, options for the builders of the era. A classic flooring option, like wood or tile, can help you enhance a farmhouse kitchen design.
Lighter woods or simple tiles are popular options for a traditional farmhouse style, but darker woods, tile floors with more complex designs, and other flooring options can still work for a farmhouse kitchen design.
6. Consider Vintage Countertops
Opting for kitchen countertop materials that can elevate a vintage look and feel can work well for farmhouse kitchen design. Using a wood, soapstone, or marble counter can give a rustic feel to the room when combined with vintage accents.
Light wood is the most prevalently used, however, soapstone is also appreciated for the contrast to light-colored cabinetry. Marble counters look especially rustic when created with one solid slab. If you’re planning to include a kitchen island in your kitchen design, another option is to mix countertop materials by using stone in one area and wood or butcher-block countertops on the other. This is a popular kitchen island trend that you can use to enhance a farmhouse kitchen design.
7. Feature Exposed Beams
With a focus on natural materials and rustic accents, one of the farmhouse design ideas is to feature exposed beams on the ceiling. In addition to a rustic design accent, exposed beams also offer an interesting structural and architectural detail. Exposed wooden beams are a ceiling design idea that is a classic farmhouse design element and one that works with a variety of other styles as well.
Design and Build Your Custom Home With CHG
If farmhouse is the style you want for your custom home design, these farmhouse kitchen design ideas can inspire you. Whether you are thinking about farmhouse or considering another style, working with an experienced custom home builder can help make sure you end up with the custom home you want, and one that meets your needs. If you’re ready to get started on your own custom home in Central Pennsylvania or Northeastern Maryland, contact Custom Home Group at 717-284-4090. We can help you bring your dream home to life!
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