- Country kitchens feature warm and bright tones. Shiny finishes, polished wood, and crisp cotton textiles create a light and modern feeling. Open display shelves or wooden cabinets with glass doors allow collectible dishes, figurines, and vases to be visible. Rustic kitchens typically feature more distressed and timeworn pieces. Natural materials such as stone, unfinished wood, weathered wood, vintage textiles, ceramics, and tile lend the room an Old World charm.
- Focal-point features of a country kitchen may be a line of white wall cabinets against a cheerful yellow wall or a sideboard, hutch or buffet topped with embroidered doilies and glass bottles holding wildflowers. In a rustic kitchen, a stone wall with a fireplace adds French farmhouse style, while a kitchen table in weathered gray wood and benches for seating sets a folksy tone.
- Accessories can create or extend a decor theme in a country or rustic kitchen. Set up some floating shelves in a dark corner and fill them with colorful pottery or bowls printed with farm animals to achieve country style. Use an old quilt as wall art, or adhere decorative tiles to a wall for a mural. The rustic look has a simpler, less cluttered approach, so accessorize with utilitarian pieces. Hang wrought-iron skillets on hooks by the stove. Fill an earthenware bowl with ripe persimmons, or a glass bowl with lemons and limes. Your wall art may consist of a rusted metal sign advertising fruit or French soda.
- Country kitchens exude cheerful and homey style, while rustic kitchens convey a moodier tone. You can achieve one of these looks with the simple addition of textiles. Cover windows country-style with red gingham muslin curtains set halfway down the window frame to allow light to pour in. Add checked or flowered cushions to wicker chairs for an instant breakfast nook. Woven rugs and door mats in blue, red, yellow, and green add bright spots of color. Rustic kitchens often feature minimal window treatments. Try a vintage dish towel or pillowcase as a cafe-style curtain. Complement a rustic kitchen's natural materials with a bamboo floor mat or table runner. Set a vintage wooden bench along a wall, and line it with tapestry-covered throw pillows.
- The benefits of rustic and country kitchens are that you can freely mix new pieces with family heirlooms and integrate artisan items with mass-produced accessories. Try some simple projects, such as using wooden thrift-store frames around favorite artwork. Paint the frames white or antique white for a country kitchen, and leave them unfinished or paint them stone gray for a rustic effect. Repurpose an old drawer into a niche by lining it with country-patterned wallpaper, or by painting it a faux distressed finish. Nail it to the wall, and fill it with dried flowers or a cobalt blue glass bottle holding a sprig of an herb.
