How to Design a Rustic Kitchen
A rustic kitchen can add regional American flair to your room, or it can use the Old World as its muse. Regardless of whether your choice is Adirondack, Southwest, mountain, lodge or Tuscan, there are definite design elements that are universal. If you have an open kitchen arrangement, you need to keep in mind the style and color of the other rooms that adjoin the kitchen. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Hardwood floors warm up a kitchen floor. Create architectural details. Nothing says rustic like beamed ceilings, big windows and hardwood or slate floors. If your kitchen doesn't have beams, you can add them to the room prior to putting up new cabinets and trim. Add a large window over the sink or at the table. Unless you're a true do-it-yourselfer, it's best to leave heavy carpentry and flooring jobs to the professionals.
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A mix of open shelving with traditional cabinets creates a nice rustic effect. Decide on cabinets. Wood choices for rustic cabinets are usually knotty pine, hickory or alder. Don't limit yourself to one design. Most original rustic kitchens didn't have a lot of built-in cabinets, but used open shelving, hutches and farm tables for storage and counter space. Mix salvaged or antique items with the new for a truly vintage effect.
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Draw from the colors of nature for your wall. Paint your walls. Traditional colors are those drawn from nature. Brown, orange, red, green, ivory, yellow, tan and blue are all good choices for a rustic kitchen.
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Stainless steel appliances and granite counterbalance the rustic look. Add designer touches to your room by painting the crown molding in a bright color, then painting the kitchen island in a complementary shade. Corrugated metal as the front for an eating nook and concrete floors can give an unexpected industrial edge to the room. Polished granite countertops and stainless steel appliances complement the distressed wood and exposed beams of the rustic style. Choose furniture in either shaker style, farmhouse, arts and crafts, distressed wood, or antiques.
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Look for vintage kitchen items to accessorize your look. Accessorize the room with rustic touches. Iron, copper, floral patterns, canisters, earthenware and pots are found in rustic kitchens. Accent colors are tomato red, cobalt blue, olive green and sunflower yellow. Look for vintage kitchen items and add a rug to the floor.
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Tips & Warnings
Pendant lights go well in a rustic kitchen with exposed ceiling beams. They are a perfect place to add the touches of iron and copper that complete the look.
Rough hewn furniture and distressed leather are good choices for seating.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit kitchen image by yong hong from Fotolia.com Wooden texture to serve as background image by Viacheslav Anyakin from Fotolia.com modern kitchen image by Galina Barskaya from Fotolia.com kitchen setup image by Julia Britvich from Fotolia.com modern kitchen image by Melking from Fotolia.com from grandma's kitchen image by Shirley Hirst from Fotolia.com
