A recipe for the perfect farmhouse kitchen
An antique grille sourced through architectural salvage serves as a radiator cover in a New York apartment kitchen. Design: Time & Place Interiors / Photo: Lauren M. Adler
If you’ve ever searched images of the “farmhouse kitchen” on Pinterest, you might have noticed that the photos are almost all identical. You know the type: apron-front sink, Edison bulbs, all with a faux “distressed” finish. What’s meant to be soulful turns out generic.
A true farmhouse kitchen celebrates its imperfections. It’s left a bit unfinished, allowing for surprising accents that are handcrafted or even intentionally not fully fitted. Deborah Needleman, author of my favorite design book, articulates this sentiment so well: "Machine-made forms in a room need to be balanced with the humanity of things imperfectly formed, things crafted by hand.” All the more so in the kitchen, which is the hearth of the home.
For those who want design with authenticity, the farmhouse kitchen with true antiques is ideal. Antiques work wonderfully for rustic kitchens in country cabins. And they can also be beautiful accents in modern homes or in city apartments, employed cleverly to add storage or worktop surfaces.
Here’s a roundup of some of my favorite farmhouse kitchens as well as urban kitchens with antique designs — each perfectly imperfect. If you’re planning a kitchen for your countryside cabin, or need a refresh of your city kitchen, this design recipe is for you.
And for more inspiration on country house style, check out our post, The REAL shabby chic: How to do farmhouse style the right way.
Step 1. Start with soulful kitchen storage
I love antique cabinets, cupboards, and chests used as a charming alternatives for pantry or cookware storage. In place of under-cabinet lighting, plug in a pretty table lamp to infuse the kitchen with soft, warm glow.
A Catskills farmhouse kitchen has recycled barn wood cabinetry and salvaged appliances. Design: Don Howell / Photo: Justine Hand
In a Brooklyn loft, kitchen storage is served by Japanese tansu chests to hold pantry items and serving pieces. Design: Yolande Batteau Hirche / Photo: Matthew Williams
Step 2. Add clever surfaces
Don’t have enough counter space for chopping or for keeping your cooking utensils within reach? A rustic table, a freestanding cabinet, or even an antique ladder are clever and sustainable ways to add a practical surface area to your kitchen.
The designer residents of this industrial Brooklyn loft use a rustic antique ladder for cookware storage. Design and Photo: Ridge House
An antique table is used as a prep island in this Hamptons kitchen. Design: Mark Cunningham / Photo: Björn Wallander
Step 3. Season with salvaged accents
Delight comes with finding a place for old fixtures and accents. Antique sinks, salvaged grille covers, and vintage pendant lights add style with a story. Introducing a sleek accent to a rustic kitchen, or conversely - a traditional element to a modern backdrop - makes for a layered, tasteful look.
A New York City galley kitchen with a salvaged grille cover, vintage Persian runner rug, and a whimsical Mid Century ceiling light. Design: Time & Place Interiors
A cast-iron farm sink was added to a Queens apartment to bring it back to its 1920s style. Design: Jesse James & Kostas (Gus) Anagnopoulos / Photo: Philip Ficks
Step 4. Sprinkle on some quirk
Not having fitted cabinetry can be freeing. It allows for creative solutions with beautiful accents. You can even intentionally leave out built-ins to make room for happy design “accidents" — which, naturally, require some diligent design planning.
A vintage Guatemalan textile serves as a sink skirt in a Long Island farmhouse. Design: Elizabeth Roberts / Photo: Dustin Aksland and Eric Striffler
This sweet cupboard finds purpose as kitchen storage in a Portuguese farmhouse. Design: Sofia Albuquerque / Photo: Sanda Vuckovic
Are you looking for a farmhouse kitchen with soul?
Time & Place Interiors designs sustainable spaces with character and authenticity. Founder Ksenya Malina mixes vintage + modern designs to craft homes that tell a unique story, melding rustic and refined tones. Use the link below to schedule a free 20-minute information call to discuss your design goals with Ksenya:
