Do you ever feel like you’re torn between two worlds? You love the comforts of the indoors but a part of your heart will always be with nature?
A rustic look in your home can be the perfect way to blend those two worlds. Whether you’re starting from scratch or trying to tweak your existing kitchen, a great rustic style requires a variety of coordinated elements. Here’s how to nail the look with your kitchen countertops.
How to Get a Rustic Look for Your Kitchen Countertops and Beyond
Want the warmth of a country kitchen? Start with these tips.
Rustic Kitchen Countertops
Your countertops are a vital part of your kitchen’s design. Try these ideas for rustic surfaces.
Raw Edges
One of the most essential parts of a rustic look is using natural materials. Whether you choose wood or natural stone for that material, you don’t want to make it look overly processed and modern.
A handy way to keep that from happening is by keeping the edges raw. You can do a raw edge on a conventionally shaped countertop. Or, for an even more natural style, give your countertop an irregular shape.
Use the natural grain to guide the cut. This makes it look like your countertop is an authentic piece of nature transplanted into your home.
Freestanding Wood Structure
A rustic kitchen isn’t just about the countertops themselves. It’s also about what they’re attached to.
In today’s kitchens, it’s a common layout to have your cabinets and countertops lining the edges of the walls. An added island or peninsula, however, can give you extra cooking space while serving as a piece of your rustic decor.
Instead of continuing your same kitchen cabinets along the bottom of your peninsula or island, go for natural-looking wood instead. Stick with the same countertops throughout the kitchen, though. This will ensure that your room still looks cohesive and put-together.
Heavy Grain
The modern aesthetic is all about clean lines and bold, blocky shapes. For a rustic look, you need to go in the opposite direction. One way to do that is with a countertop that has a strong natural grain.
In other words, choose a stone that has strong color variation. It looks more like authentic stone and less like a processed mixture. For instance, try a Cinderella blue granite or a cornet granite.
Complementary Rustic Changes
Your countertops can go a long way toward making your kitchen look more rustic. They can’t do the job by themselves, though. Bring out the country elements in your countertops with these design tips.
Replace Your Cabinets
There are a few key elements in your kitchen’s look, and your countertops and cabinets are at the top of the list. Specific types of cabinets bring natural beauty into your kitchen.
One popular option is reclaimed wood. Not only does it offer a rustic style and a charmingly distressed look, but it’s eco-friendly. Because you’re using wood that’s had a prior life, no trees will be harmed in the making of your kitchen.
If you prefer cabinets with a lighter color, another choice is white cabinets with antiqued details. If your countertops are dark, go for one of these lighter options so your kitchen doesn’t look too dark and small.
Black Iron Light Fixtures
Wood isn’t the only material that contributes to a rustic look. The perfect way to complement the wood in your kitchen is with black iron.
Try black iron faucets and other fixtures. Your lighting is another great place to incorporate black iron. You can use it to complement dark or light tones throughout the rest of the kitchen.
Accessorize Your Countertops
Another way to bring out the rustic aspects of your countertop is to accessorize. The right knickknacks on your countertops can go a long way.
Try using mason jars as storage containers. Better yet, use them to build your own herb garden. Another handy way to add some country to your storage is to use hollowed out branch pieces.
If you want a rustic kitchen, the more nature you have in your decor, the better. Add twigs to your floral arrangements. Put a stylish basket of lemons in the corner of your countertop.
Remember not to go overboard, though. A few well-chosen accessories will do the job without extra clutter.
Start From the Floor
Reclaimed wood floors are another powerful way to bring your kitchen into the world of rustic chic. You can find it in a wide range of wood breeds, shades, and grains.
Be careful if you’re pairing it with reclaimed wood cabinets, though. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. While you can use reclaimed wood for both, use shades that complement each other rather than matching ones.
Use Found Objects
As popular as rustic pieces are in home decor shops, you can’t be the authenticity of the real thing. Hit up flea markets or your own forgotten storage for found pieces to add.
You might need to get creative. For example, use an old wagon wheel as a place to hang your pots and pans. Hang small gardening tools from your utensil racks.
As an added bonus, these found items can be great conversation pieces. Just make sure everything is still in good enough shape before you put weight on it.
A Country Feel No Matter Where You Are
There’s a certain warmth and charm that comes with a rustic aesthetic. It makes us think of reading in front of a hearth or enjoying a family dinner full of laughs around a dining room table.
Whether you live that reality every day or you feel stuck in a modern world, your kitchen can be a country paradise. Use the tips above to nail the rustic look in your countertops and in the other aspects of your kitchen design.
If you’re ready to get started with countrifying your kitchen, contact our kitchen countertop experts.
