Like bathrooms, kitchens can be an easy indicator of an era. From linoleum flooring to sparkling granite countertops, there are certain trends that should be avoided, but a style of design that never goes out of style? Farmhouse kitchens. In modest cottages to spacious manors, the farmhouse kitchen provides timeless bucolic appeal. Here is a brief breakdown of the aesthetic and some dreamy inspiration:
Farmhouse kitchens originated in Northern Europe as the central room of simple, handmade dwellings for farmers and their families. The structures often began as single halls with the cooking pit as the central focus of the room, with walls, roofs and internal furniture constructed of wood and other natural materials. As the only source of heating, the whole family would eat, sleep and live around the cooking pit. It is this vital space that evolved into the farmhouse kitchen – a space not just for cooking, but for living and even socialising. Over time these single-room dwellings developed to feature other rooms, and the evolution of the cooking stove improved the cooking aspect of the room.
The archetypal farmhouse kitchen, as we know it today, came from those of medieval Europe, eventually crossing the Atlantic to the New World and beyond. The range would be placed against the centre of a wall, with a chimney flute passing the steam and smoke out of the house, usually kitchen chairs could be found at either side of the range, as the perfect spot for warming the cockles during chilly winters in the country. A large wood table was unfailingly the nucleus of the room, for preparing the food, and even eating around during those harsh winter months when heating was essential. Furnishings continued to be made from wood or other available natural materials, while a large stone (and later ceramic) sink would be affixed to one of the walls.
Though kitchens have come a long way from their modest origins, many facets have remained almost completely unchanged, particularly in the farmhouse style. Many of the same necessities have remained; the central preparation stations, the wood cabinetry, range cookers with flutes or hoods, ceramic or stone sinks, all with slight refinements. The most charming aspect of all to remain is the social; the heart of the home, radiating warmth in winter.
Whether it’s a shaker kitchen, a country kitchen or a ‘traditional’ kitchen, they all qualify under the same delightful ‘farmhouse’ aesthetic. Today the phrase evokes period properties, kitchen sink-views over the undulating countryside, natural materials and warm tones. Elements of a farmhouse kitchen can encompass any number of architectural features, such as ceiling beams, deep windows, stable doors or integrated extractor hoods, all evoking the ancient homes of the aesethics’ agrarian beginnings.
Though farmhouse kitchens can be found in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours, there tend to be a selection of essential ingredients, which all hark back to their origins:
- wood cabinets, usually oak
- stone floors
- range cooker, preferably AGA or Rangemaster
- central island, butcher’s block or farmhouse table
- Butler or Bristol sink
… muddy wellies optional
Find more rustic interiors in previous posts such as English Cottage Inspiration, or MyOldPub’s 16th century cottage. Alternatively you can browse the ‘cottage‘ tag for other similar interiors.
images: AGA by WestportWiki cc by-sa 3.0, Butler sink by Emerald Pearl Kitche…, cc by 3.0