Cottage-style kitchen decor draws inspiration from rustic countryside living and is known for creating a cozy and inviting atmosphere. Cottage style emphasizes both comfort and simplicity, often featuring a soothing color palette, natural materials, and vintage elements.
This aesthetic creates a warm space that is ideal for a casual, everyday lifestyle. With an emphasis on organic, handmade, and repurposed items, cottage kitchen decor works well for blending an old-world vibe with a functional kitchen design.
Whether you want to design a complete cottage-style kitchen or just add some natural touches to your current style, these tips are easy to scale to get the look you want.
Use Natural Materials
Incorporate natural materials on as many surfaces as you can to give your kitchen an authentic cottage style. Using materials like wood, brick, and stone on surfaces such as counters, cabinets, and backsplashes adds the rustic elements that are natural in cottages.
Even if a full renovation of your primary kitchen elements isn’t possible, you can still bring in natural materials to use in the decor. Small updates like stacked wooden cutting boards, stone trivets, and rustic pottery can help to emphasize the natural look without requiring major changes.
Muted Color Palette
Soft neutrals such as off-white and gray are popular choices for cottage-style kitchens. If you want to add more color, soft pastels such as sage green or sky blue will instantly brighten your space. In a kitchen with a cottage feel, dark hues can look warm and inviting, but to really capture the cottage style, stick to earthy tones like forest greens, deep blues, and warm browns.
Paint the walls or the cabinets to provide the most impact in your kitchen design. For a quicker fix, try swapping out soft textiles like rugs, dish towels, and curtains in muted cottage colors.
Vintage or Repurposed Pieces
Using vintage or repurposed furniture and decor adds character and authenticity to your cottage-style kitchen. You do not need to add all these pieces at once; instead, identify areas where you can put a vintage item, such as an area on the wall or an empty spot on your countertop, and search for these pieces over time. Look for them at flea markets and vintage stores to find pieces that will work for your space.
Consider painting or distressing a piece that you already have if buying something vintage is not an option because of budget constraints. You can give new life to an outdated piece with a new coat of paint to complement your other cottage decor.
Open Shelving
Adding open shelving to your kitchen is an easy way to get the carefree cottage look. This includes options like open shelves rather than upper cabinets and open shelving below kitchen islands. Even if you can’t add open shelving to your fixed kitchen pieces, free-standing cabinets or wall units are a great way to get the open-shelving look.
Once you install your open shelving, curating what you display is just as crucial as the open shelving itself. Cottage kitchens are all about practicality, so displaying functional items like dishware, cookware, and storage containers will not only look authentic, but it will create a practical living and cooking environment. Intersperse these practical items with items like framed prints, plants, and decorative vessels to amp up your cottage style.
Floral or Gingham Touches
Adding decor with floral or gingham patterns to your kitchen is an easy way to give it some cottage charm. This is easy to do on multiple surfaces, including wall art, chair cushions, curtains, dish towels, and rugs.
Mix a variety of patterns to make it feel less planned and more organic. To do this effectively, choose one pattern that is dominant and then one or two other patterns that complement the colors and style. If you are handy with a sewing machine, making cushions or cafe curtains is an easy DIY project.
Classic Fixtures and Hardware
Swapping out modern hardware for classic, traditional, or rustic options is a simple but impactful way to alter the look of your kitchen. Replace sleek contemporary handles and knobs with brass, copper, ceramic, nickel, or glass options with an old-world design. Include other vintage hardware elements like brass rods and wire racks for hanging pots and other cookware.
Consider adding vintage-inspired or classic light fixtures. This can include overhead lighting and other wired options such as wall sconces, but if you have a limited budget or need a quick change, consider incorporating small vintage lamps into your kitchen design. Lamps on the counter or in a cabinet nook provide a warm, soft glow that enhances the ambiance of any kitchen.
Beadboard or Shiplap Walls
Painted wood adds an organic feel to any kitchen, and installing beadboard or shiplap is one way to achieve this. Wall coverings such as beadboard and shiplap are not only decorative, but they also protect the walls from nicks and scrapes, making them ideal for kitchens with high traffic and use.
Wall paneling works well on all walls throughout the kitchen, but if you want to be more strategic, try beadboard for a backsplash or shiplap for an accent wall. Beadboard is also an excellent choice for creating texture on cabinet fronts. If authentic wood beadboard or shiplap are out of your price range, consider PVC options, which are significantly less expensive and look similar when painted.
Butcher Block Countertops
Adding wood elements to your kitchen will instantly give it a cottage vibe, so butcher block countertops are a practical way to incorporate this natural material into your kitchen design. Butcher block countertops are a popular addition to many kitchens, regardless of style, due to their warm color and organic texture. Hardwood options such as hard maple are the most durable wood varieties.
If a countertop replacement is not in your budget, consider adding a rolling cart or cabinet with a butcher block top to achieve this look in your space. Butcher block can also be used on a small portion of your countertops; this mixed design is both practical for food prep and appropriate for the look of cottage kitchens.
Apron-Front Sink
Installing a wide basin or other large sink, such as an apron-front sink, is a good choice for a cottage-style kitchen. The typical farmhouse-style apron-front sink is a classic focal point as well as functional for large, busy kitchens.
You can mimic the look of an apron-front sink if you aren’t ready to replace the sink you have. Install a vintage style and a fabric skirt to the cabinet below the sink. If you are considering an apron-front sink, consider the variety of materials and choose one that is durable and works with the other materials in your kitchen.
Decorative Backsplash
A decorative backsplash can elevate the style of a cottage-style kitchen. Consider backsplash options that use natural materials like stone, brick, and wood. If you want something more colorful, consider natural tile styles like Zillege tiles that come in a variety of colors and sizes or painted tiles like Delft tiles or a blue and white style that mimics this look.
For budget ideas, consider PVC beadboard or even painted plywood. You can also explore a variety of waterproof and heatproof wallpaper options made from PVC to give your kitchen a cottage look.
Wicker or Rattan Accents
Decor made of natural wood, grasses, and plants such as raffia and straw adds warmth, texture, and color to the kitchen. One simple way to incorporate this material into your kitchen is to use it for storage containers such as baskets and bins to organize fruit, vegetables, and utensils on counters or shelves. You can also incorporate this material into your kitchen through larger pieces such as chairs or barstools or by providing underfoot comfort with seagrass rugs.
Potted Plants and Herbs
Potted plants and herbs not only add vibrant color and texture to kitchens, but they also provide functional beauty and, in the case of herbs, add flavor and variety to meal preparation. Place potted plants on window sills, open shelves, or countertops to freshen up your kitchen while keeping them easily accessible for care and use. If you have limited surface space, consider hanging your plants.
Be honest about the level of care you are willing to provide and study your natural light conditions to find plant options that will thrive in your kitchen environment.
