In this post we’re exploring all of the ways that you can make your home feel like it belongs right in the english countryside with an english cottage style kitchen! Keep reading to discover some inspiration designs and our favorite tips for channeling this style!
What is an English Cottage Kitchen?
We’re glad you asked. While there is probably no good concrete answer to this (is there for any design style?), we’re going to talk about all of the many details that make an english cottage kitchen.
The way we’d describe this style though is a rustic, classic, and utilitarian kitchen with warmth. A lot of the elements in this type of kitchen feel natural and homey.
Looking for more english cottage style help for your home? Check out this post on How to Create English Cottage Style in Your Home!
Why Should You Channel this Style in Your Kitchen?
This style is natural-looking, comforting, functional, and timeless! Does it get much better than those elements?
Can You Create the English Cottage Style in a Newer Home?
The style that we’re channeling here is frequently seen in homes that are actually hundreds of years old. Time creates more charm which is sometimes hard to put into a brand new home. However, this style can DEFINITELY be created in even a brand new home.
In fact, we’ve seen Studio McGee use a lot of these elements in some of their designs, which are often completely remodeled or new homes. Here is one amazing example of their modern take on the english cottage kitchen.
You can see that they’re using several of the elements that we’re about to cover such as muted tones, simple cabinets, and wood elements. A recipe for a wonderful english cottage kitchen!
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How to Design an English Cottage Kitchen
There are almost too many elements frequently seen in the english cottage kitchen to talk about here, but we’ll try to cover as many as possible. Keep reading to discover these elements along with some inspiration designs!
Lived-In Feeling
A very important part of the english cottage style in general is a lack of perfection. These homes are lived-in and are definitely not museums. They’re comforting and welcoming with a lot of the elements that we’re going to talk about.
Wood Elements
To be fair, most homes aren’t completely devoid of wood elements. However, wood, particularly rustic styles of wood are on full display in the english cottage style.
You’ll see wood being used in various aspects. One of our favorites is when a kitchen has wooden beams, adding to the cozy feel and warmth of the space. Other uses of wood are in the furniture (dining tables, barstools, dining chairs, etc.).
We’d recommend sticking with natural wood tones for this style. Nothing too orangey or dark.
Muted Tones
The english cottage kitchen typically is full of natural tones. We’d recommend sticking with whites, beiges, creams, browns, blacks, and greens for this style to create a calming and warm space with old world charm.
Simple Cabinets
You’ll often see just simple shaker style cabinets used in this style. These are timeless and easily found. The hardware on the cabinets is also typically simple such as wood and the usual chrome and brass finishes in classic shapes.
Traditional Backsplashes
We’d also recommend keeping the backsplashes simple in this style (continuing in our theme of simplicity). You could even get away with no backsplash in this style and have it look wonderful.
If a backsplash is something that you’d prefer, some styles to consider are beadboard or other tongue and groove styles hung either vertically or horizontally.
Other ideas that could work well in this style are carrying the countertop material up to the backsplash or adding artificial stone panels to your wall to give an old stone cottage feel.
Open Shelving
Open shelving is so popular these days and just so happens to fit perfectly with the english cottage style! There are great reasons for adding open shelving: it prevents from blocking off light from a space, makes a room feel larger, helps make items more accessible, and last but certainly not least, they’re much cheaper than cabinets!
These are also an easy DIY project that can be done in a day.
Plate Racks
In theme with the open shelving concept, plate racks also fit in with the english cottage style kitchen. If you have cute plates, this turns them into decor and makes them easier to get to!
Farmhouse Sinks
One of the best parts of an english cottage kitchen design: the giant farmhouse sink. Here’s a great option from Home Depot:
Rustic Lighting
Lighting in an english cottage kitchen is also a bit understated. We suggest keeping it simple with lighting choices such as lanterns and schoolhouse lights. Here are a couple that would fit perfectly:
Copper Cookware and Other Elements
This one is a classic for english kitchens: copper cookware. While typically a bit pricier than your typical cookware, copper cookware is beautiful and gets more beautiful over time as it ages. We even wrote a full post on it HERE!
You can either buy copper cookware brand new or get lucky and find some used ones at thrift stores, vintage stores, flea markets, eBay, and more. If buying new is best for you, here is one of our favorite sets from Amazon!
Breadboards
Another great english cottage element that is useful and beautiful is a breadboard. These wood pieces were historically used for kneading and slicing bread, but they can usually be used as cutting boards, charcuterie boards, display boards on an island, and more!
These are another item that you can find either new or used. Here are a few options:
Flowers & Greenery
If you ask us, every home needs some flowers and/or greenery, but especially so in an english cottage style kitchen. Fresh cut plants are always preferred but not always accessible and affordable. In that case, here are some artificial and dried floral options that will fit in well in this style:
Rustic Flooring
Keeping with the theme here, nothing in the english cottage style is too precious, including the floor. Typical flooring choices for english cottage style kitchens include hardwood, slate, stone, and brick.
This takes us to the end of our exploration of how to create an english cottage style kitchen! Have any questions about creating this style or have other styles that you want us to cover in a post? Leave a comment below!
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