Designing the Perfect Farmhouse Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s where the homemaker spends most of her days and where family and friends are drawn to gather. So, it takes a lot of planning and a whole lot of dreaming when designing the perfect farmhouse kitchen.

What is a farmhouse kitchen?

A farmhouse kitchen is interpreted in many different ways these days. There’s the modern farmhouse kitchen, French farmhouse kitchen, rustic farmhouse kitchen, classic farmhouse kitchen, and the list goes on. But essentially, a farmhouse kitchen is just a kitchen in a house that’s on a farm. That’s it. It can be any shape, size or age. And if it’s older, like mine, it will probably come with its share of challenges.

Layout challenges in an old farmhouse kitchen

Kitchens of old were not like the modern kitchens we see today. They were mostly unfitted, meaning they lacked built-in cabinetry, or had a limited amount. Instead, they had work tables and freestanding cabinets that could be positioned in a way that best suited the workflow of the  kitchen.

My kitchen is on the smaller side, with tall windows, multiple doorways and minimal wall space. Choosing a layout that is beautiful and functional has proven to be a challenge. It’s important to be realistic about what your space has to offer and plan accordingly. 

Choosing a style 

We gutted our kitchen except for two walls and the original ceiling. As we renovate this space, we’re doing so in a way that keeps the integrity of the home intact, bringing back elements that compliment the rest of the home. Our house was built at the tail end of the Victorian era. Although it’s much more primitive than the typical Victorian home, it does have decorative trim, charming beadboard and tongue and groove shiplap throughout. We plan to carry this into our kitchen, creating a rustic yet elegant space that harmonizes with the rest of the house and pays homage to its history. Lots of warm wood and natural stone with touches of brass.

What is important to have in a farmhouse kitchen, and how that will look in mine

Our kitchen will turn out three meals a day, preserve the harvest, serve as a soap making station, and host many coffee gatherings. Although I want my kitchen to be pretty, it’s not a showroom. It’s important to have the necessary fixtures for a proper working farmhouse kitchen. Such as a big sink, a good stove, ample worktop space, storage and a place to gather.

As I mentioned, we have limited space in our kitchen, which means limited cabinetry. We plan to bring in a few stationary wooden cabinets that will flank a gas range with shelving above, in a Victorian kitchen fashion. As an additional worktop, I’m placing a work table in the center of the room instead of a modern island. I have a few freestanding cabinets and I hope to incorporate one of them for added storage. Unfortunately, our kitchen doesn’t have a pantry. We plan to add on a pantry in the future, but for now we are tucking a small cupboard behind the kitchen door and building shelving in the mudroom for bulk food storage. A cast iron farmhouse sink with double drainboards will be placed under a window overlooking our future orchard and gardens. We also bought a small antique breakfast table to sit in front of an eastern facing window, where we can have our morning coffee and watch the sunrise.

Designed to perfection? 

Truly, unless you are building your home from the ground up with a limitless budget, there’s no such thing as a “perfect farmhouse kitchen.” There will always be compromises involved. The goal is to take your space and create something that will suit your needs and be a place you love to work in. 

For more on our old house project, follow this link!

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