A country kitchen can be a fantastic place to relax, eat and enjoy spending time with family. And this year, this farmhouse aesthetic is ramping up a gear, incorporating modern elements with classic rustic features.
With a focus on traditional style and long lasting, natural materials, it's a design concept which is guaranteed to create a cosy, pleasant atmosphere. In this guide, we outline our top country kitchen ideas, as well as how to update for 2025. Ready to create your own beautiful space? Keep reading!
Why Create A Country Kitchen?
The country kitchen design philosophy is one that creates a cosy, welcoming environment. And it's this homely atmosphere that has made the country or farmhouse style kitchen so popular.
In recent years, the kitchen has become even more of a focal point in the home, and that lends itself perfectly to this warm and inviting aesthetic. It's also a timeless style, so can be upgraded with smaller touches here and there which should help to save you money in the long-term.
Country Kitchen Materials
When creating your country kitchen, focus on natural materials which won't look too modern. Wood, stone and marble are a great start, combined with rustic metal fixtures like brushed brass, nickel and bronze.
If you really want to create the old farmhouse look, you can use reclaimed wood and metal items and keep any exposed beams or original flooring intact. Many country kitchens focus on long-lasting and quality materials, but modern day aesthetics can use these principles as a basis for any type and style of home.
We would always recommend staying away from any finishes that look too modern, such as stainless steel, and if you want to use metal, use a duller style that will be in-keeping with the country look such as brass and copper.
Update your country kitchen style for 2025 by adding rich, moody hues like mushroom, burgundy, and sage green on your walls and cabinets, with darker woods like oak and patterned tiles or décor for depth.
Kitchen Sink
The sink is one of the focal points for your kitchen so getting it right is crucial. In fact, when it comes to this aesthetic, the sink and tap can be the real tell-tale signs.
The obvious choice for a country kitchen is a large Belfast sink. These give off an impression of timeless quality, style and durability. A white finish is an obvious choice but copper, with it's old fashioned aesthetic, has also been a popular choice.
Fluted designs are also a way to add more texture and the perfect way to upgrade for 2025. Similarly, adding a darker wood work station can add more depth for this year.
While an exposed sink like the Belfast & Butler style is a perfect complement to the country kitchen, you can also add a modern edge by opting for a more minimalist undermount sink design.
Butler & Rose Bryn 1 Bowl White Fine Fireclay Ceramic Inset/Undermount Kitchen Sink - 430mm x 460mm
£179.99
Butler & Rose Fluted Ceramic Fireclay Belfast / Butler Kitchen Sink - 595 x 450mm
£219.99
Kitchen Taps
When choosing kitchen taps, we'd opt for more traditional styles. These will look great with a Belfast sink and will help to enhance the farmhouse aesthetic. When thinking about size, try and pick the largest you're able to fit in your kitchen. A sink and tap in a country kitchen should look highly functional and be ready to take on any job from washing vegetables to cleaning muddy boots.
Our kitchen tap range includes an extensive selection of styles for you to choose from. Brass or antique copper is an excellent choice for creating that older style country look. Chrome will also look great when paired with a Belfast sink but we would avoid finishes which look too modern including stainless steel and black.
For smaller country kitchens, you can opt for a mono mixer tap that limits the amount of space needed with just one tap hole. If you're looking to add more of a statement, then consider a bridge style as these are very reminiscent of period kitchens.
Butler & Rose Alba French Kitchen Bridge Mixer - Brushed Nickel
£134.99
Butler & Rose Alba French Mono Kitchen Mixer - Antique Copper
£99.99
Open Display Shelving
A country kitchen shouldn't look too clinical and tidy. Instead, it should feel lived in, cosy and inviting. One way to achieve this is through open shelving.
Rather than storing your plates and glasses away in a cupboard, create a feature by having them out on display and easy to hand. You can also decorate with plants or small decorative items to help bring the space together.
If you want to enhance this look even further, pick up some traditional, decorative or antique plates to display.
AGA Or Old Fashioned Cooker
When creating your farmhouse style kitchen, you want to be transported back to a simpler time where technology wasn't at the centre of our lives. But modern convenience is still something we all crave. You can install an older style cooker or AGA or look at a range style cooker which has more modern functionality.
We'd recommend avoiding any cookers with modern LED indicators and stainless steel finishes, whilst going for the biggest size your kitchen and budget can accommodate.
Wood Cabinets With Glass Doors
A staple of the country kitchen is wooden cabinets with glass doors. Similar to a display cabinet, these can be used to store plates, glasses and other kitchen essentials.
One way to add some colour to your kitchen is choosing coloured cabinets or painting them yourself. We'd opt for a pastel colour such as blue or a light green but whichever you choose, this can be an easy way to make your kitchen space feel unique. For 2025, richer, moodier hues are on trend so try a deep burgundy or a matcha green for a more comforting tone.
Keep Original Features On Show
If you are lucky enough to live in a older country house, or a house with some character features, we'd always recommend keeping them on show.
Original features such as wood beams, fire places and old doors and windows will add lots of character to your kitchen and give you a head start on creating the farmhouse look. If you find these features have been removed or hidden by previous owners, don't be afraid to return them to their former glory
Worktop
The worktop is a vital part of the styling in any kitchen, so getting the right one for your farmhouse kitchen is crucial. When choosing a worktop, look to use natural materials with some texture. Anything too sleek and modern will likely look out of place. Stone or wood are two natural materials which are ideally suited as they are strong, long lasting and will give your kitchen space an organic feel.
Antique Details
Add a little extra character to your country kitchen with some fun antiques on a shelf or counter-top.
This can really be anything and is a chance to add your own personal touch to your kitchen. Metallic items such as old irons or a steel watering can with some flowers inside will look great. You can also add a vintage sign or plaque too, although we'd recommend sticking with something that fits with the rustic theme.
Radiators
When choosing the radiators for your country kitchen, look to an older style column radiator which will give off lots of heat and won't look too modern. When thinking about finish, white is an ideal choice to match the neutral tones in the rest of the kitchen. If you want to choose something a little different, a bare metal lacquer, or cast iron radiator is ideal and won't look too modern.
When choosing radiator valves, opt for a traditional style that complements the finish you've chosen.
Brenton Olympus Horizontal 2 Column Radiator - Anthracite
From £184.99
EliteHeat 3 Column Horizontal Radiator - Bare Metal Lacquer Finish - 500mm Tall
From £227.99
Brenton Olympus Vertical Column Radiator - White
From £229.99
Large Table
A country kitchen should be a welcoming space. A space which is at the centre of family life and a great place for entertaining. Therefore your kitchen needs a large, wooden table to accommodate lots of guests. Invest in a real oak table which will really add to the rustic feel, no chipboard or cheap wood substitutes here. If you want to go even further, up-cycling an older piece of wood into your table will look stunning.
Similarly with seating, go for older style wooden chairs and add pattern cushions for a great update for 2025. Dress the table up by using a colourful, patterned rug underneath and some beautiful flowers as a centre piece.
Paintings
Hanging paintings on your walls is a simple way to add some colour & character to your kitchen space. We'd recommend keeping to the country and farmhouse theme but this is a chance for you to express your own tastes and make your kitchen personal to you.
Lighting
When looking to light your country kitchen, move away from the built in ceiling lights which are becoming increasingly popular in modern homes. To create that farmhouse look, look to large chandelier styles or lamp shades hanging from bare wires. Lighting should also be a warm tone to create a cosy, relaxing atmosphere.
Fabrics
Fabrics are an easy way to add some colour and texture to your country kitchen. As this is a design style which will often have lots of rustic materials in neutral colours, fabrics such as curtains, cushions or a table cloth can help break this up.
This is also a great opportunity to express some of your own tastes and styles by using fun patterns or interesting materials.
Hanging Utensils, Pots & Pans
A design feature we've also spoken about in our industrial kitchens article, hanging pots, utensils and pans in your kitchen can help add to the rustic, farmhouse feel.
You don't want your country kitchen to appear too clean and modern and this is an easy way to ensure that won't happen. If you really want to make this work, we recommend investing in some old style utensils and pans, which can often be found cheaply second hand.
That concludes our top country kitchen ideas. If you want to create your own country kitchen, browse our amazing range of kitchen taps, sinks and radiators.
