They say you are what you eat. Imagine what the space in which you cook and eat says about you — your personality, lifestyle, tastes and interests.
A cohesive kitchen design scheme is a great way to stamp your signature on the look and feel of your house. Since the kitchen is the heart of the home, it should reflect your wider aesthetic while also maintaining comfort and cooking function.
Find inspiration for your ideal kitchen style with this guide to today’s top kitchen themes, complete with furniture, fixtures, color schemes and decor elements to help you nail your aesthetic.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF KITCHEN STYLES
These eight types of kitchen styles are sure to satisfy every type of design preference. Consider your favorites and how each style can be made to match the rest of your home’s interior design scheme for a space that’s cohesive, authentic and ultimately you.
1. FARMHOUSE KITCHEN STYLES
Farmhouse living denotes a simpler, quieter time. Kitchens modeled in this style reflect homey charms, rustic details and a lived-in, comfortable aesthetic that’ll have you rushing to the long-planked, oversized table to share a Sunday roast.
Trading cookie-cutter conventionality for a mix-and-match, quaint look, you’ll note these core design elements in a true farmhouse-style kitchen:
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Neutral color palettes with bright pops: Think primary colors like yellows, reds and navy blues backdropped against creamy whites, tans and soft eggshell walls and cabinets. These brighter colors work great across decorative jars, towels and curtains, while the soft neutrals keep things cozy.
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Freestanding cabinets and pantries: Freestanding cabinetry includes wooden pantries, weathered china cabinets and even converted wardrobes turned into unique kitchen storage — no need to coordinate too much here since farmhouse kitchen style ideas always embrace the eclectic.
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Knotty, natural woods: Natural-wood countertops enhance the salt-of-the-earth aesthetics of this kitchen style, with hardwood chairs and tables enhancing the overall look. Pine, cherry, oak, maple and similar classic American hardwoods work great here.
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Range cooker: Nothing says home cooking like a full range cooker installed in your farmhouse kitchen design.
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Plaid and gingham prints: These quintessential, down-home fabrics can be found in tablecloths, placemats, curtains, towels and decorative linens lining the kitchen.
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Natural decorations: Awaken your kitchen’s inner pastoral with jars of wildflowers, windowsill herb gardens and similar garden-picked decorations.
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Neutral hardware: Go for matte blacks, grays or white cabinetry hardware that let the eyes focus on your statement farmhouse furniture and pastoral decorations.
2. CONTEMPORARY/MODERN KITCHEN STYLES
Contemporary kitchen styles are a broad yet massively popular kitchen trend — once encompassing several unique fixtures.
You’ll find the modern kitchen’s signature showcasing man-made materials, open floor plans, clean horizontal lines and a streamlined, even sultry overall appearance. What modern and contemporary home design aesthetics may lack in the whimsical they make up with the cool and sleek, seen in:
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White or black cabinets: A modern kitchen’s clean appearance features monochromatic color schemes with simple white and black cabinetry, often in the unembellished slab-style cabinet doors.
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Artificial materials: Contemporary homes will often celebrate artificial or man-made materials across cabinets, cupboards, countertops, hardware and furniture. Ultra-reflective surfaces across materials like stainless steel, glass, concrete, slate and plastic create that of-the-moment, sleek finish.
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Chrome hardware: Mixed chrome cabinet knobs, hinges, handles, drawer pulls, slides, catches and latches are especially trendy with contemporary designs, lending a cutting-edge cabinetry touch.
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Floating shelves: Floating or exposed shelves trade classic, enclosed cabinets for the clean, horizontal lines so favored in this design style.
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Smart appliances: Responsive refrigerators, self-monitoring stovetops, remote-adjusting ovens and more make the contemporary kitchen feel like a futuristic kitchen, typically stationed in that open-concept overall layout.
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Mid-century modern furniture and light fixtures: Though from a bygone era, mid-century modern’s clean lines, simple color palettes and sleek, minimalistic builds are the perfect addition to a contemporary kitchen and dining space.
3. TRADITIONAL KITCHEN STYLES
Traditional kitchens seek to bring it back to the basics. Yet don’t confuse basic with boring. This kitchen design style foremost emphasizes the natural beauty of quality cabinetry, countertops and decorations, using them to curate a room that’s comfortable, warm, inviting and ultra-functional for real folks.
Traditional kitchen hallmarks include:
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White, black, brown and gray color schemes: Neutral walls and backsplashes create a flexible color template that harmonizes the entire kitchen’s appearance without being too “loud.”
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Natural woods cabinets with embellishments: Warm woods like walnut, cherry, birch and alder work great in the traditional-style kitchen, brought to life by cabinetry detailing such as raised panels, cabinet molding, and even decorative corbels and appliqués.
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Masonry countertops: Quartz, granite and marble countertops are the kings and queens of a traditionally styled kitchen, revered for their durability and their luxurious, timeless look.
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Simple, linear lines: Overall, a traditional kitchen aesthetic will use linear millwork and molding to elongate and accentuate cabinetry, islands and other kitchen staples, making them the focal points of the room.
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Tile backsplashes: Cream, khaki, white, gray or neutral tiles in ceramic or masonry patterns embellish kitchen walls, particularly in areas behind the stove and sink.
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Homey decorations: Succulents, family photos, wine racks, cookie jars, snack baskets and themed wall art keep things casual yet personal. Since the design goal of a traditional kitchen seeks to nurture homey familiarity with timeless style, these decorations make the kitchen feel your own without ever turning gaudy or gauche.
4. FRENCH KITCHEN STYLES
Transplant your home to the balmy, beautiful Mediterranean coastlines of Nice or the rolling green countryside of the Loire Valley with a French-inspired kitchen.
This kitchen style blends romantic, timeworn sensibilities with elegant chateau-like touches for uniquely European charm, right there in your home’s hearth. Use the following to capture the French kitchen design:
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Provencal color schemes: Provencal color schemes are rich, warm and sultry — anything from bronzes, russets and magentas to deep blue cobalt. Work these shades into decorative elements like tablecloths, seat cushions and curtains or as cabinet undertones.
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Stone or wood flooring: Add to the villa-like atmosphere with lived-in, gently worn stone or wood kitchen flooring in a range of color schemes.
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Hanging pots and pans: Hanging kitchen cookery above islands or stovetops adds a functional as well as decorative, homey twist, a signature of a french country kitchen.
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Warm-toned woods: Cabinets with strong, solid grains and deep, dark hues like mahogany match the romantic appearance, with bonus points for cabinets or countertops with decorative ogee edges.
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Gold or copper hardware: Polished or matte, these metallic hardware colors add depth and elegance to the overall kitchen style and go great with both its rustic as well as upscale finishes.
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Large farm-style table: A wide-beamed, long, country-style table seating eight or more is the perfect place to showcase your charcuterie boards and wine bottles as if you were in France cafe itself. Line the generous table with workbenches or country-style chairs for maximum charm.
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Handcrafted accents: Trinket ornaments, ceramic pottery, fresh-cut wildflowers and filled mason jars put the romantic finishing touches on this elegant yet approachable kitchen type.
5. COASTAL KITCHEN STYLES
From Cape Code to Monterey Bay, few things beat the aura of living oceanside. With a coastal-style kitchen, you experience the peace and serenity offered by the shoreline every time you step into this room.
Make the most of a contemporary coastal kitchen with these design elements:
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Cool color schemes: Soft palettes highlighting pastels and calming, earthy neutrals form a characteristic coastal color wheel — these include sky blues, seafoam greens, sunset golds and sandy ambers amongst bases of cloudy whites and creams.
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Light woods or granite countertops: Maintain that calm, natural atmosphere with light-colored cabinetry and countertops that’ll reflect sunlight and light up the space. You can even opt for pearly white marble or solid white-surface countertops for the ultimate light reflection.
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Statement backsplash: Pick one or two pastel-dominant, patterned tiles to use as a decorative backsplash in key kitchen areas, brightening the room’s mood as much as a beach vacation brightens yours.
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Wicker seating: Wicker dining furniture nods toward beachside bars and cafes where these chairs are common, cozy and oh-so-on-the-coast minded. Add blue, green or white cushions for additional comfort as well as to match your tiled backsplash and overall color scheme.
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Bar-style island: Center your coastal kitchen with a wide, functional island featuring several wicker-woven barstools.
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Statement pendant lighting: Pick sandy, light-colored pendants in bamboo or yellow birch to hang above your island and light up the entire kitchen.
6. COUNTRY KITCHEN STYLES
Country kitchens emphasize that homely, cozy and quaint atmosphere that everyone will feel instantly welcomed into.
Aim for kitchen designs that balance charm with simplicity, using earthy, natural materials, bright, clean colors and rustic furniture and decorative touches. Function overrides form with this aesthetic — though that doesn’t mean a country kitchen can’t be inspired, especially with these elements.
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Glassdoor cabinetry: Glass doors on paneled cupboards encourage that open, at-home feel that is so important to this kitchen design style — plus it is the best way to showcase that antique tea set passed down from your great-grandmother.
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Hardwood floors and cupboards: Trade tile or laminate for wide-beamed boards and highly grained hardwoods in gentle, off-gray shades, such as American walnut, poplar, whitewood or white oak.
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Exposed shelving, pots and pans: Visible kitchen cookware adds to the down-home, unpretentious charm of a country-style kitchen. Go the extra step by using refurbished freestanding cabinets, pantries and hutches.
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Restored shiplap or breadboard backsplash: The beam-based designs of both mirror the country barn look quintessential to this design scheme without being kitsch.
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Edison light bulb fixtures: This simple type of bulb embodies rustic charm while also nodding to the artisan and even craftsman-styles, depending on your chosen final fixtures.
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Classic range stove and farmhouse sink: Ideally in classic porcelain or a more modern copper or stainless steel, a classic range stove and farmhouse sink reinforce the functionality of a true country kitchen.
7. BOHEMIAN KITCHEN STYLES
Warmth, depth, color and texture are the hallmarks of a stylish bohemian kitchen. This aesthetic isn’t afraid to mix and match the unusual with the eccentric, building a one-of-a-kind room reflecting its owner’s personality.
Harness your inner free-spirit by working these bohemian design concepts into your kitchen:
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Bold color schemes: Boho chic embraces the rainbow, with a mix of vibrant, deep and earthy fabrics and decorative elements in mustards, indigos, evergreens, sages and burnt oranges.
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Floating shelves: Like other contemporary kitchen styles, the innate free-spiritedness of a boho kitchen pairs perfectly with the free, open and unencumbered look of floating shelves.
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Brass or rose-gold hardware: These rich hues in knobs, hatches, hinges, drawer pulls and more match the warming, colorful shades present in the rest of the kitchen.
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Textured carpets: Few other kitchen styles integrate bright, bold and patterned carpets like boho-styles. Aim for textured carpets and runners mimicking Moroccan, Persian or Turkish fabric designs.
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Plenty of plants: Hang plants along window ledges and hooks, or build a custom DIY house plant display to transform your boho kitchen into a jungle oasis.
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Macrame wall tapestries and placemats: Integrate handmade textures and fabrics into your wall art, seat cushions, table placemats and more for floor-to-ceiling homespun decor.
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Moroccan-style pendant lights: These hanging lanterns come in a range of sizes and styles, yet showcase lace-like wrought detailing that’ll push your kitchen’s hippie personality even further.
8. INDUSTRIAL KITCHEN STYLES
Bring the NYC-loft look to your home with an urban, industrial design scheme that’s cool, edgy and approachable all in one.
Homeowners love industrial designs because they’re ultra-contemporary yet equally low maintenance to clean and enhance. Many industrial designs seek to play off the innate “bones” of a home — its exposed brickwork, untouched paint, ceiling structures, pillars, beams and other raw, untreated wall and floor elements.
Get this trending industrial design scheme in your kitchen by incorporating the following features:
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Gray or black cabinetry: Dark cabinets in black, gray and charcoal create the sleek backdrop innate to an industrial kitchen, with minimalist slate or slab-style cabinet doors that are streamlined and unembellished.
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Monochrome hardware: Matte and polished monochrome cabinet hardware in steel, silver or chrome match the factory-industrial metals so innate to this scheme. Opt for modern fixtures in long, linear lines like horizontal drawer pulls over circular or square knobs.
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Stainless steel appliances: Stainless steel fridges, ovens, stovetops and microwaves are staples of an industrial kitchen and absolute musts for a functional and cohesive overall design.
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Concrete worktops: Go for a true, gritty industrial look by swapping natural countertops for minimalist concrete slabs with traditional or waterfall edges.
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Open concept: Open concept kitchens permit better natural light passage and play off that warehouse and factory floor plan vibe.
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Exposed brick and ductwork: Both these wall and ceiling staples transport you into an urban loft/converted warehouse setting that works as the backdrop for the rest of your kitchen’s furniture and decor.
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Pendant lightbulbs: Pendant-style light bulbs hanging from exposed beams and rafters are a raw lighting element perfect for the untreated, edgy ethos of industrial designs.
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Timber-iron furniture: Soft meets hard with kitchen furniture and accents that blend masculine metals with natural timber woods. In industrial kitchens, this combination can be found in barstools, tables, chairs, standalone pantries, floating shelves, bar carts and so much more, fabricated with the industrial aesthetic.
Whether you’re upgrading one kitchen feature or performing a top-down, complete remodel, Wolf-authorized dealers are ready to bring your tastes and vision to life.
