A Classic Kitchen

This kitchen is awesome! “Modern Farmhouse” is a serious trend these days and we have been watching all of our favorite designers dip their toes into the style – thanks Joanna Gaines!  But, there is something much more than trendy to this beautiful kitchen.  Design Exploder explores the elements of this design that we think will stand the test of time.

Work Surface

Every beautiful kitchen also needs to function well for the homeowner.  This means something different for everyone.  However, one fundamental functional need is an area to work.  It’s not just about having enough work surface, it’s about having enough work surface in the right places.  The designer needs to find room to prep, to cook, and to clean.

The Right Tools

Like every job or hobby, cooking is more enjoyable when you have the right tools in the right places.  Not every kitchen needs to be outfitted with the best looking or most expensive cooking and cleaning appliances.  To function well, it just needs the equipment to match each individual cook’s needs.  It is easy to get caught up in wanting the “dream” kitchen, but adding extra equipment you won’t use will cost more and take up valuable space.

A Place to Gather

There is no doubt that the kitchen has become the center of every modern cottage.  It is the place where we gather together and reconnect with our family, our friends, and ourselves.  Therefore, kitchens these days need a place to allow for people to get together in various types of functions, from homework to craft beer making.  The design challenge comes in making sure that the social aspect of the kitchen does not interfere with the functional part of the kitchen – cooking.   The use of an island or a farmhouse table is a great way to provide a social and work space, while at the same time, creating a “buffer” between social and function.

Style Points

This kitchen is dramatic, beautiful, and functional.  The vaulted ceilings add a sense of awe and inspiration.  Like traditional cathedral design, this space is meant to enlighten and uplift one’s spirit.  The high windows bring awesome natural light during the day.  We feel part of something larger when light fills our spaces and our hearts.

The farmhouse style elements: ceiling shape, painted wood beams, shiplap wood ceiling, white cabinets, wood tops, and dark wood floors, all help to ground the space in our minds.  We are familiar and comfortable with these elements.  We know where they come from and we’ve seen them all around us.  It’s the combination of the ultra dramatic space and the comfortable style that makes this a classic, modern cottage design.

Design Exploder is a “tool” used by Your MODERN COTTAGE to help explain why we like (and don’t like) the homes that we live in.  It explodes design elements into their basic form and gives us insight into how designers think.  We hope that this tool will empower you to understand your own homes and give you the confidence to make the changes that you need in order to improve your life.

We look forward to your comments, questions, and continued conversations!