The Difference Between Rustic and Country Kitchen Styles Explained

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June 27, 2017

Many people confuse rustic and country styles.

And there’s a simple reason for this. The two styles unquestionably feature many of the same decorative motifs and themes – so there’s plenty of crossover.

That said, there are still many differences between the two styles.

For starters, country kitchens include a much wider span of design elements.

They contain casual country, formal country, country cottage, farmhouse country, and english country. All these design styles are different from rustic country designs.

Rustic kitchens have narrowly defined decor elements that vary slightly by region.

FURNISHINGS

One of the major differences between rustic and country kitchens is the worn-down, beaten up, battered, appearance of flooring, furniture, cabinetry, and accessories in rustic kitchens.

Weathered accessories and furniture are important design elements. They add a level of authenticity to rustic kitchens.

Understandably, many people incorporate some antiquated elements into their country kitchen designs, while others contain more modern and new furnishings that have a warmer and softer appeal.

Just about all furniture in a rustic kitchen is made of reclaimed wood, antique metals, wrought iron, vintage glass, or primitive linens.

Rustic kitchens look like log cabins and mountain lodges and typically feature wooden ceiling beams and hardwood floors.

When decorating a rustic kitchen, you may opt for weathered wood, tin accessories, and antique artifacts.

COLORS

Country kitchens include a wide range of color combinations.

They combine vibrant hues, warm neutrals, and cheerful tones.

Many people opt for colors such as canary yellow, cherry red, royal blue, hunter green, beige, Wedgewood blue, light brown, pale green, and warm apricot for country kitchen designs.

Rustic kitchens feature earth tones and neutral color combinations with minimal contrast between hues. Many people opt for chocolate brown, rust orange, deep warm red, gray, dark blue, forest green, dark yellow-gold, off-white or tan.

WOOD TONES AND TYPES

Rustic and country kitchens contain large amounts of woodwork and wooden furnishings.

However, each style contains it’s own use of colors and stains.

For instance, oak is a common wood choice for country settings. That’s because of the “flower” grain in the wood. Oak can be stained a variety of colors to coordinate with country designs.

Rustic kitchens utilize warm, natural wood tones. Many people opt for knotty pine, hickory or alder wood in their rustic kitchens.

REGIONAL COMPONENTS

Rustic kitchen accessories often play off small-town culture, local history, and geographical features.

Some rustic kitchens have regional American appeal. This includes Southwestern, Central Plains, Adirondack, Appalachian, Mountain West, or Pacific Northwest design elements.

For example, many people incorporate pottery, woven textiles and American Indian artifacts into a rustic kitchen in the Southwest.

In Appalachian rustic kitchens many people opt for antique coal-mining lanterns, vintage fishing supplies, and authentic handmade quilts.

Country kitchen themes usually aren’t typically designed around local culture. They tend to fall into more general categories such as English, French, cottage, modern, farmhouse, and more traditional decor styles.

Hopefully this short article gave you a better understanding of the subtle, and not so subtle differences between rustic and country kitchen design styles.

And of course, Builder Supply Outlet and the Edge Showroom carry the top kitchen cabinet brands including Waypoint, Shiloh, Aspect, Eclipse, Prior Creek, MidContinent, and Bertch. Stop in anytime to learn more about kitchen cabinets or make an appointment and meet with an Edge Kitchen and Bath Designer absolutely FREE by clicking here.

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