There’s More to Farmhouse Kitchen Cabinets Than Reclaimed Wood

Seven fresh ideas that will transport you to the countryside.
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floor to ceiling glass cabinets
Photography Courtesy of Sabbe Interior Design

Most of us don’t see rolling pastoral hills and grazing sheep when we look out our kitchen window. (Odds are you’ve got a picturesque view of your neighbor’s backyard.) The good news is you don’t need to move to the countryside to channel cozy-quaint vibes at home—farmhouse cabinets will transport you there (visually, at least). 

The homey cupboard style tends to lack ornamentation, but there are infinite ways to spice it up and make it your own. Whether finished in a dark paint color, made to look distressed, or topped with antique brass latches, it doesn’t require much to achieve a twist on that quintessential rustic look. These seven takes on farmhouse cabinets are all different, but the result is the same: You’ll want to put on a pot of tea and curl up by the fire. 

Lighten Up Dark Lowers

black lower cabinets
Photography by Mikkel Vang

A little contrast will keep your space from feeling dim and dreary. At her upstate New York retreat, Keren Craig repainted the original lower cabinets a deep gray (Astronomical by Behr) but didn’t touch the glass-front ones above, maintaining a sense of airiness in the tight space.   

Play Up Industrial Metals With Slate Gray 

large kitchen with wood beams
Photography courtesy of Studio Mcgee

A towering aluminum hood and exposed wood beams are the clear stars of this Studio McGee–designed kitchen, so a bright cabinet color would have only competed. This soothing shade (Grays Harbor by Sherwin-Williams) makes the features pop.

Pepper Antique Finds Throughout 

white and wood space
Photography by Reid Rolls; Design by Leanne Ford

These raw wood cabinets might be new (they were custom made by Wood & Wrench), but Leanne Ford filled this space with tons of storied elements to give them character, like a vintage nautical pendant over a salvaged table.

Bring on the Butcher Block

tiny kitchen with butcher block counter
Photography by Addie Juell

The right countertop choice can make all the difference. Lisa Przystup took her plain white cabinets to farmhouse status by adding beadboard to the walls and opting for the chef-friendly surface. 

Pair It With a Textured Backdrop 

gray kitchen with oriental rug
Photography by Amanda Kirkpatrick, Design by Hendricks Churchill

In this country house, designed by Hendricks Churchill, the new slab-front doors are made to look like they’ve been there for centuries, thanks to a matching tongue-and-groove backsplash, which drives home the old-world aesthetic. 

Disguise Storage With Lots of Detailing 

black kitchen with lots of glass doors
Photography Courtesy of Champalimaud

The glass doors in this dreamy Tuscan escape offer the best of both worlds: The swooping curves obscure the not-so-aesthetically-pleasing items, but the exposed bits continue the light and breezy feel of the surrounding open shelving. 

Elevate Your Storage

This clever setup by Sabbe Interior Design takes full advantage of floor-to-ceiling built-ins with the help of a utility ladder. Brass latch hardware, which ensures no doors ever get left partway open, is functionality at its finest. 

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Lydia Geisel Avatar

Lydia Geisel

Home Editor

Lydia Geisel has been on the editorial team at Domino since 2017. Today, she writes and edits home and renovation stories, including house tours, before and afters, and DIYs, and leads our design news coverage. She lives in New York City.