Category Archives: Rustic Cabinets

Rustic Kitchen Cabinets, Barn Lights, and Other Country Details for Your Kitchen

Not everyone can live in the country. Not everyone wants to live in the country. I do, and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Yet many people long for the simplicity and comfort that a country setting—and home—convey.

How do you manage the ambiance of a country home while still living within a reasonable distance of your job and your child’s school? By decorating your home in a style that gives the appearance of being in the country, and all of the warmth and comfort that implies.

Rustic kitchens are popular right now for this very reason: People want the feel of a country kitchen without the country lifestyle. And today it’s easier than ever to get the look of country living—without the long drives and the muddy dogs that come along with it. As a homeowner, you can easily have your new kitchen designed to have a rustic kitchen look, whether you want something subtle or you want to go all out.

Rustic kitchen cabinets
For a country kitchen, start with rustic kitchen cabinets. These don’t have to be made out of barn wood or leftover pallets, threatening to give you slivers each time you open a kitchen cabinet door or drawer. Rustic cabinets are every bit as polished and high-quality as something sleek and modern, but they have an unfinished appearance, or wood with grain and knots that give it character, or a distressed look with dings and dents. Or rustic kitchen cabinets can be stained or painted and then distressed. (Read about the different glazing and painting techniques you can choose from.)

Walls, floors, countertops and ceilings for a rustic kitchen
Today’s country kitchens have a rustic look with exposed wooden beams running across the ceiling, tile work that resembles stone along the floor, or brick work as part of the floor or walls. Rustic elements can be introduced with countertop materials that are natural or rough looking, such as granite or cement. In some kitchens, a painted wood floor distressed to look aged and well-worn adds a rustic feel. When it comes to rustic, you have many ways to achieve the look!

Accents for a country kitchen with a rustic feel
You also have countless choices when considering accessories for a rustic kitchen. From mismatched antique furniture to barn lights to pot racks fashioned from unusual pieces (such iron bed frames and ladders), you can be as creative as your heart desires in adding additional rustic design elements. Your faucet, sink and appliances also play a large role in the finished look of your kitchen, so choose them with care if you’re envisioning a country kitchen and all the comfort it conveys.

If you’re budget is limited, however, or you’re not able to redo the whole kitchen with a rustic feel, consider focusing on rustic kitchen cabinets as the first part and the foundation for the rest of the kitchen. Once the cabinets are in place, other decorative elements can be changed out over time to create a kitchen that’s as rustic or refined as you’ve been imagining—and desiring—from the start.

Traditional Cabinets Go Rustic and Artisanal With Semi Custom Cabinets

Artisan products are enjoying immense popularity these days, as I’m sure you know! From artisanal cheeses to breads, even beers, consumers are seeking out foods and goods crafted in hand-crafted, traditional ways.

This preference for the artisanal and hand-crafted is showing up in home décor as well. Only go to Pinterest to search, and you’ll see all manner of rustic furniture, accessories and design ideas—even furniture built from pallet boards.

That popularity has naturally carried over into kitchen design as well, where we see rustic and artisan-influenced elements appearing—and we have customers asking us for rustic or artisan-styled kitchen cabinets.

We are only too happy to oblige! Of our dozens of semi custom cabinet styles, many of our traditional cabinets work nicely for a rustic look or artisan feel. Choose one of our glazed finishes—including heirloom glazes, brushed glazes and glaze applied over paint—and those traditional cabinets will look even more rustic.

For a rustic cabinet that still has the beauty of wood grain without glazing, we have created two styles specifically for this style of kitchen: the Artisan and the Retreat. The Artisan is fancier, with more detailing, and is available with arch design. The Retreat is simple, almost Shaker-like in design, with the details provided by the intricate patterning of the wood grain.

Why are rustic-looking traditional cabinets so appealing?
Why this surge in interest in a rustic look? Perhaps it’s because it’s so homey, warm and comfortable. A home or kitchen with a rustic feel looks lived-in, promising comfort and coziness. Maybe it’s all part of wanting the artisanal foods as well, as we move away from the mass-produced products that have become so pervasive.

In part, maybe it’s our reaction to the technology that has become such an integral part of our daily lives. Maybe we want a rustic, hand-crafted design in our kitchens to offer us a contrast to all of that high-tech, always-connected, always-on way of living.

Traditional cabinets that are truly artisanal
Regardless of the reason for the popularity, there’s another meaning to that word “artisan” when we talk about kitchens: how we build semi custom cabinets.

Semi custom cabinets are hand-crafted. Although not totally custom-built (which is a cost-prohibitive option for most homeowners anyway), traditional cabinets such as those crafted at Wellborn Forest Products are built to order…for you. You choose the style, the finish, even the hardware. You give us the dimensions. And we build your semi custom cabinets just for you and your dream kitchen.

We’re not so artisanal that we’re building your cabinets with old-fashioned lathes and hand-cranked tools. We do use modern machinery and techniques in the making of your cabinets! Yet our approach is artisanal, as we build these cabinets specifically for you, and your rustic kitchen design.

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