6 Ways to Create a Shabby Chic Kitchen

6 Ways to Create a Shabby Chic Kitchen

Inspired by the actual working farmhouse kitchens of the 18th century, the shabby chic kitchen is an informal blend of the practical and the pretty.

You don’t have to reside in a large country house with an aga to achieve a shabby chic-style kitchen (though wouldn’t that be nice).

Instead, there are numerous ways to turn your kitchen into a rustic retreat: here are 6 decoration ideas and product suggestions from Pretty Little Home to help inspire.

Keep a neutral base but introduce colour elsewhere

The shabby chic colour palette tends to be neutral tones.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean beige-beige everywhere. Gentle shades of blue, green or turquoise work well particularly on cupboard or cabinet doors.

You can inject pops of light colour here and there with kitchen ware, ornaments or even flowers (take a look at our lovely collection of faux stems and vases for inspiration). And use faded florals, stripes or gingham on soft furnishings or for the kitchen table cloth.

Use distressed furniture

Another hallmark of the shabby chic aesthetic is distressed or white-washed furniture.

When envisaging the farmhouse-style, shabby chic kitchen, a centrally-placed large wooden table springs to mind.

However, if your kitchen can’t fit a large table, antique-looking console tables, used as dressers or even extra work surfaces, are an excellent alternative.  

Wood or wood-effect worktops

Natural materials such as wood are perfect for creating a cottage-style kitchen. Solid oak kitchen worktops are a popular choice owing to their durability (and their beauty!). However, laminate wood-effect tops can work just as well.

Laminate worktops are cheaper than real wood and many recreate the distressed wood look very authentically – which saves you the work and the pennies! 

If you do want the solid wood option, avoid walnut and beech as these tend to be more in keeping with modern kitchen interiors. 

Embrace freestanding appliances

Modern kitchen designs favour kitchen appliances built into the units or hiding them behind cupboard doors. However, mismatching, freestanding appliances are perfect for the shabby chic kitchen aesthetic.

The best way to pull this off and ensure your kitchen looks more chic than shabby is to opt for units with legs instead of a baseboard flush with the floor. 

Paradoxically, if all the kitchen units look freestanding, the overall decor looks neater. Freestanding units tend to be cheaper than in-built ones, too.

Choose open shelves

The unfitted effect is encouraged in the shabby chic kitchen. One way to do this well is by allowing open shelves.

This might seem scary to some as it might equate to messiness, but done the right way, it can give your kitchen old-world charm.

For example, display only crockery of a similar look or that’s in keeping with the room scheme, and decant dried foods into decorative storage canisters, like our pretty, heart glass jars.

Keep modern appliances out of sight

To the above point, taking care with what is on show in your kitchen is paramount to achieving more chic than shabby.

Having electrical appliances on display (think: blenders, coffee machines, or particularly modern-looking microwaves) will contradict the rustic atmosphere.

Display the rustic crockery on the open shelves and hide the contemporary electricals away in the cupboards. 

Browse all shabby chic home furnishings at Pretty Little Home.