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How to get the white farmhouse kitchen

Dorset Reclaimed Wood Dining Table and Bench

The farmhouse kitchen is a stylish option for any home. Here’s how to give it an industrial twist, a fantastic way of switching up a style that is both functional and practical.

1 Open shelving

A common feature of the farmhouse kitchen is to have items – pretty accessories and essential – on display. Open shelving can help to maximise the feeling of space in the kitchen too.

The reclaimed wood dresser gives you the best of both worlds with a mix of open shelving and cupboard space for things you may want to hide away. Choose the slight distressed white finish so you don’t end up with too much of a bright, ‘modern’ white finish.

2 The farmhouse kitchen table is a key player

No matter how tight your budget, you need to be assigning a fair chunk of it to the farmhouse dining table. It is, after all, the heart of the home and in the farmhouse style, the bigger the better.

The six-seater extendable wooding dining trestle table is perfect. It gives you ample eating space without compromising on style.

If you want a less formal eating space, ring the changes with a bar table and stools set up. A great way of adding your own twist on this popular style.

In fact, the kitchen bar stools are a functional addition, perfect for when you have more guests than dining chairs at the table.

3 The dining chairs have a place too

The dining chairs are an important component of creating a stylish farmhouse kitchen. The half wood, half upholstered dining chair is the perfect compromise if you feel that an all-upholstered fabric dining chair wouldn’t last the test of time and use in your busy family kitchen.

With the padded, upholstered seat, the slightly distressed white painted frame of the wooden dining chairs dovetail nicely with the reclaimed wood dresser.

4 Sassy lighting

Another great way of adding your own stamp on things is to opt for a central light that oozes both sophistication and character.

It has a pleasant industrial, almost café-style about it but the hanging pendant light with glass shade is the perfect fusion of industrial, rustic and farmhouse rolled into one.

Hang it over your statement table and watch the patina of the reclaimed wood dining table dance and glow under its soft lighting.

5 Don’t over style it

The farmhouse look is deliciously informal and yet, when it comes to kitchens – more so fitted ones – we tend to think too hard about every detail.

Relax with the white farmhouse kitchen look but pay attention to some of the smaller details. For example, don’t opt for the fully fitted look. Opt for half and half with plenty of freestanding furniture – if the wood dresser is too ‘obvious’, opt for a sideboard in the kitchen which will work just as well.

The distressed, slightly rustic look of this reclaimed wood furniture staves off criticisms of it looking too modern and too sleek, but pay careful attention to the handles – opt for metal, low-key handles rather than wooden knobs or colours.

Why not send us photos of your farmhouse kitchen? We love to be inspired by our customers.

Bring bling to the farmhouse dining table for holidays

How to create the farmhouse bedroom

Bring some sunshine yellow to your dining room

The colour of hope, sunshine and happiness, yellow is a colour loved by many.

But in terms of interior styling, some believe it is a difficult colour to work with. Some shades are strong and golden, but others are barely whispers of yellow and yet, match it against another darker, bolder colour and it takes on a creaminess of lightly churned butter.

We are here to show you that you can work with yellow, and it does work in the dining room with reclaimed furniture. and although we are focussed on summer – because why not? The sun is shining! – yellow is a colour you can use all year round.

Brighten the gloom and grey of winter with it or welcome the autumn with it or dash away winter by marrying it with spring. But this summer, use it in the dining room.

Yellow and the farmhouse style

Yellow works with most styles, just vary the shade to match. But there is one that welcomes it, no matter how golden or light in shade it is– the farmhouse style.

How many reclaimed wood dining tables do we see, resplendent with yellow checks and dainty fellow flowers? An uplifting sight if ever there was one. There’s something about a farmhouse dining table bedecked in yellow that brings out the sunshine in us all.

Ice cream yellow

Pantone are the colour experts thus when they released a colour scheme of ice cream pastel, including a delicious yellow, we collectively swooned.

A mid-tone yellow, it can be used as the star of the show or, as an accent, it is that versatile.

Throw caution to the wind

If you are cautious, then opt for painted walls that you could change with a swish of a paint roller but live with it, for a few months at least.

For the less cautious of you, why not try;

·Rug – a rug in the dining room should be essential in our humble opinion. This Vanilla Dream yellow rug is the perfect addition, and a dream indeed. Light in shade it isn’t overly bearing in terms of yellow, just enough to stand out.

·Armchair – Would you dare? As an accent colour, yellow we think is one of the best, something we have written on before. A deep, mustard yellow or even sunshine yellow is a sheer delight.

·Dining chair – make sunshine in your home a permanent feature with yellow fabric dining chairs and watch as people admire your courage in styling.

Yellow accessories

Sunflowers, one of the happiest flowers in the world. And it is magical too because who can fail to raise a smile when they see the proud, pristine yellow head of the sunflower in gardens and vases?

Fabulous in a large, slender vase, sunflowers will last a time in the dining room, as will other yellow flowers. Change the water daily and let them enjoy the sunshine on a window sill – look out for blousy yellow chrysanthemums, for example.

Plant pots and window boxes with yellow pansies and violas, intercepting them with the orange of marigolds to vary the appeal.

Good for the soul and the mind

There is some research that suggests eating foods that are yellow – as well as red and orange – are full on sunshine because, it is, after all, why they are yellow in the first place.

From yellow peppers to varieties of tomatoes, using yellow ingredients and eating yellow foods can help your sense of well-being.

There are some in the Mediterranean who believe sunshine food served alongside oily fish is the perfect antidote to feeling blue.

We’d go along with this theory, especially if it means your food is as uplifting as the décor you’ve created in your dining room!

How to take the stress out of hosting dinner parties

A well-hosted dinner party looks effortless. And yet, beneath its serene waters, the host is paddling furiously and has been for days!

Stress no more with these great tips for hosting a dinner party.

PLANNING

·Consider the guest list carefully – the overall success of a dinner party depends largely on who you have gathered around your bespoke and beautiful reclaimed wood dining table. If people don’t know each other, consider what they have in common before sitting them around the farmhouse dining table. Without pre-planning the guest list, you could find the source of stress is complete lack of conversation between guests.

·Decide the menu in good time – and stick with what you know. If you are experimenting with a dish, cook it at least twice before the dinner party to get the taste and seasoning right, as well as the presentation. It is also wise to ask about allergies and intolerances.

·Prep food in advance – starting with the hard stuff first! Stress-free dinner party hosts will make a range of desserts, for example, a day ahead of the dinner party so that the final course is effortless, leaving the host to concentrate on the main meal, the lynchpin of a fabulous dinner party.

·Set the table in advance – and not at the last minute! Finding out 20 minutes before your guests arrive you don’t have enough soup spoons or dessert forks is sure to send you into a spin.

TOP TIP – The dining room

They say that atmosphere is people, and ambience the setting. Thus, spending time creating a stunning dining table setting is not wasted.

Luxe Kensington dining table styled by Sarah-Jane

But it isn’t just the dining table;

·Theme – whichever theme you have decided to opt for, continue elements of this on the dining room sideboard cabinet and the display unit too. For example, a large floral centrepiece could have echoes of smaller, flower posies in vases on the sideboard and mantelpiece.

·The hardware – the dining table will have the dinner service and other accessories to glamourize it but make sure you afford the fabric dining chairs the same treatment. Wipe over with a damp cloth and use a soft bristled brush to sweep the weft in the same direction. If you have invested in the upholstered dining bench with your table, make sure this stunner is stunning!

PARTY!

The party starts with you, thus you need to be;

·The host with the most – and that means having snippets of information about guests stored ready for you as you introduce people. With your prepping and planning done, there is nothing more to be done than relaxing with your guests.

·Background details – such as soft, flowing music is a must and takes away the awkward background silence that can linger heavily on the guests. So way before the evening starts, spend time on Spotify and the like, creating a dinner party music list that lasts a long time.

·Be a great host but not too serious – dinner parties are not meant to be stuffy affairs but a chance to get to know different people, enjoy company and great food too.

Share your dinner party stories with us – the good and the bad!

How to successfully mix farmhouse with industrial style

Mixing key elements of interior design styles is not unheard of. In fact, by doing so, over the years designers have created whole new style systems.

The industrial look and the farmhouse style may seem light years apart but there are similarities in the thinking behind them. Both styles, for example, came about as a direct response to the environment: the industrial look in the heart of the city and the farmhouse look in the rolling hills of the countryside.

Both use natural materials – the industrial look is a pleasing combination of steel, raw brick and reclaimed wood, whilst the farmhouse style also used materials to hand, mainly wood and of course, wool. Thus, opting for reclaimed wood furniture would service both.

Painted farmhouse furniture such as dining room sets are not uncommon. With a coat of white paint, an item could be transformed from dull to bright and chic. Colour is used well in the industrial look too.

How can you successfully mix farmhouse dining chairs with an industrial dining table (or vice versa)?

Mix of STYLE

For an eclectic but successful combo between farmhouse and industrial, choosing items that are clearly of both styles and fitting together produces a pleasing finish.

For example, choose a dining table that is clearly of the farmhouse style, such as this beautiful farmhouse dining table and match it with unashamedly industrial seating. These simple, elegant, hand-painted timber frame industrial dining chairs would be the perfect foil. And don’t forget, a dining bench would look great too!

For it to be successful make either the table or seating the star of the show in this combination.

Mix of MATERIAL

Both styles use a mix of natural materials, defined in the industrial sense of materials that you be familiar with in an industrial landscape. That is the grit and cold of steel and the heavy wood of the farmhouse.

Mixing materials can bring about stunning effects. Industrial furniture can have the steeliness of black metal or it can have a slightly refined edge to it.

The industrial-inspired Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wood Dining Chair, for example, is refined and subtle.

Make it even more successful with a modern pendant light as THE statement feature.

Mix of COLOUR

The industrial look can shine with dark colours whilst the farmhouse shimmers with lighter, but still colourful palettes.

Painted furniture is a staple of the farmhouse look and can work well against the traditional moody colours of the industrial look – the clever trick is that both have a neutral palette, with no one colour being overly dominant.

The upholstered Ambrose Dining Chair would marry perfectly the simple Maddox industrial dining table because nobody said mixing styles has to be complicated or contrived.

There are so many ways to combine these two styles. How will you do it?

Get the cosiest farmhouse look in a small kitchen

Hoxton Oak Dining Table and Upholstered Dining Chairs

The farmhouse look is practical, with more than a hint of comfort. The original styling by farming families years ago would have been created from materials to hand thus wood features heavily in this interior design style.

Possibly because the wood was of different types, shades and quality, wooden furniture was often painted.

And colour was introduced in other ways too – from varnishing to painting walls, to curtains and other soft furnishings.

Golden yellows and pretty greens would probably have been the colours or choice, with bright white playing a prominent part, especially in the kitchen.

If you are looking to create the farmhouse style in your home, it is a style that works well in the small kitchen.

The heart of the home

The farmhouse kitchen table was – and still is – the heart of the home, with the process of eating together the main event of the day.

Mimic this in your home with a dining area or table that draws people to it. The oak dining table with its statement legwork grabs attention if you have the space. Whilst we tend to think of the traditional farmhouse table being rectangle, as in this case, with the head of the household sat at the head, this shape may not be the most versatile in the smaller kitchen.

Versatility is gained from extending dining tables, perfect for unfolding and putting away when no longer in use. The central pedestal leg is this round extendable dining table is again a feature because there is nothing in the farmhouse design rulebook that says there cannot be a detail that covets attention.

The seating is important. When space is limited, there is no denying the versatility of a dining bench. Plus, with a rectangular dining table, it fits neatly underneath, affording you valuable extra space when the dining table is not in use.

Handy hint – the dining bench looks fabulous in the hallway too.

The farmhouse dresser

It was – and still is – the stale of the farmhouse style. It is grand and imposing – it is meant to be this – it makes a statement and yet, oozes practicality from every knot in the wood, every curve and hinge: the farmhouse dresser.

But don’t cramp your small kitchen with a size of dresser that you don’t need. A small display cabinet works just as well to show off your finest chine (a charity shop will do!) and keep your practical, everyday plates and bowls in the cupboard beneath.

Of course, there is nothing to say that the farmhouse dresser in all its glory cannot be used in another room.

Copper and brass

The shiny stainless steel and aluminium or the painted side of pans and pots didn’t come about until modern times. Although they may complement your farmhouse kitchen, if you want authenticity, there is no substitute for brass or copper pans.

Admittedly more expensive than other pan sets, both of these metals age beautifully with wear and use. And they look great against the white painted furniture that is so common in the farmhouse kitchen too.

Have you been inspired to get the farmhouse kitchen look?

Update your living room in the warm and welcoming farmhouse style

Our ancestors from decades ago would never have considered that their practical homes, built and customised with materials at hand, would become a much-sought-after interior design style. And popular it is, with many people turning to the farmhouse style for the living room and across the home.

No wonder – warm, relaxed and cosy, there is a simplicity to the style that is easy to achieve. Why not add these twists and bring about an air of the modern to the style in your living room?

Paying homage

Have you seen anything more stunning than this leather armchair? We doubt it. Plush upholstery matching with the coolness of leather.

The farmhouse style is comfort, which makes sense when you consider the weary bones of a farming family after a long hard day on the farm. Sink into the comfort of this Preston Armchair after your busy day and you’re sure to agree.

Coffee table with storage

Everything about the farmhouse style has to ooze practicality. To stay true to its origins, there is little in the way of frivolous touches in the original farmhouse interior landscape.

Of course, we expect a dash of frivolous here and there but when it comes to something like the coffee table, practical is essential. There are many choices of coffee table with storage from this pleasantly rustic looking reclaimed wood trunk to the refined appeal of this white framed reclaimed wood coffee table with shelf and drawers. Both have so much potential, so much beauty, just how will you decide between the two?

Accessories

Just because there was little ‘frivolousness’ about this originally, doesn’t mean you can’t add your own touches of luxury.

Detailing is important but in keeping with the farmhouse style appeal, retain elements of nature and the great outdoors.

The canvas art of the beautiful hare, with its soft stance and delightful dropping ear, would look simply fantastic.

A flat-weave rug, with ‘faded’ colours that don’t detract but harmonise your choices of farmhouse furniture, will also add the practical warmth underfoot, as well as warmth and cosiness to the eye. Choose the right size, erring on the side of caution and opting for a large one. The Vanilla cameo rug, for example, has colour without being over the top.

The farmhouse style is a wonderful way to add warmth to the living room – how will you style yours?

Bring the comfort of the farmhouse style in your dining room

It’s hard to tire of beautiful farmhouse décor. Whether used in your kitchen, living room or bedroom, there is a warmth or comfort about the simple yet luxurious style of farmhouse furniture.

One way to introduce a more modern take on the classic farmhouse style is by adding a trestle dining table. A trestle table with legs at each end allows for more room at the corners (making it ideal for large family dinners) and is the perfect accompaniment for a stunning dining bench, another farmhouse style favourite.

Coloured painted furniture is another staple for creating a farmhouse style kitchen or dining room. In terms of colour, it doesn’t get better or more elegant than grey, being the perfect colour to blend with gorgeous mid-toned wood and being far more practical for family life than white! A painted farmhouse dining table will create the perfect base for your dining room, and paired with matching chairs creates a simple palette for you to have fun with when it comes to smaller accessories.

Alternatively, to keep your space light, bright and open light, grey-toned wood with a painted white base might be the perfect option. Combining painted furniture and the trestle base trends, one of our Mayfair dining room sets may be perfect – our pick would be the large trestle table which comes with the option of a combination of chairs and a bench, or just chairs if you’d prefer.

In terms of décor, there are two ways to go. For a more Texas farmhouse take on farmhouse décor, bold patterns are a fabulous option. A red buffalo check print or white and blue prints you might find on vintage china are a great way of injecting farmhouse décor.

A slightly more classic version of farmhouse style is created with the use of neutral colours. Metal plants with gorgeous green plants or lavender to add a bit of colour to your window sill or the centre of your dining table are simple accessories with a huge impact. Complete the look with lots of texture – a combination of knitted cushions and fur throws for that luxurious finish with metal accents such a metal basket for logs (for an injection of industrial style) makes for a really aesthetic farmhouse finish.

Which room would be your pick to inject farmhouse style into?