Recipe for a Rustic Kitchen

We love the laid-back mood of a cozy rustic kitchen. If you’re dreaming of adding some rough-hewn charm to your cooking space, here are a few tips for designing a rustic mountain kitchen that’s both functional and inviting, inspired by this Montana ranch kitchen, which does it just right:

BARN WOOD Three old barns provided weathered fir boards that clad parts of this home’s exterior, with enough left over to fashion into these kitchen cabinets and a panel that conceals the modern refrigerator. The swirling marks of the circular saw blade add authentic character.

GALVANIZED STEEL Old galvanized-steel roadside billboards (dotted with bullet holes) cover sections of the kitchen wall. “We use magnets to hang posters and attach spice jars near the stove,” the homeowner says.

OPEN SHELVING Vintage china and stemware displayed on open shelves adds a casual, cabin-friendly touch.

FARMHOUSE SINK The simplicity of an apron-front sink in classic white ceramic, warm hammered copper or rich stone, paired with a traditional-style faucet, evokes the spirit of country washbasins from a bygone era.

Can’t get enough rustic style? Here’s a photo gallery of some of our favorite rustic rooms from the pages of Mountain Living.

Photo by Audrey Hall