Our Kitchen Design Experts Answer: What is Modern Country?

Much like the rest of the Australia, we have been binging the latest series of The Block (and yes, the upcoming kitchen week is our favourite of course!). Much as we anticipated in our 2022 Kitchen Trends eBook, Modern Farmhouse has had a recent resurgence in popularity, as a fresher take on the traditional country kitchen style. 

With the country style kitchen making a comeback in 2022, we are getting asked how to  incorporate this traditional kitchen style into your modern home. So, we are answering the burning question: what exactly is a country style kitchen and how has the country farmhouse kitchen influenced modern country kitchen styles today?

Modern country or modern farmhouse (what we like to call it) is the country inspired kitchen with the warmth and homeliness of the rural kitchen but refreshed with luxury inclusions and modern kitchen design features.

You’ll easily recognise country-style kitchens by their character which typically reflect their natural surroundings and setting. 

So what does a country style kitchen look like in 2022?

There are some characteristic design features we all come to expect with the country style kitchen like a freestanding oven. But in 2022 we could see this done in a bright or contrasting colour that adds real wow factor.

 Butlers (or Apron) sinks may or may not be chosen these days for this style of kitchen and tapware technology challenges this style too with many of our clients opting for luxury selections that include touchless operation and hot water features.

Traditional country kitchens typically feature rustic touches such as wooden cabinetry, brass handles, and open shelving to curate cookware, repurposed treasures, antiques and greenery.

With that, let’s take a look at some of the defining features of a country kitchen.

Shaker cabinetry is at the heart of the modern country style

Shaker or profiled cabinetry has always been the most defining feature of country style kitchen design. Today, modern country kitchens typically feature pared back styles that aren’t fussy and overly detailed. Think Polytec Hamptons or Ascot profiles and then imagine these in a kitchen in a beautiful Prime Oak, Florentine Walnut or a two tone colour scheme. This combination creates a beautiful modern rustic vibe. Alternatively, you could choose the Polytec Manhattan profile in a flat colour such as Polytec Topiary. This reflects a modern look paired with an earthy colour that has a beautiful smooth surface. 

Cabinetry design in a modern country kitchen embraces current trends like floor-to-ceiling designs and kitchen integration. Glass-fronted cabinet designs or open shelf designs in contrasting colours as statement pieces are typical of a modern country style kitchen.

Embrace Mesh Cabinetry — an emerging trend!

Reminiscent of past colonial or farmhouse style kitchens — mesh cabinetry is an emerging kitchen design trend right now. It’s a bespoke luxury inclusion for your kitchen that can be applied as a design feature across one section or multiple areas of cabinets or drawers.

Mesh cabinetry embraces texture and creates an obscured view of your cupboard internals — making it a strong design choice (in the right design setting). It’s common to find mesh featuring in overhead cabinetry that contains pretty glassware, bowls and plates for a beautifully curated kitchen. 

Mesh Cabinetry looks wonderful in a traditional style kitchen that has shaker or profile style cabinetry throughout, and it can also work well with flat panel cabinetry. It’s typically applied to square or rectangular-shaped doors but it can also be custom-built to embrace curves in a kitchen design where the mesh is applied in the doors.

Modern country design favours kitchen integration

Modern country kitchens in 2022 include all the luxury design features that make our life easier – but keep them hidden behind clever custom cabinetry designs. Kitchen integration keeps all your favourite appliances from your coffee machine to your combi oven and fridges completely concealed so as not to affect the overall look and feel.

You can easily create clever storage in your kitchen with Hafele smart storage options or indulge in integrated waste bins, Le Mans Corner Units, Tandem Pantries and appliance cupboards to create aesthetically beautiful designs that respect functional work zones in your kitchen. 

Kitchen integration doesn’t need to stop at your kitchen tools: including luxury Point Pods in your kitchen benchtops removes unsightly looking power points from your overall design, while Docking drawers create dedicated technology zones where your devices can be stored and charged out of sight leaving you with clutter-free benchtops. 

Texture is the bedrock of good modern country design in 2022

Texture is always important, but when it comes to country kitchen designs, it becomes all the more critical to ensuring the marriage of old and new. Correct use of texture complements the modern country kitchen and can be achieved with the use of mixed materials across your design. Country style kitchens will typically pay homage to their natural surroundings and mixing wooden features throughout helps embrace this trend.

Selecting custom benchtops is another fantastic way to embrace the textural trend in the modern country kitchen. We recommend Caesarstone as it has some beautiful selections like Cloudburst Concrete offering a white tonal pattern and a rough finish. Pair this with shaker style cabinetry and a textured tiled splashback and you’re well on your way to creating a textural kitchen design that combines traditional kitchen elements with modern luxury appeal.

Another stunning combination for the modern farmhouse kitchen is a woodgrain style laminate like Polytec Prime Oak paired with Caesarstone Adamima benchtops which has a beautiful earthy complexion. 

If you want to learn more about how texture can enhance country farmhouse kitchen design, our team will be happy to walk you through our process and assist in designing, building and installing your dream kitchen.

Open shelving is typical of modern country kitchen design

Open, or floating kitchen shelving as a design and storage feature is another distinctive feature of the country kitchen. It brings the warmth and homeliness of a dedicated space where you can store and display cookware, cookbooks, homewares and antiques together with a modern touch that rejects the idea that we need to store everything in cupboards and cabinets. 

Open shelving favours a minimalistic approach while allowing you to showcase beloved items as statement pieces — and change them frequently. 

Modern country or farmhouse kitchens blend the traditional use of the open farmhouse shelf with modern design styles like integrating it with a custom rangehood design or floating designs in contrasting colours. 

Another brilliant way to include this in your country kitchen is a floating single shelf design that runs the full length of a wall as a feature. Open shelving is a beautiful way to create dimensions and interest in your modern country kitchen is one of the ways you can embrace modern design trends in this style of kitchen.

Explore modern country design with The Maker Designer Kitchens

Excited by what you see? Or perhaps you’ve been curious about what’s on The Block’s kitchen week — either way, modern country styles are making a serious comeback in 2022, and we’re only seeing that trend continuing. 

Our team here at The Maker Designer Kitchens are not only tuned into the trends that matter; we’re also here to assist you in designing and building your dream kitchen. For access to experienced interior designers and local craftspersons, get in contact with our team. Whether it’s a kitchen renovation or a new build, we look forward to working with you on your modern country kitchen project.