Use natural materials to make your kitchen more inviting.
A home is a sanctuary and every detail matters. Every nook, knob, and piece of fabric speaks to our personality and comes together to create a peaceful respite from the outside world. Filling your home with natural materials is a great way to help you reconnect with nature. If you want to bring the outside inside, why not start with the most important room in the house – the kitchen?
Materials
Natural materials can give any kitchen a stylish and homely feel. Hardwoods and softwoods give different effects at different price points, and are the perfect finish for achieving the natural look. Rougher finishes, natural colours and an emphasis on the material itself can also help you to go further towards your desired finish. Don’t be afraid of a curve or a carve either. Straight lines make for a neat and tidy finish, but embracing some natural forms can make a kitchen feel homelier or more rustic.
Natural stone surfaces, when used carefully, also can help you to achieve a natural look, especially when used alongside wood finishes elsewhere. The same is true of ceramic tiles, which can give a decorative and rural quality to the finished kitchen. A little bit of mismatched variety will also help you achieve a more relaxed and natural look.
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the effects of greenery. If your kitchen looks out onto a garden, look to emphasise the views and see them as part of the room. If you’re not fortunate enough to have a garden, then a few houseplants will really help to bring the outdoors indoors.
Styles that Suit
There are a few design styles that are natural partners to a more natural aesthetic –
Organic Minimalism
A response to the austerity of true minimalism, this style of design introduces softer lines, natural materials and textures. Modern appliances and units with clean, sharp lines can be contrasted with wood surfaces or rougher and more natural finishes. Perfect if you have a window looking to a garden, or when accessorised with houseplants.
Cottagecore
Born online and on social media, Cottagecore celebrates country living, with an emphasis on homeliness, crafts and a simpler way of life. Wholesome purity is the thing here, so look at vintage and antique furniture, handmade pottery, recycled and upcycled materials, along with pretty decorative touches. Think a thatched country cottage, or perhaps an old canal barge.
Scandi Style
Extraordinarily popular in recent years, Scandinavian design mixes beauty and functionality. The aesthetic is modern, but not futuristic, with more emphasis on natural materials, ease of use and an uncluttered environment. A Scandi-style kitchen is perfect for flats and apartments, where space counts, but can also add a premium feel to a family home, giving everything a place to be.
Rustic
A Rustic kitchen emphasises the natural and the old. Less of an aesthetic than a Cottagecore kitchen, Rustic design is beautiful and decorative, but very useful. Larders, substantial furniture, wooden surfaces and open shelving are your friends when aiming for this style. Nostalgic and comforting, a Rustic kitchen can be the perfect place to escape modern pressures.
These styles have crossovers, and are subject to interpretation, but each are great ways to bring natural materials and charm into your kitchen.
Recycling & DIY
One of the good things about aiming for a more natural look to your kitchen is that it needn’t cost the earth. Vintage, reclaimed, refurbished or even antique furniture will also feel right at home in the room, helping to reinforce your choices elsewhere.
If you have an old piece of furniture you love, or have scoured the secondhand market for the perfect pre-loved piece, then incorporating this into your kitchen space is the perfect place to start. You can further integrate your kitchen into the rest of your home’s decor, using our handles to tie pieces together.
Upcycled materials are the perfect way to achieve this too. Reclaimed timber or even driftwood gives a rugged finish, as do burnished metals and unfinished surfaces. Don’t be afraid to mix and match styles either – a little bit of mismatching can give you the perfect homespun finish.
Personality
Natural materials can give your kitchen a more rounded personality, making something that’s functional into something pleasing to the eye. Natural surfaces have variations, imperfections and idiosyncrasies that all add up into something unique. Quite unlike manmade materials, natural ones let you know that they’re grown and not manufactured.
Matching these more rustic materials with modern touches can have a stunning effect. For example, a modern induction hob or sleek modern handles can give you an incredible finish when put against more earthy units.
Our range of fittings and handles can bring harmony and function to any kitchen. Get a cohesive look for a fraction of the price of a new fitting. Browse our range here and find the perfect finish for your natural kitchen.
