How to Design a Modern Farmhouse Kitchen

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Last year my husband and I embarked on one of the most stressful, insane, crazy ideas we ever had. We bought a new house and decided to renovate it. To read more about our crazy journey and to see other rooms we renovated, click here.

The most important room in the house, however, was the kitchen. I designed my entire house theme around the look I was going for in my kitchen, and I designed my kitchen around a single Pinterest pin.

For those of you out there who are new to design or don’t know anything about design (like myself!), Pinterest can be your best friend! The key to designing a room is to start by finding a picture that resembles the overall look you are trying to achieve. For me, it was a picture from Kate Marker Interiors.

I didn’t have a lot to start with. The house we purchased was from the 70’s and had a lot of closed off rooms, sunken floors, and framing that was a nightmare!

It even included a fun peek-a-boo window 😛

Once I had my inspiration photo from Pinterest, I began seeking out each individual element. I knew modern farmhouse was the general theme I was going for, so white, shiplap, and a farmhouse sink were non-negotiable’s.  I also wanted to do an overall “white” theme. I knew I wanted white cabinets, counter tops, and back splash. I just love the crisp, fresh look of all white! I chose a white quartz counter to hold up against stains and heat, a pure white marble back splash, and a simple shaker style white cabinet. All of these elements fit well in the modern farmhouse look. I recently read a great article over at Jillian Harris, regarding the end of white kitchens. I admit I almost had a heart attack reading it. I don’t think I can ever leave my white behind but it is a great read for sure 🙂

Next, I needed to choose some of the other elements. I searched Pinterest each time for items such as “farmhouse sink,” “farmhouse lighting,” “farmhouse faucet,” and “farmhouse flooring.” Once I got the swing of that I simply found products that matched each photo I found! Finding the products was probably one of the trickiest parts, but through the help of Pinterest, Houzz and Google, I managed to find the exact products or very similar for everything I needed.  (If you haven’t discovered Houzz yet, go now…like right now…it is AMAZING!)

Mixing metal and shiplap was a great way to combine the farmhouse and modern look, so I chose metal stools. Lantern lighting is another great addition to any farmhouse kitchen! It allowed the room to still stay airy, but also brought the oil rubbed bronze look I paired with my white color scheme.

The farmhouse sink, next to my island, is one of my favorite features. No farmhouse kitchen is complete without one. You can find these sinks in all sorts of finishes, including stainless steel, black, and white. They also come in single sink and double sink options. Having a family of 10 means I use some pretty big pots around here, so I chose the largest single size sink I could find!

Some of my other farmhouse elements include: a barn door to the basement, crystal knobs on all my cabinets, farmhouse trim around the windows, and white milk jugs to hold my large counter utensils.

The implementation was one of the harder steps. Removing walls wasn’t as easy as it was on some of my favorite shows like Property Brothers or Fixer Upper (which my husband reminded me of constantly!). Instead we had to navigate around installing new beams, re-doing the entire heating system, and putting new footings in the basement to hold it all together. In the end though, it was so worth it!

Here are some of my before and after photos!

To find some of the products I used in my kitchen renovation, click below!

Farmhouse Sink by Franke

Island Pendant Lights – Darlana 4 Light from One Kings Lane

Appliances from Kitchenaide 

Kitchen Faucet from Splashes