No matter how leaps and bounds progress moves, no matter what new high-tech building and finishing materials appear, there will always be a place for natural raw materials in our interiors.. In modern designs of kitchen spaces, eco-materials that are safe for people and the environment are becoming increasingly common . After all, nothing can replace the natural warmth of real wood. Not only in country houses, but also in urban spaces, designers all over the world use wood to make furniture, cladding various surfaces, and produce decorative elements and accessories.
Let's take a closer look at how wood can be introduced into the modern design of a kitchen space of various stylistic trends.
Of course, the first style that comes to mind for any homeowner who is about to renovate a kitchen using wood is country style. Various areas of country style are in one way or another connected with the use of natural materials in the interior of premises and wood, of course, is at the top of the list of eco-raw materials. Even the ultra-modern design of a kitchen space can contain elements of wooden finishing or furniture and still not lose its progressiveness and technology.
Design features
Furniture made entirely of solid wood is very rare. And not only because of its high cost, but also due to the unpredictability of the behavior of solid wood during operation. In the changing external conditions of the kitchen, wood can simply “lead”. This will not add beauty, but it may well cause problems.
In mass production, if they talk about a kitchen made of solid wood, they mean prefabricated boards made of glued timber. The facades of the set are mainly made from such boards, and all its other parts are made from MDF, chipboard and plywood. This design is both cheaper and definitely stronger.
Kitchens made of wood also include furniture with a frame construction of facades, when the door is a structure made of a wooden frame with a central part (panel) made of MDF or chipboard, covered with natural wood veneer. Veneer can also be artificial, imitating the structure of wood.
In this article we will focus on solid wood kitchens.
Variety of dark tones
You can create a kitchen interior in dark colors using different color combinations. You can choose one shade as a background or play with achromatic combinations from medium gray to black.
It is undesirable to make the entire interior monochromatic. Use colors of varying degrees of saturation to create zoning. For example, the kitchen area can be decorated in dark brown, and the dining area in beige or white. And vice versa.
Black
Brown
Dark blue
Dark green
Types of wood
Wood species are divided into hard and soft. The most common ones used to produce kitchen furniture are:
- hardwoods: oak, ash, beech;
- medium hard wood: birch;
- soft species: pine, alder.
Hard rocks are naturally stronger, more resistant to external damage and heavy loads. But their hardness makes it difficult to process; they are less common in nature than soft rocks, which results in a higher cost of furniture.
Oak is the best option for the kitchen. Its wood is most resistant to changes in temperature and humidity, it is strong and durable.
Beech is as hard as oak, but it lacks resistance to moisture, so additional treatment with water-repellent compounds is a mandatory procedure when producing beech kitchen furniture. Due to the light wood, beech has more options for tinting in other shades.
Ash is durable, like oak. It is distinguished by its own rich palette of natural wood shades.
Soft wood species are inferior in terms of performance properties - such kitchen furniture will last several times fewer years, but will be noticeably cheaper. Birch occupies a middle place in this regard.
Alder, despite its softness, has increased moisture resistance and resistance to the absorption of foreign odors.
Pine is easy to process, is the most common tree in Russia and beyond, and therefore has one of the main advantages - relative cheapness.
How to use a corner kitchen?
The corner segment can be straight, beveled or rounded inward. Direct is the simplest, but not the most convenient to access. The beveled one is more convenient, but bulkier, while the rounded one is practical and compact, but expensive due to the manufacture of curved radius facades.
Working surface
The simplest solution is to use a corner piece of the tabletop as a work area. It is convenient enough for this, and installation will not require any additional effort or expense.
Or put small household appliances in the corner - like a blender, coffee machine or any other utensils that you need on hand. This way you will definitely not push anything onto the floor through negligence.
Sink in the corner
Kitchen sets with a trapezoidal corner segment are suitable for a small sink. It is best to choose a small round sink or an elongated model with two bowls. And behind the façade you can easily hide a built-in filter, a trash can or household chemicals.
Corner slab
The same trapezoidal layout allows for the integration of household appliances. Even a classic stove or four-burner hob. All you need to do is carefully calculate all the dimensions.
Corner storage systems
Modular multifunctional storage systems with folding, sliding and folding units are ideal for the kitchen. They are comfortable, practical and come in any configuration. Drawers of complex shapes or a pull-out unit, for example, a dish dryer, will fit into the corner segment.
Corner ventilation
If you are unlucky and there is an air duct in the corner of the kitchen, it is best to beat it with just such a set. Just select cabinets of suitable depth or divide the set into segments. This easily compensates for complex geometry.
Use the same principle to build in a hood or boiler. Just take care of insulation and fire safety, or better yet, entrust this to specialists.
Interior design of a small kitchen (90 photos)
Coatings
Coatings for wooden furniture are divided into transparent and opaque. The first include varnishes, waxes and oils. Very often they use stain together with them - a tinting liquid that changes the shade of the wood to a darker color. Thus, for example, the natural, almost white color of birch becomes a “dark walnut”.
The transparent coating leaves the wood texture and its natural or stained color visible. The interior of a kitchen with such furniture will look as close to nature as possible, which will appeal to lovers of eco-style.
Opaque coatings include enamel of various shades. It completely paints over the natural color of the wood, leaving only its barely visible texture. Most often, wooden kitchens are painted in light colors - white, beige, light green or light blue. This is dictated by the main interior styles that support wooden kitchens.
Combination with curtains
It is better to choose curtains of short length or with a lifting mechanism, Roman or roller blinds. Curtains with grommets and cafe curtains are also suitable.
In color they can be white translucent, coffee, red, green, matching the shade of the walls. From fabrics, it is better to choose linen and cotton with admixtures of synthetic fibers viscose or polyester so that the fabric retains its shape and color after washing.
The photo shows an example of decorating a wide window with translucent tulle with clamps that do not interfere with the passage of air and light into the room.
Design solutions for wooden kitchens
Classic style
The most common interior style where wooden furniture is used is the classic style. It is characterized by straight, symmetrical lines of facades and often dark wood tones.
At the same time, classics can be both strict and somewhat pompous due to the presence of cornices, figured carved parts and gilding in the furniture decoration.
A classic kitchen with white enamel cabinetry looks elegant and fresh.
Dark wood furniture goes well with dark green. Greenery can be added through artificial stone countertops, emerald-colored ceramic tiles on the backsplash, and green lamp shades.
On the other hand, furniture in dark shades looks very nice in combination with white. A white countertop and light tiles on the apron will create a pleasant contrast to the eye.
For those who love maximum naturalness, a kitchen made from facades that have preserved the entire structure of the wood, including inclusions of knots, is suitable. If such furniture is made of light wood, then it will go well with a dark countertop and, for example, a kitchen island with a “reverse” color design - a dark base and a light countertop.
There will be no contradictions if light worktops in gray and beige shades are combined with a light classic wooden kitchen.
The kitchen interior can be made as rich as possible with eco-friendly materials. To do this, add kitchen furniture made of natural wood to a kitchen apron made of the same wood, cork floors and walls.
Wood, including in the classic style, goes well with stone or materials that imitate it. For example, as in the photo below, where in the neighborhood there is a wood set and a stone facing the apron and countertops.
Stone on the floor in the form of porcelain stoneware, stone countertops - all this will also be successfully combined with natural wood furniture.
Household appliances of steel design are combined with solid wood in the most natural way and do not contradict it, but only emphasize the modernity of the classics.
Built-in appliances in black color look stylish with light wood.
Country and Provence
These two rustic styles naturally imply a kitchen made of wood. The wood in these interiors can be in its natural color or painted in light green or light blue shades.
A signature touch of country, and especially Provence, is the aging of furniture by patinaing individual parts of the facade. A special mixture is rubbed onto corners, edges or individual relief elements of furniture, which adds an antique charm to the wood.
Modern styles
If you think that a solid wood kitchen cannot support modern styles, then this is not true. Wood can be very laconic on kitchen facades, due to which it can easily fit into any styles characteristic of modern times. The laconicism of the facades is achieved by the absence of frames and panels, and sometimes even visible fittings.
If you are a fan of everything Japanese, then a solid wood kitchen in the style of Japanese minimalism will definitely warm your soul.
The steel countertop of the kitchen island, built-in appliances, hood dome and fittings made of the same material will create, in combination with wood, a style close to high-tech or modern.
Three color combinations will create their own unique minimalist combination of modern design: white, black and wood.
Style Combinations
Very non-standard, but, it should be noted, the combination of modern laminated facades with facades made of natural solid wood looks quite consistent.
A special charm is added by introducing various elements of rustic style into solid wood furniture. Namely, deliberately rough elements of natural design - stone, untreated wood, wood cuts, logs.
Here, for example, is how the simplicity of the facades of a classic kitchen will be combined with a kitchen island made of natural rough stone.
An island tabletop made from a huge cut of wood will add natural exuberance and audacity to the decor.
DIY wooden kitchen
The imagination of craftsmen is unbridled, but the most interesting kitchens are created in a nautical or pirate style. The design of such facades involves the use of metal strips with rivets along the edges of the tabletops, rough metal elements as hinges, handles and sides, as well as carved elements of a marine theme.
Furniture with a large number of carved elements in the Old Slavonic style looks delicate and royal.
Finishing
Not only the kitchen set can be made to look like wood, but the finishing too. We will try to consider options that differ in appearance and functionality.
Wallpaper
Wallpaper is a very popular solution for kitchen walls: if anything happens, you can quickly change it. What is important to know about wallpaper in your future kitchen?
- They should be non-woven or vinyl - this will ensure their light and moisture resistance, as well as easy care, since such surfaces can be washed.
- In a small kitchen it is best to give preference to light colors.
- For a country kitchen, the ideal solution would be a coating with imitation stone, wood or brick, as well as with the invention of animals, birds or simply a floral pattern.
- For a classic kitchen, it is better to choose canvases in neutral tones - white, brown, beige. “Beautiful” specimens with embossing, designs, monograms, and so on are perfect.
If ceramic tiles are made to look like wood, then it won’t be difficult to find similar wallpaper. But still, you shouldn’t decorate the entire kitchen like this - it’s better to limit yourself to an accent wall or two. In addition, if you hang such wallpaper in a circle, then the pattern at the start and end point of gluing (if it happens in a circle) may simply not match.
Ceiling
For a kitchen made to look like wood, you can offer several options for ceiling design:
- Tension fabric - you can choose a classic white color or experiment with brown or beige.
- Use wood or wood-look panels on the ceiling. These can be boards, lining, beams or simply plastic panels. You can choose light wood so that the ceiling does not seem heavy and massive.
- Wallpaper or paint. In this option, the ceiling is most often leveled using plasterboard, and then finished with paint or wallpaper. In this case, it is not advisable to use wood-effect wallpaper, since the pattern is being prepared for use on the walls.
Floor
In addition to tiles and porcelain stoneware, there are several other options for finishing the kitchen floor with wood:
- cork covering is natural, warm and practical. Pleasantly springs when walking;
- linoleum - you can choose a pattern to match stone or wood, moisture-resistant, unpretentious;
- laminate is the main option for creating a wood-like floor, it looks chic, and is often confused with natural parquet.
Tabletop
At the moment, wood-look countertops are very popular because they are universal and are used in Scandinavian interiors. Of course, you can also use a tabletop made of natural wood, but it is quite capricious and requires careful and constant care. In this case, it is much easier to get by with a good imitation.
Design tips
The well-known truth that light-colored finishes and furniture are suitable for expanding the space of a small kitchen also applies to this case. Facades made of light wood with a laconic design are ideal for small kitchens.
To make the set more light and airy, some of the upper tier cabinets can be made with clear glass inserts.
If the kitchen needs to create a sense of integrity in the interior, then this can be achieved by installing a dining group made of the same material and the same design as the main furniture.
If the entire room, including the floor, ceiling and walls, is also made of wood, like the furniture, then the entire kitchen is perceived as a single space, where one part of the interior smoothly “grows” out of the other. There are almost no contrasts in such an interior, but for some it will be the most harmonious and comfortable room.
In the case when you want to dilute the design with other materials, feel free to select, for example, chairs made of other types of wood, with wrought iron legs or upholstered in genuine leather or fabric. Any natural material will go well with a natural wood set.
Pay attention to the texture of the wood on the facades. If it is rich and varied, then let there be a minimum of decorative elements in such furniture. All the beauty of such facades lies in the texture and pattern of wood.
Types of kitchen units
Modern materials allow you to create literally any shape of kitchen set. The most popular layouts are:
- Straight. Arrangement of a linear type set - all kitchen modules are installed in a row along one wall.
- Double-row - modules are installed along opposite walls of the kitchen. It is important to monitor the distance between them - at least 80–90 cm.
- The corner one involves placing kitchen modules along two adjacent walls. The dining area is located in the opposite corner.
- The U-shaped layout is suitable for a large room or where there is no need to place a dining area.
- The island layout is distinguished by an additional module, which is located separately from all the others. There can be both a working and dining area.
More photos:
Choosing a style
As we noted above, among the advantages of this color scheme is its versatility. Dark shades are appropriate in classic and modern interiors. The only difference is in the proportions: somewhere dark will dominate, and somewhere it will act more as a complementary or accent color.
Classic High-tech Minimalism
For the English style, loft and art deco, the dark color scheme of the interior is often style-forming.
Loft
Kitchen in English Art Deco style
Lighting
The darker the color scheme of the interior, the more thoughtful the artificial lighting should be. The shadow from an incorrectly installed lamp or from a lack of lamps will make the kitchen gloomy and visually narrow the space. To prevent this from happening, even at the stage of a major overhaul, consider a kitchen lighting scheme.
It is important to provide general lighting and lighting in each area - working, dining, relaxation area (if the kitchen is combined with the living room).
General diffused lighting can be represented by one chandelier or several spotlights.
You can hang a pendant lamp above the dining table or install a sconce if the table is against the wall.
Additional zones
The village direction welcomes the combination of several functional areas in one room.
Kitchen-dining room
For small and medium-sized kitchens, a common option is to organize a kitchen-dining room.
Kitchen-living room
In larger spaces, kitchens-living rooms-dining rooms, or even kitchens-living rooms-bedrooms are organized. Sometimes a home mini-office, a play corner for a baby or a pet corner is placed in the same room.
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Beautiful, stylish country style kitchen with industrial touches
High tech
In this modern kitchen style, there is no place for natural wood, but pronounced imitation inserts are quite acceptable.
But the main highlight of this style today are tabletops and window sills made of transparent epoxy resin, into which wooden elements are “built-in”.
Usually these are longitudinal sections of large logs with a beautiful texture. In this way, exclusive interior items are created, the splendor of which is limited only by the imagination of the author, and the surface of the technological product will be practical and durable.
