When it comes to planning your dream family kitchen, there are several elements to keep in mind. This is everything that went into designing our modern farmhouse kitchen.
We recently purchased a home in our current neighborhood with plans to do some serious DIY renovations to it. We had been renting in Florida for the past four years and knew it was time to create and customize our own home. The hardest part of renting is not being able to express your own style – and for us that is a modern farmhouse design.
My style has always been modern. I love clean lines and simple design elements. My traditional husband has swayed me over the years and we came to a middle ground in our home styles when designing our kitchen, settling on a slightly transitional, modern farmhouse kitchen plan.
Family Kitchen Ideas: Our Modern Farmhouse Design Plan
No exaggeration – We’ve been planning our perfect kitchen for the past two years, at least. Having the extra time to save and really consider what was important to us has made a huge difference in what we chose for this space.
There were simple nuances in our rental home that we KNEW had to be adjusted in our new home. Things like not being able to access the trash can when the dishwasher was open or struggling to get into a corner cabinet with barely enough space to pull out the toaster.
We purchased our home at an extremely reasonable price and were able to save enough cash to create the kitchen of our dreams. A kitchen that would be practical, modern and family-friendly.
Modern Elements
-Sleek/Simple Hardware
Our kitchen design plan will include several different textures and few colors, so I wanted to keep the cabinet hardware fairly simple and sleek. My plan is to incorporate copper elements into the kitchen. These T-bar drawer pulls are both functional and elegant – plus very affordable.
-Horizontal Lines
Clean horizontal lines are a classic modern interior design element. We had actually planned on going with traditional white subway tile for the backsplash, but in a last minute decision opted for shiplap. While I know shiplap is a classic farmhouse calling card, the long horizontal lines fit well with the other modern elements.
-Pendant Lights
Ever since our guest room DIY project last year, I’ve had my eye on pendant lights from Varaluz. The handmade quality they provide can’t be duplicated. Our plan is to incorporate industrial-style pendant lights over the kitchen island. Check out how beautiful these hand-forged pendants are!
-Updated Appliances
Honestly I don’t consider myself high-maintenance at all. When it comes to cutting edge, I fall more along the lines of practical and inexpensive. However, there was one pet-peeve both my husband and I had – not having accessible drinking water at all times. For the past several years our family of four has refilled, emptied and refilled again a Brita pitcher. Having a refrigerator with cold water and an ice machine was a must-have for us.
As far as appliances, our plan includes a fingerprint resistant stainless steel suite – because KIDS.
Farmhouse Elements
-Shiplap Backsplash
As I mentioned before, we had always planned on putting in a subway tile backsplash and even had leftover tile from a previous project. It was only one day I was scrolling Pinterest and happened upon a kitchen design with shiplap backsplash – a farmhouse calling card. I pitched the idea to my husband who was 100% immediately on board. This option was time friendly and provided an extra cost savings.
-Apron Front Sink
I’ve had my eye on apron front sinks for quite a while. This gorgeous American Standard Farmhouse Sink is the perfect size with a clean and beautiful design. It’s made from fire clay which is extremely durable and functional for a family kitchen.
-White Cabinets
Because we planned to incorporate different textures and colors, we opted for a neutral cabinet using white shaker cabinets. Some might fear white in a family kitchen, but fingerprints and splashes can be easily cleaned with a magic eraser.
-Wood Counter
The kitchen island counter top will be made from butcher block. This incorporates more interest while also saving quite a bit of money versus using quartz or granite throughout.
Family Friendly
We are big into promoting independence for our kids, so there were certain key elements we incorporated to keep this space family friendly.
-Low Microwave
Our kitchen island will house our microwave behind closed cabinet doors. This is one design feature that can depend entirely on the age of your children as far as safety is concerned.
-Large Island
We spend 98% of our time in the kitchen between homework, preparing meals and fetching snacks for the 4 year old. Having a large island was a must-have in our family kitchen design.
-Easy to Clean Surfaces
The cooking side of the kitchen which houses the range will consist of white quartz countertop. While quartz is more expensive, it is stain-resistant and the only surface material that comes in a pure white color. Granite is made from the earth and not available in the color we (read: I) wanted.
-Open Floor Plan
Our rental home spoiled us with an open floor plan. Our plan for this home is to remove one of the outer kitchen walls to completely open up the kitchen with the family room and also have visibility to the playroom.
-Fridge Drawers
When we purchased our kitchen appliance suite, we gravitated towards a refrigerator with drawers – for the freezer and fridge – allowing the kids easy access to snacks they can retrieve on their own.
Must-Have Kitchen Elements
-Fridge with Water/Ice Maker
-Pantry
Not having one for the last four years, a pantry was a must-have kitchen element for me. It can be extremely frustrating to not have enough storage space for pantry foods.
-Ample Counter Space
-Touchless Faucet
Touchless faucets are another great family-friendly feature. The kids can turn on the faucet easily with just a wave of their hand. One important aspect for me was placement of the sensor. I knew from experience (my mom’s kitchen) that having the sensor near the base was not a practical option. This American Standard Beale Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet has Selectronic hands-free sensor technology at the top with also the option to cover the sensor and use manually.
-Hidden Trash/Pull Out Cabinet
-Functional Floor Plan
-Ample Lighting
In addition to the pendant lights mentioned above, the plan will include ample recessed lighting throughout the kitchen work space.
Stay tuned for the final kitchen reveal! In the meantime, take a look at our starting point.
