11 wooden kitchen ideas that will never go out of style
Painted finishes have been all the rage in kitchen design for many years now, but it seems their hold is slipping somewhat in favour of more characterful, authentic feeling surfaces. Stainless steel kitchens have been having an undoubted moment, but now we're turning in a slightly warmer direction, with the return of (unpainted) wooden kitchens. The 1990s saw the last big flourishing of the wooden kitchen, but at that time the style revolved around the idea of the traditional farmhouse kitchen. Door panels with arched recesses were firmly in, along with those slightly fussy brass handles, and perhaps a tiled countertop or two. Today's wooden kitchens are, dare we say it, rather cooler, prioritising patina and character. After all, wood is a material that only gets better with age – a wooden surface with the worn gloss earned through years of use is a beautiful thing. We've picked our very favourite wood kitchens both traditional and modern, so heed our rallying call and go with the grain!
Michael Sinclair1/10This striking newbuild house in Somerset has an elegant wooden kitchen with birch-ply units by CM Pretlove Cabinet Maker. The black elements help it to feel more varied, and the stainless-steel worktops give the space a bit of edge.
Kensington Leverne2/10Sometimes simple is best, as this kitchen in a south London house by Sophie Ashby demonstrates. Flat fronted oak cabinets are smart and elegant, while the heavily veined Verde Luana marble worktops add visual interest.
Michael Sinclair3/10Designer Sarah Delaney ties in contemporary and traditional elements throughout this thatched Oxfordshire cottage. Both the cupboards and island are lined with raw reclaimed oak planks, while the stainless steel splashback and countertops offer a hardy and enduringly stylish juxtaposition against the natural finish of the wood, preventing the kitchen from becoming too rustic. The concrete floor adds to the raw, industrial feel of the space.
Owen Gale4/10Interior designer Laura Logan has carved a calm family home out of a jumbled Victorian terrace in Leytonstone. The kitchen has a mixture of woods: sleek oak cabinets by Custom Fronts and an antique refectory table that serves as an island.
Michael Sinclair5/10We've long admired Retrouvius' knack for transforming salvaged materials into lovely kitchens. In the west London home of art curator Steve Lazarides, Maria Speake has found an ex-museum display case to transform into the island, while rich, warm salvaged iroko has been used for the cupboards.
Chris Horwood6/10A simple silhouette can make a wooden kitchen look modern, as demonstrated in Cassandra Ellis of Atelier Ellis' former home in Battersea. The cabinets and drawers are handleless, but the recessed channel makes the outline look more interesting.
Simon Upton7/10Interior designer Patrick Williams of Berdoulat Design used salvaged finds and traditional techniques to imaginatively restore his Victorian flat in east London; the handsome kitchen counter was taken from the defunct Wetheriggs pottery factory, the much-used wood has a wonderful patina.
Paul Massey8/10The designer Guy Goodfellow installed these beautiful partitioned oak shelves in the kitchen of this house in Dartmoor. Inspired by the potter Lucie Rie's studio, they are the perfect place to display the owners collection of English slipware ceramics.
Paul Massey9/10Keith McNally, known as the 'man who invented downtown New York', is one of the most successful restaurant owners of the last three decades. On returning to his London roots to open the UK leg of his restaurant Balthazar, Keith moved to this house in Notting Hill.
Unsurprisingly, food and entertaining are central to the family's home life, and the design of the kitchen was a priority. Vermont pine was used for the cabinets, rather than pale English wood, for its rich warmth and depth. All were made in New York and shipped over; as were the reconditioned tiles, most of which are over 100 years old and come from demolished or refurbished factories.
Lucas Allen10/10Interior designer Hugh Leslie has transformed his nineteenth-century Chelsea studio into an airy, harmonious showpiece for high-quality joinery and understated taste. 'Spend as much as possible on the joinery - the things that you touch and use all the time,' says Hugh. Nowhere is this mantra more in evidence than the kitchen. Using a mix of colour that is so well balanced and friendly that there is no sense of restlessness, soft blonde wood is paired with bright red shelves and Carrara marble work-tops.
