European country style kitchens are often timeless in design, frequently unfussy, warm and comforting, and built thoughtfully with fine craftsmanship. Sure, I could come up with 122, but for now we’ll explore just 22 Reasons to Admire European Country Kitchens!
22 Reasons to Admire European Country Kitchens
REASON NO. 1: Classic custom cabinetry
REASON NO. 2: Natural Materials
REASON NO. 3: Livable Luxury
REASON NO. 4: Reclaimed Stone Floors.
REASON NO. 5: Harvest and Farm Tables Taking Center Stage
REASON NO. 6: Relationship to Garden
REASON NO. 7: Rustic Elegance
REASON NO. 8: Old World Windows
REASON NO. 9: Classic Cookers
REASON NO. 10: Timeless Color Palettes
REASON NO. 11: Painted Wood Floors
REASON NO. 12: Farm Sinks
REASON NO. 13: Quirky Unfitted Designs.
REASON NO. 14: Artful Open Shelving
REASON NO. 15: Glazed Tile
REASON NO. 16: Understated Sophistication
REASON NO. 17: Fresh Takes on Victorian
REASON NO. 18: Wood Countertops
REASON NO. 19: Bridge Faucets
REASON NO. 20: Bespoke Pantries.
REASON NO. 21: French Linens
REASON NO. 22: Modern Conveniences with Decidedly Old World Sensibilities
Hope you found some promising kitchen design and decor inspiration!
For a peek at more beautiful French farmhouse kitchen inspiration, also visit this, and to see ideas for adding warm to white kitchens, check out this too.
Euro Inspired Decor Finds in the Same Spirit
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Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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Thank you for this! I am adding it into the body of the post to make it better. I am obsessed with those French stoneware jars for confitures with their crazing, aged appearance, and pleasing lettering. 🙂
Caroline
October 7, 2018 / 8:20 am
I grew up in England where I have fond memories of our kitchen. A very large farm table, quarry tiled floor and to heat the house (we had no central heating) was a huge Rayburn which was kept going by coke (coal). The Rayburn is similar to an Aga. The warmth from that big iron stove was so comforting coming home from school doing homework and having tea around that table. Usually dinner was prepared and in the oven. The favorite spot for our black Labrador was snuggled again the warmth of that stove. Such happy memories.
Loved this post Michelle
Oh, what a lovely picture you have painted for us of the warmth and heart of your family home, friend! What comfort and joy such memories must bring, and I thank you for sharing them with us. What if we all began the design of every home with this one spot in the kitchen – a family table near the stove – and everything flowed out from that radiant “heart?”
So many beautiful things…
Back in the day, the kitchen was the only heated room in a house. The fire would never go out, and many traditional dishes were developed to basically keep cooking for days (cassoulet, for example). So, in regular houses (not mansions with servants), the kitchen would have a table, both for preparing food, sewing and doing other work, and also for eating where it was warm.
The chaudron (cauldron!) would hang from chain on a notched hook, called a crémaillère, which allowed the cook to raise or lower the pot for faster or slower cooking. Even today, a housewarming party is called la pendaison de crémaillère–the hanging of the crémaillère.
In the big kitchen of one of our apartments (with a fireplace big enough to stand in, the iron back plate depicting Bacchus), there’s a built-in cupboard called a confiturier, where the family would store pots of jams and preserves. You just don’t tear out stuff like that.
Author
Thank you for this! I am adding it into the body of the post to make it better. I am obsessed with those French stoneware jars for confitures with their crazing, aged appearance, and pleasing lettering. 🙂
I grew up in England where I have fond memories of our kitchen. A very large farm table, quarry tiled floor and to heat the house (we had no central heating) was a huge Rayburn which was kept going by coke (coal). The Rayburn is similar to an Aga. The warmth from that big iron stove was so comforting coming home from school doing homework and having tea around that table. Usually dinner was prepared and in the oven. The favorite spot for our black Labrador was snuggled again the warmth of that stove. Such happy memories.
Loved this post Michelle
Author
Oh, what a lovely picture you have painted for us of the warmth and heart of your family home, friend! What comfort and joy such memories must bring, and I thank you for sharing them with us. What if we all began the design of every home with this one spot in the kitchen – a family table near the stove – and everything flowed out from that radiant “heart?”