Traditional and coastal kitchen designs have remained among our most popular styles throughout the years we have been in business. This genre covers a variety of designs and decor including the bright and airy coastal vibe of a Hamptons style kitchen; the rustic charm of a timber kitchen; the uncomplicated lines of a cosy yet open plan country kitchen with a central dining table; or a highly decorative provincial style summoning inspiration from the French country houses of yesteryear.
How to pack some pastoral punch into your country kitchen renovation.
For details on specific designs within this genre, see the descriptions immediately below the gallery. To view a kitchen click on the image, then click within a gallery to see a larger, high resolution image with a description.
Country Kitchen Award Winners
Smith & Smith are multi-award winners in this design realm, winning several prizes over the years for our carefully handcrafted, yet very livable kitchens. Our country kitchen design range features loads of storage. Drawers have made a grand entrance in recent years and are here to stay because they provide an excellent opportunity to display detailed profiling while giving you the ergonomic access to your heavy use items.
Kitchen Mouldings
Mouldings are a must in any traditional kitchen style. Smith & Smith are among a very few kitchen manufacturers in Melbourne that offer an extensive range of mouldings including corbels, plinths, reeding, fluting, half turned posts and decorative door and bench profiles. See a more detailed list of available mouldings here.
French Provincial Style Kitchens
Provincial style kitchens are the most highly decorated and feature the most high-end materials and fittings. These kitchens summon the grandeur of country mansion living.
Features to include in your provincial style kitchen:
- Highly decorative benchtop – stone, engineered stone or timber
- Mouldings
- Two pack polyurethane finish (clear or colour) on cabinetry and mouldings. White and pale colour tones are very popular choices.
- Detailed lighting plan – Avoid these lighting mistakes
- Display shelves – displayed items give country kitchens their warmth and authenticity.
- Butler’s pantry
Hamptons/Coastal Style Kitchens
Hamptons style kitchens embrace the relaxed feel of the coast while feeling pulled-together enough to cope with formal entertaining. This style takes its name from the district on the east end of Long Island that is frequented by New Yorkers in need of a coastal getaway. It is home to many country homes owned by families with ties to the local agricultural and fishing industry. It is this mix of pastoral and coastal that provide the Hamptons style kitchen with its unique flavour.
Features to include in your Hamptons style kitchen:
- Coastal colour palette – think sea, sand, salty shrubs and driftwood
- Coastal trinkets to display
- Decorative mouldings
- Large central island bench – for casual dining and inviting conversation while cooking.
- Feature pendant light – coastal themed without being twee
- Butler’s pantry
Modern Country Kitchens / Pared Back Hamptons
Modern country kitchens have the style and grace of more traditional country styles but put a modern stamp on it – through colour palette or tweaking the mouldings. These kitchens sit happily in a variety of home styles.
Features to include in your modern country style kitchen:
- Modern colour palette
- Modern lighting scheme
- Consider mouldings featuring simplified profiles
- Light fittings that have elements of traditional style with a modern twist
- Central island or peninsula bench
- Kitchen as part of a modern open plan living/dining area
- Butler’s pantry
Farmhouse Style Kitchens
Farmhouse style kitchens hark back to a time when farmhands lived on-site at the farm and part of a day’s wages was the hot lunch lovingly prepared by the farmer’s wife. These days the farmer’s wife is probably running the show, but there is much homeliness to be gleaned from the way she used to live.
Features to include in your farmhouse style kitchen:
- Central dining table
- Furniture inspired cabinetry
- A mixture of timber and painted finishes
- Pared back door profiles such as shaker or v groove
- Pared back bench profiles such a bullnose or square edge
Rustic Country Kitchens
Rustic country kitchens feature the comprehensive use of timber and natural products, often with a distressed effect. These kitchens feel lived in and homely from the first day of use. They offer a haven from an increasingly high-tech world.
Features to include in your rustic country style kitchen:
- Furniture inspired cabinetry
- A mix of old and new cabinetry
- Antique or industrial cookware to display
- Antique, replica or industrial style light fittings
- Distressed natural materials
