Rustic-Americana Kitchen Themes

Kitchen Cabinetry

• Achieve a rustic-Americana look in your kitchen with log kitchen cabinetry. Consider knotty pine, hickory or cedar for cabinets, kitchen islands or hutches. Another option is Shaker-style cabinets that have a base inset piece and trim pieces around a cabinet that stand out from the base by about half an inch. Opt for a hearth-style mantle hood for the stove and wood counter tops.

Walls and Ceilings

• Wood paneling on walls will create a rustic look in any kitchen. Use genuine wood planks on the walls or use faux wood paneling. Paint walls red, blue or white or use all three colors. Paint most of the walls blue, for example, and then have one red accent wall and white trim such as baseboards. Add wooden beams on the ceiling for a cozy farmhouse look. Ceiling beams come in light and dark shades of wood and can be made from genuine wood or material that looks like wood. Using antique tin ceiling tiles is another option.

Furniture

• Choose oak arrowback wooden chairs to go with solid oak tables for an Americana-style kitchen. Arrowback chairs are a type of Windsor chair that have spindles to support the back of the chair that are wider in the middle and narrower at the ends. Consider leather seats on chair or faux leather seats for dining chairs. Opt for an antique credenza or china cabinet. Alternatively, choose chunky furniture pieces with a natural wood finish or go for a distressed look for your kitchen table.

Accessories

• Americana accessories in the kitchen will tie the entire rustic look together. Consider leather pulls on kitchen cabinetry and an American flag design on kitchen window valances. Decorate walls with rusty barn stars and old tapestries with country scenes or farm animals. Feature a hammered finish utensil rack and assorted items such as copper frying pans or cooking pots. Display country-style dish towels, rag area rugs, quilts, wooden bowls and hand-painted signs with sayings such as "God bless America."