29 warm and cosy country kitchens to add to your moodboard

Looking as if it’s always been there, this kitchen is actually a modern extension of an 1870s cottage in Tasmania’s Huon Valley. Owner Lindy Rahn has successfully re-created an authentic look and feel with her choice of materials, furnishings and fixtures. “This is my autumnal kitchen set-up with oranges, toffee and golds as the vibe,” says Lindy. A gingham tea towel from Mama and Tochter and a cake stand from Minimax rest on the island – a table base with a French cheeseboard top made by Lindy’s husband Gavin.

Once a post office, this storied home in Tasmania features many original features, including an original cedar bench in the kitchen. “You can see ruts in the countertop from customers passing coins across the desk over the years,” says homeowner Madeleine. In this kitchen, an historic feeling is amplified with reinstated elements such as architraves and four-panelled doors. An eclectic mix of collectables, kitchen utensils and retro appliances complete the look.

Haymes Paint in shades of Bush Eucalypt and Remote Green create a serene feeling in this kitchen at historic Banongill Station in Skipton, Victoria. “The first thing we did was the kitchen, and that was during lockdown so it was a two-year process,” says Jill. “We wanted a kitchen that looked like it had been here forever. It’s the hub of the home where people congregate.” The kitchen, scullery and former nursery make up the oldest part of the home, which was built in 1853.

Beguiling its owners from the moment they laid eyes on it, this historic home in the Adelaide Hills hasn’t changed significantly since it was built.  “Apart from removing half a wall in the kitchen, we haven’t changed the footprint at all,” explains homeowner Heidi. “The original floor plan is absolutely as it would have been well over 100 years ago.” In the kitchen, modern conveniences, such as twin sinks, complement traditional features including shaker cabinetry in an off white hue and warm-toned hardwood flooring.

In this creatively styled cottage in Willunga, SA, powder blue and yellow accents adorn the gorgeous family-friendly kitchen. “We love open shelving as it’s more room to display treasures,” says homeowner Emma, who has acquired an impressive collection of antiques and vintage wares and arranged them throughout the home.

In true country style, the kitchen of The Storekeeper’s Inn in Goulburn Valley is a feast of textures. A combination of exposed brick, a traditional cabinetry profile, simple square tile splashback and a collection of antiques meet a dramatic black timber panelled wall; there’s no lack of character here.

In the large, light and bright kitchen of boutique accommodation Sinclairs of Berry, a stove nook houses a country cook’s dream, including a pot rack and recessed shelves for oils and seasonings. The gorgeous stone island bench, where guests gather for wine or coffee, features hand-cut detailing and a timber base.

A pressed metal splashback, herringbone-style tiled floor, farmhouse sink and vintage chandelier give the kitchen at the gorgeous Bundara Farm in Berry a distinctly country feel. However, designed to house up to 30 people, the space is also appropriately decked out with sleek benchtops, hardwearing appliances and plenty of bench space for a more luxurious contemporary touch.

The most beautiful meeting of contemporary and country can be found in new build The Highlands Black Barn in NSW’s picturesque Southern Highlands. The island and main benchtops are custom-made steel slabs, which makes a perfect pairing with the chic dark grey cabinets and raw brass tapware. Taking pride of place in the kitchen is the La Marzocco coffee machine, an addition by original owner Hayley. “I prefer my own coffee,” she says.

This kitchen, belonging to a family farmhouse in the Macedon Ranges, was actually designed around the antique wooden beam, which displays a collection of bread boards. The dining table was gifted to the family from a friend, and links the kitchen to an open-plan living area.

A love for entertaining guided the design of this modern farmhouse kitchen at a newly built home in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges. The soaring ceilings in the open kitchen and living area are supported by heavy trusses – “that was one of our musts, we wanted a really open, high roof,” says owner Clare. The kitchen features woven bar stools and a Carrara marble splashback.

This 50-year-old AGA oven inspired the renovation of photographer Marnie Hawson’s charming cottage in Central Victoria. “It has taken us a long time to find a white natural-gas AGA, but one popped up on Gumtree. We just thought, since we have been here so long, that we should put it in. And that gave us a good reason to renovate,” says Marnie.

When it came to building their dream holiday home in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, interior designer Rachel Luchetti and her builder husband Gerard Cook needed to be savvy with their budget. For the kitchen, the pair opted for economical yet hard-wearing IKEA cabinets. As for the concrete benchtop, however, Gerard fashioned that himself.

Interior designer Julie Johnson was charged with the restoration of her brick homestead in Murchison, VIC and it was in the kitchen that the home’s rich history was captured. Timber from the shed, which bears the names and dates of the shearers who worked there, was used to make the kitchen’s island bench.

The rustic kitchen in this modern barn style home was built from salvaged oregon and the concrete benchtops were poured on site. The lights are old factory lights and the wall-hung sink is a repurposed water fountain.

A love of gardening led Chat Thai’s Palisa Anderson to found a 46-hectare organic farm in the Byron Bay hinterland. Her two other loves – upcycling furniture and cooking – are on show in her deeply-hued kitchen. The teak slabs that form her tabletop, for example, were purchased at auction. Parts of the kitchen are also clad in recycled timber fence posts. “We wanted a home that was comfortable, that had places for people to sprawl and communal spaces where we could gather,” says Palisa.

Renovating a farmhouse kitchen can often be a grand affair, but at her home in central Victoria, One Fat Emu founder Kate Brew took a more pared back approach. An old workbench was repurposed as a kitchen island while ordinary garden taps overhang the kitchen sink. A wreath made from rusty farm wire is the focal point above the concrete benchtop.

David Gleeson and Leah Atkins built their serene family home from the ground up at Mollymook Beach – David does the building while Leah works on the design and finishes. Nowhere is their teamwork more evident than in the kitchen, which features cabinets and shelving (custom made by David) painted in Dulux Domino. The dark hue creates the ultimate backdrop for Leah’s collection of “bits and bobs,” many of which were purchased in Berry, NSW or in garage sales.

After moving into a home she’d admired since childhood, Louise Andreasen set to work updating the property’s ‘strange’ and tired interior. “We’ve worked hard to bring it back to the old style,” she says. This involved a total revamp of the kitchen, which was gutted and replaced entirely. The end result is a timeless white kitchen complete with oak benchtops.

At Nether Hill Farm, the kids often gather in the farmhouse-style kitchen to bake biscuits and sweet treats. An old workbench sitting in the shed was repurposed as the kitchen island, while the formed concrete benchtop was poured in situ on a freezing cold night.

Since its renovation, this spacious, light-filled kitchen is now the focal point of this relaxed family farmhouse; the place everyone gathers at the end of the day. “Kitchens are an investment and I’m really glad that we spent the money and made it the workable space it is,” says homeowner Sally.

In this kitchen of a sustainable timber home overlooking South Gippsland hills, the wood stove provides heating to the whole home. “It’s a big black shinny monster called Esse, which has a wetback to provide hot water and floor heating in winter,” says homeowner Jackie.

The kitchen at Ewing Farm used to be a walk-up dairy but today, it is clad in fine timber and connected to a kitchen garden which homeowners Natalie and Nils lovingly tend to. “We feel like it’s not really our house because it’s so original — we’re just looking after it,” Natalie says.

The kitchen in this renovated French Provincial farmhouse features a copper range hood salvaged from a warehouse demolition. Exposed beams and concrete pendants add to the industrial aesthetic while the shaker style cabinetry and farmhouse style sink keep it classic.

Timeless and sophisticated, this monochrome kitchen ties in with the rest of this renovated schoolmaster’s house in Milton, NSW. An antique timber dining table adds character and warmth, while modern pendants and black accents keep things contemporary.

In this jewellery maker’s eclectic Tasmanian cottage, the timber kitchen was made from recycled Tasmanian oak cupboards found at second-hand shops. “I collected all the wood,” says owner Carmen, who enlisted a boat-builder friend to help with the renovation. “It’s so much cheaper than installing a new kitchen. I had an idea of what I wanted which, like everything I do, evolved.”

Interior designer Anna Spiro’s colourful home, complete with open shelving in the kitchen, is used to display woven baskets, apothecary jars, artwork, platters and jugs. The designer’s passion for vibrant colour and mix-and-match collections makes for a unique take on a country-style kitchen.

In this open-plan studio, the kitchen has been designed to connect seamlessly with the rest of the space. The key to creating a cohesive look within an open-plan space is a considered colour scheme and here, a simple palette of white, concrete and timber gives the barn-style home an industrial feel.

This old Queenslander in Bundaberg was transformed into a sunny home with the help of family, hard work and lots of white paint. Upcycled furniture and vintage finds make the kitchen feel lived-in and loved; adding personality and charm.