Our Top 7 Favorite Cottage Kitchens

Cottage kitchens are are simply charming with an emphasis on functionality. They're built for comfort with features that help you through your routine and bring life to the hub of your home. Whether you're just refreshing your cottage kitchen or looking to add a dash of old-house charm to a new space, these TOH-featured rooms are sure to inspire.

See all of our favorite cottage kitchens at thisoldhouse.com


1. Old Feel, New Height

The O'Learys set about turning a first-floor one-story former bedroom wing into an expansive new kitchen, bumping up the room's roof to double height for a soaring ceiling, which is lined with tongue-and-groove boards resembling 19th-century planks. New oak beams act as structural cross-ties. Clerestory windows flood the kitchen with light.

The center island is topped with the old chestnut boards salvaged from the living room floor. Early-20th-century finishes include flat-panel cabinet doors and bin-pull hardware.

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2. Beach Cottage

David and Tracy Gavant added a bumped-out addition to their 300-year-old home in order to achieve the highly functional kitchen they needed. The large, all-white room is clad in beadboard cabinets, nickel hardware, bin pulls, subway tile, marble countertops, an apron-front sink, and old-style work lights. A well thought out detail is the white enamel finish on the modern range and vent hood, which allow these appliances to fit in with the vintage look of the whole room.

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3. Space Smart and Storage Loaded

Under the care of an anxious new owner, Paul Rogers, an old whaling cottage circa 1840s was saved and restored. In the pretty blue and yellow kitchen, ceiling-hung cabinets hold the vent hood and frame an opening that allows the cook to keep an eye on guests. The white apron-front sink, seeded-glass cabinet doors, Victorian-style faucet, and butcher-block counters all add a cottage accents.

"Every single ounce of space was put to use, whether for closets, plumbing, or heating and cooling," says Paul. "Because plots in the historic district are generally small, and you can only build on a percentage of your land, there is this constant utilitarian ethos running through both the house and the entire town."

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4. Rustic, Relaxed, and Colorful

The kitchen offers more than a place to chop veggies or cook a roast. This colorful kitchen in Watercolor, Florida acts as the ultimate family gathering spot, where grandkids clamor for snacks while puppies play at their feet. To accommodate all the activity, homeowners Jim and Linda Strickland opted for well-worn antiques and rustic furniture that belie the space's relatively young age. "Even though we renovated only about eight years ago, we chose old furniture, old lights, and old art," says Jim, "so we don't worry if something gets messed up." Bright colors enhance the laid-back vibe and draw attention to the room's custom pieces, including a window-mounted plate rack and extra-long island.

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5. White Stripes

Gregg and Nancy Alling were eager to redo the kitchen in their 1968 house in Toledo, Ohio-and they tackled it bit by bit, using little more than his workshop, her eye, and a shared taste for bargains.

To-the-ceiling cabinets and trim, light-reflecting finishes, a built-in plate rack, a tiled toekick, and niches for the fridge, TV, and microwave add function and updated traditional style. A striped rug adds a welcome pop of color that plays nicely with fresh flowers and colorful appliances.

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6. From Forlorn to Refreshed

The kitchen inside this Bowling Green, Kentucky, 1896 Queen Anne had to be gutted. It turned out to be owners Dorian and Elaine Walker's biggest hands-on project. Dorian learned how to make cabinet doors and Elaine had mastered putting down hexagonal ceramic-tile flooring.

A circa-1920 gas- and wood-burning stove became the starting point for a vintage-style kitchen with marble counters, a tin ceiling, salvaged pendant lights, and a reclaimed heart-pine floor with a ceramic-tile "rug" in front of the range. The wainscot was inspired by beadboard in an existing pantry.

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7. Small Fixes, Lots of Function

This kitchen in a Amagansett, New York cottage was widened just 2 feet, but with white cabinets swapped in for the old cherry cupboards, and the addition of white marble countertops and backsplash, the room appears twice its former size. Architect Darren Helgesen's simple, clean-lined moldings and trimwork-all, like the beamed ceilings and walls, finished in white tones-contribute to the sense of spaciousness.

A custom mantel hides the range hood and gives cabinets a finished look. A wall came down to create room for a peninsula and open up the kitchen to a new breakfast area. Marble counters, a pro-style range, and a walnut-stained top on the snack bar play off cottage-style beadboard and vintage-look cabinets with old-fashioned polished-nickel hardware.

See more cozy cottage kitchens on thisoldhouse.com!


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