Warm and inviting means different things to different people. There’s one test I apply when it comes to kitchens. Is this the kind of room I’d like to spend the morning in drinking coffee with friends and family after a late night? To me, that means lots of sunshine, plenty of countertop space and comfortable seating for others to chat while I cook breakfast.
It’s easy to see why this has been the most popular kitchen photo uploaded to Houzz since July 1. Designers used timber framing, a wood ceiling and reclaimed pine on the floor and island top to put anyone lucky enough to belly up to that countertop in a sandwich of coziness. Cream-colored cabinets, stone countertops, and a green-covered view make this barn kitchen worth getting out of bed.
Something magical happens when sunlight hits brass fixtures, light wood floors, and creamy cabinets. This is a winning recipe for this welcoming vibe. Even the gray-tiled backsplash and granite countertop add to the visual softness.
Hard to imagine a more blissful moment than raising a steaming cup of coffee to your lips as you watch the sun rise over the lake through this kitchen’s wall-to-wall windows.
Meanwhile, ash wood cabinets and brass hardware and shelving rods give off a subtle golden aura, waking up the light and airy design.
Many of us have been fortunate to spend time in a home that just has good vibes, maybe it was a vacation cabin, a best friend’s house, your grandparents’ place or your own. The designer nailed that feeling with this farmhouse kitchen. The approach included an antique sink, a mix of refinished oak and painted cabinets, beadboard paneling on the island, rich wood floors and dark granite countertops.
If someone described a kitchen as having soaring ceilings, tile floors, and a large cast-stone range hood, you might imagine that the kitchen would look cold. But that’s not the case for this kitchen design, where reclaimed wood beams, soothing white walls, and a dark, worn antique farm table make it just the kind of kitchen you’d want to stick around in for a second breakfast.
If you want warm and welcoming, just think walnut. The designer used the wood extensively in this kitchen, making it a cozy destination even during the most blustery of winter mornings. A Fusion quartzite island countertop and range backsplash make the kitchen all the more dynamic and inviting.
Mixing wood tones and species is a juggling act, but the designer didn’t fumble in this kitchen. A rift-cut oak coffee cabinet on the right beckons guests to grab a cup and take a seat at the alder wood table while breakfast is laid out on the island.
Imagine shuffling down that back staircase in the morning to this raw wood post-and-beam-framed kitchen overlooking Cape Elizabeth in Maine. Stained walnut and white cabinets and shiplap walls complete the casual coastal style.
This kitchen is full of warm wood surfaces. And the air circulating through a Dutch door would make for a fine morning almost any day of the year.
If there’s a scale for determining the coziness of a home, a log cabin in Wyoming has to be at the top. This home features a kitchen ensconced in reclaimed-wood walls, hand-hewn timbers, standing dead-log beams, reclaimed-wood ceiling planks, antique oak flooring, and wormy chestnut cabinets.
Quarter-sawn white oak cabinets, stained in a finish with a bit of gray in it, soften the light pouring into one end of this kitchen. Warm white shiplap walls and ceiling also mute the light, creating a soothing atmosphere that never gets chilly.