30 Stunning Shabby Chic Kitchen Ideas

1. Brushed metal can make the room pop

With a variety of metal fixtures in your kitchen, brushed metal textures can really make the room pop. When chrome or gold is much too bright and reflective, a brushed or sepia tone to the metal can help reduce the reflection while still adding a colorful and stylish addition to the room.

2. Gold and white pair exceptionally well together

Having a mostly white kitchen can make the space feel brighter and much cleaner overall. However, when searching for a suitable color to mix in with the white walls, cabinets, and backsplash you should consider gold. It adds a wonderful chic style without being too gaudy or luxurious.

3. Go for tile walls instead of wallpaper

Instead of going with a patterned wallpaper, consider using tile instead. Not only is tile much easier to keep clean in a kitchen, but it can be found in a wide range of colors, shapes, and sizes. If you’re looking for the basics, consider rectangle tile. For something more unique, you can go with diamond or honeycomb shapes.

4. Consider installing aged wood cabinetry

Cabinets are a staple part of any kitchen, but using aged and repurposed wood can be an outstanding way to add a touch of shabby chic to the room. Additionally, you can rough up new paint on your cabinets by using a wire brush to add “wear marks” and scratches to the color which adds an aged look.

5. Install a wooden overhead oven vent

Having an overhead vent over your stove is an important part of your kitchen, but the exposed metal can be much too industrial for your shabby chic kitchen. Instead, try to find a wooden facade you can cover it with. This blends well with your cabinets and adds that chic charm to the whole room.

6. Choose bright primary colors like cobalt blue

Bright primary colors such as blue, green, or red can work exceptionally well in a shabby chic kitchen. Cobalt blue is a very commonly chosen color as it can be paired well with a wide range of other colors including red, black, white, beige, and gray.

7. Rough stucco walls adds unique texture

Rough stucco, drywall, or plaster walls can add a unique texture to the overall kitchen. Consider whitewashing these walls to help brighten up the room, or go with a unique pastel color to add a bit of country charm to the kitchen instead.

8. Go grand with shiny gold or chrome colors

Adding exceptionally bright and shiny appliances to your kitchen is a great way to embrace the chic decor style. Look for chrome, stainless steel, polished copper, polished brass, or other highly reflective materials when you are purchasing appliances for your shabby chic kitchen.

9. Use open style shelves instead of cabinets

Open style shelves are a great way to make a small kitchen feel much larger. Cabinets are entirely closed off and can make the room feel cramped or snug, but open shelves allow light to bounce around the room and keep your cookware and dining ware in plain view and easy reach.

10. Make use of natural brick and stone architecture

If the interior of your kitchen has natural brick and stone architecture along the walls or ceiling, don’t try to hide it. Instead, you can use browns, tans, and bronze colors to blend your kitchen appliances and cabinetry into the natural color of the hardscape.

11. Natural stone adds a unique texture to the room

Having a natural stone wall can add a stylish texture element to the room. Natural stone can be left as-is, or painted to reflect the color palette in the rest of the room. Regardless of how you choose to use it, natural stone can turn an average kitchen into a shabby chic haven!

12. Use repurposed furniture for that aged look

Don’t be afraid to use aged or repurposed wood furniture in your kitchen. In fact, repurposed wood tables, chairs, and countertops work exceptionally well when you’re going for that shabby chic style. Check around at antique malls, resale shops, and local classifieds for the perfect used furniture.

13. Install a sink with a chic facade

In many cases, you can either hire a woodworker to create a stylish wooden facade for your cabinets and sink, or you can buy artificial adhesive facades yourself. Adding these unique decorative accents to your kitchen, lower cabinets, and pantry can help bring the shabby chic feeling to life.

14. Make use of natural brick architecture

Having exposed brickwork in your kitchen can be a great decorative element to work with. Brick adds a very unique shabby chic look to the entire room. In fact, you can buy artificial brick tile to use as a backsplash or frame in areas where you want to draw the eye.

15. Use light colors to brighten up the entire room

If you’ve struggled with having a dark kitchen, try going with a lighter choice of colors. You don’t have to go with all-white, instead consider using pastels, beiges, tans, and light shades of gray. These colors will help brighten up the room by better reflecting natural and artificial light.

16. Select one color for a bold contrast

If your kitchen is mostly white, it can seem too stark and drastic. In order to break up the whiteness, consider adding a single contrasting color to certain areas of the room. Colors such as navy blue, forest green, brick red, or black can provide excellent contrasts.

17. Match furniture to exposed wood architecture

If your kitchen has exposed wooden ceiling beams or other supporting architecture, try having your dining furniture match the wood tone. This can help blend the entire room together and turn those exposed beams into a part of the overall decor.

18. Go bold with black cabinets and woodwork

If you’re trying to find a way to make your kitchen stand out in a bold way, consider going with black cabinets and appliances. This not only adds a touch of elegance to your kitchen, but it can also add a unique dimensional feel to larger spaces.

19. Pair wicker with wood for a unique look

Wicker is a commonly found material in lampshades, baskets, chairs, and other furniture and decor. If you have a kitchen that makes use of wicker decor, consider pairing it with wood decor as well. It works well with both light and medium woodtones of various textures.

20. Fill your kitchen with natural herbs and spices

If you love cooking, you are probably no stranger to fresh herbs and spices. Try adding a few potted herbs in your kitchen. Not only does this provide you with fresh flavoring for your recipes, but it also adds a spark of nature into your kitchen.

21. Use woven basket lampshades for a unique look

Lampshades can come in a wide range of styles and materials. If you want a unique shabby chic look, consider going with lampshades made from woven baskets. These shades help direct light downward towards the table while also adding a stylish decorative element to the room.

22. Save space with floating shelves and tables

Instead of having cabinets lining every available wall, consider using floating shelves and tables too. Not only can these be space saving storage options in a smaller sized kitchen, but they can also help make the entire space feel larger and more open.

23. Embrace copper pots and cast iron pans

When you really want that shabby chic look, consider using cast iron pans and copper cooking pots. Not only are these very practical and long-lasting items, but they fit right into the decor you are going for. Additionally, copper pots can add that extra bit of reflective shine to help reflect light around the room as well.

24. Try a honeycomb tile backsplash

Having a tile backsplash near your stove and sink adds a unique dimension to the overall room. But you can take this one step further by choosing uniquely shaped tiles. Instead of the normal rectangle shape, go for a honeycomb pattern in a striking color to get an eye-catching look to your kitchen space.

25. Don’t be afraid of eclectic color choices

Adding a bit of whimsy to your kitchen is a great choice when you’re having trouble deciding on a single color. Try mixing some lesser used colors together such as deep cyan and pale yellow. You can even do well with orange, mint green, deep purple, lavender, and bright red.

26. Red accents add country charm to your kitchen

If you want a touch of country charm, consider adding candy apple red to your color choices. This shade of red is extremely common in kitchens and works exceptionally well for cabinet framing, window dressings, seating upholstery, bowls, appliances, and so much more.

27. Look for vintage and aged furniture

Don’t be afraid to shop for furniture at your local antique mall or resale shop. You might be able to find some of the best repurposed and aged furniture for your kitchen. Look for tables, chairs, and other wooden elements that are still sturdy yet have a worn look.

28. Add a retro feel with a bright orange color

If you want to take your shabby chic one step further, go with a uniquely retro color such as bright orange, bright yellow, or candy apple red. These colors can be found on retro style appliances, as well as cabinetry, tables, window dressings, and more.

29. Consider mixing your favorite pastel colors

Pastel colors can turn an average kitchen into a casual chic haven. Consider going with pastels such as pink, cyan, mint green, or lavender for a unique and stylish look. These colors work well for cabinets, curtains, wall tile, and more.

30. Bronze works well with wood and wicker

If you’re looking for a mature and elegant color combination, consider mixing bronze elements with wicker and wood furniture. Bronze pairs exceptionally well with both light and medium wood tones giving you a great range of choices when it comes to selecting seating and tables.