The term French country kitchens gets a lot of love in the interior design world, seeing as how this aesthetic effortlessly merges form with function, as well as lived-in rustic charm with a kind of understated glamour. Think of such kitchens as adhering to a kind of straight-out-of-Provence cottagecore styleto the tune of exposed wood beams, slightly weathered finishes, vintage furniture finds, soft fabrics, and lots of space to cut Comt cheese for your backyard picnic.French-born ELLE DECOR A-List designer Robert Couturier, who recently parted with his Normandy villa in favor of living in New Yorks Harlem neighborhood, shares a few precious pieces of advice for anyone trying to nail the look. A [country] kitchen has to be clean, very bright, and have tons of antique copper pots and pans. It should always smell of pastries cooking! he tells us. Mine in France was like that. I am not so keen on eating in the kitchen, so I only kept a bridge table and four chairs [there].Realistically speaking, you dont need to reside in the French countryside to have a country kitchen of your own. Here, weve rounded up 20 ideashandpicked from the ELLE DECOR archives and beyondfor replicating the look no matter what your abodes coordinates are. One things for certain: Youll be saying oui to these endearing cooking quarters in no time, and well be right there with you.1Embrace Folksy LightingWilliam Jess LairdCountry kitchens skip the bling and instead tap into decor that exudes warmth, like this vintage oak chandelier by Guillerme and Chambron in a Connecticut country home kitchen designed by Jenna Chused. It's a perfect match for the vintage oak table beneath, and those fabric shades add to the room's overall aura of elevated softness.2Play Around with ColorStephan JulliardWhile country kitchens frequently bear neutral or earthen hues, this tableau from ELLE DECOR A-Lister Jean-Louis Deniot's le de R home proves that a little vibrancy never hurt anyone. The white-and-blue cabinets seen here are custom-made to fit into the residence's larger theme of "bright colors and some slightly childish touches, per Deniot.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below3Buy a Wooden TableDominique NabokovBored by the typical kitchen island? Replace it with a farmhouse table, like this one in French clothing designer Agns b's home outside Versailles. She sourced it at a Parisian flea market, and the natural wear-and-tear blends perfectly with the overhead lamp's patina. Sleek and shiny surfaces begone!4Go with a Checkerboard FloorPascal ChevallierName something more classic than checkerboard flooring, we'll wait. In the kitchen of Jean-Louis Deniot's historic manor near the Chteau de Chantilly, this particular design element is all too happy to be the star of the showcontrasting with the walls, painted in Cooking Apple Green by Farrow & Ball, and striped curtains made out of a fabric by Deniot himself. For pushing the "French country kitchen" vibes to the max, consider decking out your floors with intentionally weathered tiles.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below5Keep it Out in the Open!Rachael SmithCountry kitchens would have a field day with concealed, nothing-on-the-countertops kitchens of today. As this scene from Suzie de Rohan Willner's English country home so clearly conveys, keeping all your ingredients and cookbooks visible and within easy reach will achieve a homey, lived-in feel. De Rohan Willner intentionally designed her bright green kitchen cabinets to resemble the shelves in a French grocery store. Spectaculaire!6Go the Floating Shelves RouteDouglas FriedmanNot a fan of cabinets or short on space? Place your pots, pans, and other Julia Childapproved kitchen essentials on floating shelves, as Robert Couturier did in an New York townhouse's kitchen. It might all eventually devolve into a lovable, stainless steel mess, but that can always be remedied via the orderliness of a classic checkerboard floor (see design idea #4!). Advertisement - Continue Reading Below7Expose Those TimbersHaris KenjarI didnt want anything fancy or overly designed, but instead more casual and collected," says interior designer Heidi Caillier of the kitchen in her 18th-century Bedford, New York, home. The ceiling's original timber beams and wood counter stools from Summer Studio surely contribute to the whole cool, calm, and collected look, so it's safe to say Caillier's wishes manifested in the best of ways.8Let the Range Hood Speak VolumesJames MerrellOver-the-stove range hoods have potential to be the most eye-catching element in a kitchen, so why not make them as striking as can be? In this retreat off the coast of Scotland, Vanessa Branson (Richard Branson's sister) made a custom hood that benefits from a chalky black paint job and is in fluid conversation with that vintage table and chairs set.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below9Avoid Being Too Matchy-MatchyDouglas FriedmanThe key (or at least one of them) to nailing a country kitchen aesthetic is to tie together seemingly disparate elements, as George Kolasa did in his Hamptons cooking spacebypassing a kitchen island in favor of a table made of salvaged wood from the houses shed, topped with gleaming white marble. The distressed wooden touches save the space from being predictable, and we're so here for it.10Decorate with FlowersWilliam AbranowiczWe have a small confession to make: This actually isn't a kitchen but fashion consultant Michael Carey's potting and laundry room in his upstate New York residence. Still, it demonstrates the power of invigorating country-like interiors with floralsspecifically, with a lot of them. This jubilant mix makes it seem as if the homeowner has just come back from cutting bouquet selections from their own garden, and isn't that a fairytale scenario?Advertisement - Continue Reading Below11Fall for FabricsDylan ThomasAs this dining area adjacent to decorator Rita Konig's English farmhouse kitchen makes clear, an abundance of fabrics is never a bad idea. Here, curtains of a Lee Jofa stripe play off the cushion fabrics (of particular note is that gingham-printed chair next to the artichoke artwork in the background!). The result? A space we'd love to linger in over a nice bowl of lentil soup.12Skip the White CabinetryWinnie AuLeave it to star chef Daniel Boulud to renovate his Westchester County, New York, country kitchen in the most optimal way possible. "My city kitchen is sleek, with clean lines and lots of chrome, but I wanted my country kitchen a little softer, calling to mind a Provenal farmhouse," Boulud told ELLE DECOR back in 2020. "My wife and I designed it together, settling on cabinets in robins-egg blue, creamy quartz countertops, and a chandelier that drips with lemons, which we brought back from a flea market in the south of France." If incorporating all of those touches seems too overwhelming for now, we recommend absorbing just one bit of inspiration from this airy vignette: the cabinetry's life-affirming hue, specifically Benjamin Moores Lake Placid. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below13Adorn with Brass HardwareRoger DaviesIn the Kentucky kitchen of fashion designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka, the subway-tiled backsplash and chic pendant lights are gorgeous, no doubt, but what really stands out is all that brasssink fittings by Newport Brass included. Let this be your sign to not overlook cabinet knobs, drawer pulls, and other hardware when masterminding your upcoming country kitchen design!14Hang Up a Pot RackOfficine GulloItalian kitchen design company Officine Gullo knows how to outfit the perfect space for whipping up some bistecca alla Fiorentinadesigned a kitchen that is the epitome of Tuscan country chic, and we particularly adore that pot rack anchored to the vaulted red brick ceiling. Such a decor choice merges style and functionalityultimately making it easier to have everything you need on hand for a legendary cooking night, every night.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below15Give the Floors an Organic FeelEric PiaseckiSay no to linoleum and install floors that have a more down-to-earth feel to them, like these reclaimed French limestone ones in Istvan Francer's rural Connecticut kitchen. This material may be understated, but that will allow it to serve as a kind of carte blanche for bolder elements to take center stage (case in point: those red metal stools).16Throw In an Accent PieceDouglas FriedmanWhile this kitchenpart of designer Jeffrey Bilhuber's Jackson Hole, Wyoming, projectmight look too appliance-heavy to qualify as "rustic," that bleached-wood side tabl comes in to save the day and, indeed, make the kitchen fit the farmhouse bill. Standing on a chevron floor, it's a truly delightful addition.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below17Place the Sink in the Kitchen IslandSimon UptonEvery country kitchen needs a sink where you can wash the fresh produce you inevitably have on hand (it fits the whole "cottagecore" image, okay?), and placing it in a location as central as the kitchen island makes this especially easy. The pictured island, part of a kitchen in London designed by ELLE DECOR A-List firm Studio Peregalli Sartori, has another swoonworthy peculiarity: It's made from a 19th-century cast-iron stove!18Curate a Pitch-Perfect BacksplashAndreas von Einsiedel//Getty ImagesIf you end up not keeping your OG kitchen walls intact and want to get more creative with the backsplash, consider replicating the look of this country kitchen in the Cotswolds. A part of it is outfitted with Delft tiles, whose ornate designs add visual interest to a space otherwise dominated by lots of wood and copper.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below19Savor SeasonalityAnna Efetova//Getty ImagesHow would a 19th-century French countryside dweller dress their own kitchen? Why, they'd let the fresh harvest do all the talking! For truly tapping into the aesthetic's earthiness, pepper your kitchen interiors with out-in-the-open produce and, as seen here, seasonal finds like gourds. They add a pop of color without much effort on your part, and you can have a ball swapping out the selections depending on what grows in your garden as the months go by.20Make the Room GlowAndreas von Einsiedel//Getty ImagesFor a truly moody and sensuous setup, add the following finishing touch to your new country kitchen: real candles. And not just anywhere, but dotting a chandelier that hangs above a wooden farmhouse tableexactly what's been done in this cozy German home. Choose black tapered candles for some intrigue if the room is pastel-dominant.Stacia DatskovskaAssistant Digital EditorStacia Datskovska is the assistant digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers news, trends, and ideas in the world of design. She also writes product reviews (like roundups of the top firepits or sheet sets)infusing them with authority and wit. As an e-commerce intern at Mashable, Stacia wrote data-driven reviews of everything from e-readers to stationary bikes to robot vacuums. Stacias culture and lifestyle bylines have appeared in outlets like USA Today, Boston Globe, Teen Vogue, Food & Wine, and Brooklyn Magazine.