Farmhouse

Where it comes from

Working rural houses, where the kitchen was a workroom first.

Farmhouse is honest surfaces and visible utility: a deep sink, open shelving, painted timber, a floor that takes boots. The remodel risk is buying the aesthetic as a kit — signage, distressed finishes, barn doors — instead of building the practicality it came from.

Lighting

Simple shaded fixtures at working height, warm and unfussy. A pendant over the sink is the whole idea.

What breaks it

• Sleek high-gloss cabinetry
• Chrome fittings
• Cool grey-blue palettes
• Signs with printed slogans

Where to spend

The sink and the floor. A deep apron sink and a hard-wearing floor establish farmhouse faster than any amount of shiplap.