The shaker kitchen has come a long way from its humble roots in colonial America to become a popular favorite in the UK and Australia. Although the original Shakers may no longer be as widespread (their religious community practices celibacy), their minimalistic and utilitarian kitchen style has since become blended with more contemporary kitchen styles.
If you’re looking for a shaker kitchen aesthetic, consider these five tips before remodeling:
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Use Lots of Timber
One of the most important characteristics of a shaker kitchen is the heavy use of Timber throughout. Cabinets and cupboards should be made of Timber, and hard timber flooring or even timber beam ceilings all fit the aesthetic, although these elements can today be included individually. The Shakers preferred the cheapest but best quality Timber they could find, which often turned out to be various types of fruit Timber.
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Splash Stone with a (Mostly) Timber Design
Although Timber should be the primary material used in a shaker kitchen, you may wish to consider other natural materials when remodeling your kitchen, such as stone. Stone countertops make for an ideal accent piece, especially given their frequent use in the kitchen and how they stand out, accentuating the surrounding Timber.
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Choose Pared Back, Natural Tones & Colours
This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but traditional shaker kitchens are supposed to look natural in terms of material choice, color, and texture. That often means simply lacquered Timberen cabinets that bring out the full natural color of the Timber, making use of oak or other quality timber as accents throughout. Any stone, such as countertops, should also be in natural colors and textures.
However, modern shaker kitchens don’t need to use natural colors exclusively. Hybrid styles, such as Scandinavian minimalist shaker kitchens, can use solid white or other tones or colors.
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Let the Light In
Traditional and contemporary shaker kitchens need to maximize natural light use. Whereas in the colonial days of America, the Shakers would have certainly had to rely exclusively on natural light, today’s kitchens still benefit from beautiful natural sunlight. It’s the preferred method for a shaker look today, just as it was 250 years ago.
Depending on the floor plan of your kitchen, this could include realigning cupboards, cabinets, or possibly even appliances so that the windows let in the most natural sunlight possible.
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Invest in a Quality Kitchen Benchtop
The original Shakers were certainly quite frugal, so symbols of elegance would not fit in with a more traditional shaker kitchen style. Nowadays, one can be frugal and achieve a beautiful look that needn’t be ostentatious (in line with the traditional Shaker ethos) with a high-quality kitchen benchtop.
Consider too that the kitchen benchtops Melbourne is one of the surfaces that sees the most daily use in a kitchen, so spending more for higher quality materials such as granite can add utility and function for great value, something which fits the aesthetic perfectly.
Stone Benchtop Connection also supplies and fits engineered stone and laminate, both of which are more affordable options that still provide excellent durability and a beautiful appearance. Choose a texture and color that fits your desired shaker kitchen style and blend it with the remainder of the kitchen aesthetic.
Stone Benchtop Connection
Choose Stone Benchtop Connection for affordable, high-quality countertops for your kitchen, bathroom vanity, and more.
