Is pine the right wood for your homey kitchen?
For the cottage, country, or rustic styled kitchen, nothing brings as much charm or character as traditional pine. Light in colour, reasonably priced and recognisable by its distinct and knotty grain, pine is a popular option for many interior designers and homeowners.
But, is traditional pine right for you?
“Unfinished” pine cabinets are a particular favourite of kitchen designers because of the beautiful way they add light colour and brightness to a space. (c) leicht.com
First things first, you should consider how you are going to use pine in your kitchen décor. For all its wonderful and stylish virtues, pine is somewhat less durable than hard woods like oak, maple, mahogany and bamboo. It is particularly vulnerable to dents and scratches, so if you have a high traffic kitchen, or rambunctious young ones, you may wish using it in places that are out of reach of children, like over the counter cabinets or the ceiling, rather than in low-lying areas like the base of a kitchen island or sideboards.
Pine can be stained to varying degrees of warmth. (c)l eicht.com
If you think traditional pine is right for your kitchen then you should also consider finishes. “Unfinished” pine cabinets are a particular favourite of kitchen designers because of the beautiful way they add light colour and brightness to a space. Applying a clear coat of finish is the simplest route to finishing your pine cabinets and will showcase the wood’s distinctive graining and knots. Unfinished pine cabinets will also mellow to a lovely warm yellow over the years. Another advantage of unfinished pine cabinets is their simplicity and how they can prove to be inexpensive.
Once you’ve settled on pine for you kitchen design, the perfect hardware must be considered – particularly if you have committed to pine cabinets. (c) leicht.com
For a more sophisticated look, pine can be stained to varying degrees of warmth. Or, it can also be painted with ease. Should you choose to stain your pine a warm colour, it’s best to call in the professionals. Though the heavy grain of pine is wonderful, it is indicative of the wood’s varying degrees of hardness. As a result, pine is apt to streak when stained if not properly prepared.
Once you’ve settled on pine for you kitchen design, the perfect hardware must be considered – particularly if you have committed to pine cabinets. It can be the deciding factor as to whether your kitchen will be more country than contemporary (or visa versa). For a contemporary take on the rustic kitchen, ceramic white knobs on unfinished pine are a lovely touch. A Canadian cottage feel is achieved with embellished hinges made of antiqued brass or wrought iron. Brushed brass and stainless steel of course look marvellous on all finishes and styles of pine cabinets.
Cabinet, ceiling, kitchen-island, or sideboards – are you sold on making your kitchen pine fresh?
