image from luxe.

My parents are in the process of building a new home on our family ranch in the Texas Hill Country.  We are so excited to have a place that we can escape the city and have a cup of coffee on the back porch taking in the views while letting the boys run around and play with their cousins.  I appointed myself as ‘lead designer’ on the project, as much as my dad will let me anyway. I thought it would be fun to share some of the process with you since I am spending so much time pulling together our inspiration.  Today I am sharing some of my favorite modern farmhouse kitchens that have served as our style guide.

image from Fixer Upper

A Rustic Wood Island

This image is actually the first ‘inspiration picture’ I was able to get my dad on board with.  His style is about as traditional as it comes so I am really pushing him out of his comfort zone with this project, but I think he will LOVE it when it is all said and done.  We want to keep the space very warm and bring in a lot of natural elements while still being fresh and relevant to today’s home trends. The lanterns, wood island, cabinet color and beams served as major inspiration for our kitchen.

image from luxe.

Exposed Wood Beams

I love this kitchen from luxe interiors.  The main living area of the ranch house will be an open concept kitchen with a big island opening up to the living area.  The exposed beams add a rustic element that ties the two rooms together. 

image source unknown

Mixed Metals 

I love the contrast of black windows in white kitchens! I thinking mixing white, black and wood is so fresh, but still so warm.  The perfect mix!  I also love how they mixed metals here – brushed nickel hardware, brass wall mounts and the black lantern all work together seamlessly.

image source unknown

A Metal Hood + Rock Accent Wall

I love the idea of using the same stone as the living room fireplace as the back splash for the kitchen to tie the two roms together.  I also LOVE the metal hood and open shelves in this space.  

image from @joannagaines

Black Accents

This kitchen is from the queen of modern farmhouse style, Joanna Gaines.  I picture pendants just like this for our space and I love the metal bar stools against the wood island!  I also think the wood header on the hood is a perfect way to tie in the wood beams in the ceiling. (Not to mention, how dreamy is this stone?!)

image from Houzz

Pass-Through Kitchen Window

The kitchen window above our kitchen sink looks out to the back porch so we are building a little serving area on the porch to connect the two spaces.  I imagine we will spend most of our time on the porch so this is a fun and functional way to access the kitchen from the outside. 

image source

Two-Tone Cabinets

As I mentioned, we are painting the cabinets, but leaving the island a stained wood to match the ceiling beams.  I love this kitchen color scheme down to the different counter tops!

image source

Rustic Open Shelves

Since we are painting the cabinets, I want to mix in some open rustic shelves to keep a warm, farmhouse feel.  I love the idea of styling them with some green plants and antique dishes to really add personality and charm.