The Beauty Of An Oak Kitchen

The Beauty Of An Oak Kitchen

When it comes to kitchen design, oak is truly versatile, lending itself to both the rustic look and modern style. The sheer nature of oak means there’s also scope to blend traditional flair with the modernity offered by the newest high tech kitchens yet, the true beauty of oak goes beyond aesthetics. It has a number of other qualities, which makes oak a very natural companion for your dream kitchen.

Town and country

Country homes and farmhouse cottages might seem the most obvious environment for solid oak kitchens, but that’s not to say oak kitchens are out of place in the city. In urban townhouses, for example, an oak kitchen can happily sit alongside modern appliances and fittings without looking forced or out of place, particularly in large, airy kitchens. This is because, with a little care, oak can matches effortlessly with many styles of fittings, such as handles and crafted doors.

A long legacy of quality

Oak has been used in kitchens for hundreds of years. One of the reasons for this is, as well as being highly durable, it’s relatively inexpensive so it can come as a surprise to some homeowners that it’s an economical way to a long-lasting, great looking kitchen.

The grade of oak used in most kitchens is known as Character Oak. This is the best choice as it’s sap-free and has good, sound knots which brings plenty of old-style character to the finished product. If you look closely at the wood you’ll sometimes see clusters of knots, known as Pippy Oak. These are often described at ‘Cats Paws’ by craftspeople and although they may not be immediately obvious, they can influence the overall decorative appearance of a kitchen. It’s up to the individual whether this is a desirable feature in their planned kitchen; some may prefer a cleaner, more modern appearance, in which case, a plainer, but no less beautiful variety of oak may be more suitable.

The choice is yours

Our Bede kitchen is a good example of a traditional oak layout. You can see where this might be more appropriate in a bigger, older home. Yet, you can see how oak works in a modern setting too with our Fenton Oak kitchen. Both examples demonstrate oak’s exceptional versatility. The wood complements a number of door, cabinet and fitting options effortlessly. Moreover, being a heavy hardwood, oak is very durable and, certainly in a farmhouse-style design, can look even better once ‘worn-in’.

What is sure is that oak will last for generations, so although it isn’t the most expensive wood to use in the kitchen, it is worth paying more for quality fittings, as they will need to be equally long lasting. Oak grain takes stains very well and, recently, there has been an upsurge in coloured stains, including white, yellow, red, green and even black, giving you more choice than ever when it comes to your kitchen.

To the eye of the beholder, the beauty of an oak kitchen might lie in the individuality of the grain, but its ability to merge seamlessly into a variety of designs, adding character and practical style is certainly not to be ignored.

Hope this helps

Tommy