I have no idea whatever of what is meant by "modern country" so in my ignorant way I'd just do what I liked and not worry about what some canned decorating test said I should like. :)

I second Writersblock's opinion.

*BUT* just to play along....

Modern Country Kitchen

Fireclay apron front sink
Big pulldown spray faucet
Shaker cabs--white and/or chestnut stained alder
Milk glass knobs & zinc pulls
Barn lighting
Open shelving for all your meticulously scouted flea market and second hand milk glass finds
Simple 4x4 porcelain backsplash
Wide plank wood flooring
Big island or rough hewn wood farm table in wormy maple
Honed stone countertop
Smeg fridge :)

If you want a really useful decorating test, try the Sweebu Test.

a modern servant in a country style lace apron????

"modern" and "country" contradict each other so much, I feel like you're playing a joke on us! I think that test you took was in Cosmopolitan or something else silly :)

I guess if you want to blend the two it would be the country style but inclusive of all the modern conveniences (i.e. dishwasher, microwave, separate room for w/d, upscale fridge, trash compactor), but just guessing. I agree with sabjimata...good list. Like the 20's Farm Kitchen meets the 21st century.

I guess it's an updated country kitchen, not rustic but streamlined .
I think the word modern is used to mean it's in keeping with current elements, not necessarily contemporary in style.

the link below shows what they think is modern country, for me it's all country.
To the OP, you should list your preferences, what attracts you, cut out many pictures and see what keeps resurfacing, that would guide you to determine
what direction you'll take with your new home.

Here is a link that might be useful: Modern country

Get the book "Country Living: 500 Kitchen Ideas" by Dominque DeVito. Fabulous little book. I've renewed it twice and will probably have to break down and buy it. I think you will find many ideas here.

We had a similar request recently. Posters did some talking about farm kitchens vs. "country" vs. historical. I responded with one of my usual rants. Might be useful to you?

I think "modern country" means "has baskets and some stoneware and yellow and cutesy hand towels and old looking wood" to many people.

Here is a link that might be useful: previous thread about country kitchen

Soofriver's kitchen is my favourite example of a modern country kitchen.

I think you can access pix of the rest of her home from the album linked in the FKB. Have a look. Her whole home is a great example of modern country.

Here is a link that might be useful: Soofriver's lovely kitchen in FKB

To me modern country would be more about what it is not.
I do not see travertine, tumbled stone, marble, corbels, wine racks, thermofoil, granite, raised panel doors, glazing, island hoods, undermount sinks, mosaics, or chandeliers.
I do picture wood floors and/or wood counters, farm sinks or cast iron sinks, simpler clean lines, painted cabs or stained cabs in a simple style, dish racks, curtains, colors or whites (not neutral beige, tan, or such), ample windows, open shelves, cookbooks, subways or 4 x 4s and fewer can lights.

Of course, your vision of what it means is what is important. You should look at the fkb and see which ones appeal to you to get a basic idea of what you like.

sabjimata: The things you included in your list is very much what I too consider to be "modern country." I don't want to put something in our kitchen that takes away from the clean yet inviting feel. I just don't want our kitchen to feel too formal.

igloochick: Yes, I am sure my hubby would love to have supper with me in a lace apron.....um, after the little ones are put to bed first, of course ;-)

lolauren: I think the idea is just a cleaner space, with cleaner lines without all of the collectible, and all without being ultra modern.

mitchdesj: I tried the link but no joy.

sayde: I will look into that book. I need something in which I can bring to our cabinet maker so he understands the direction in which I am trying to go. Thanks for the suggestion.

florantha: I will read it tonight once the kiddies are sleeping.

dianalo: I like the approach you took, about what it is not. That is very helpful.

Since I'm a country girl living in a country house in the middle of rural nowhere, I should be qualified to answer this. LMAO

We just finished building, and not all the finishing touches are done, so no pics to post just yet. But my kitchen has shaker cabinets in cherry with a cranberry finish, Pergo palissander floors, Staron cinnamon countertops, stainless/black appliances. Sink is seamless undermount--ease of cleaning was my #1 priority. Big brushed nickel pull down faucet. Cabinet hardware is Amerock blackrock in brushed nickel (square and plain), except for 2 places where I used a brushed nickel horse fetish, for interest and because I am a horse freak. Tile mural of horses running is behind stove. Walls are a very warm tan color (SW Lanyard), much more intense than most tans that I have seen. Compliments the cabinets and the tile mural very well. Everything in here was picked to work with that tile mural, actually. LOL

I have a floating peninsula with a raised bar. We had the bar supports made in a local metal shop and painted them flat black so they look cast iron. They are big and chunky, but very streamlined in design and rustic looking. Stools are black prairie style backs with a chocolate brown leather seat.

I think my kitchen is beautiful and it suits the style of my house very well. I wanted something that felt very warm and homey and was very simple, but with touches of horses here and there so everybody would know it was MINE. haha

:-)
V

I love modern country. I had a lot of those images in my inspiration folder. This is what I think it could include (emphasis on the "could" I think there is a lot of room for creativity): clean simple lines, lots of white, no or very little pattern, real materials (wood, stone, etc - nothing faux, it is all about honesty), polished chrome details, big windows with beefy trim, a few old school vintage items thrown in (enamelware, jadeite, ironstone, etc) to take the edge off and give the space some warmth and texture, some lighting & appliances with an industrial edge, maybe use a few repurposed items (vintage trophy as utensil caddy, etc) for character, and tons of natural light. To me, modern country has all of the warmth and honesty of country, but the cleaner lines let everything shine and breathe a bit. yum.

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laurainlincoln, would you post more of the pics in your inspiration folder....love this one. Thanks

The kitchen on the cover of Country Living: 500 Kitchen Ideas was my original inspiration kitchen. I have to agree, it's a great little book. I bought mine used on Amazon for $3. I threw all my kitchen magazines in the trash last week and only kept that book.

Yes! I too would like to see what is in your folder.

How do I incorporate stained wood and leather (thinking about living space) with all the white?

What about counter surface and flooring? Our builder suggests Staron/Corian and tile for the floor. What type of tile because I too picture wood floors...and staron/corian....no way, for me they are even further away from warm and homey than the tile floor.

Thanks you'll!

>How do I incorporate stained wood and leather (thinking about living space) with all the white?

Mommaseed, you could do inexpensive Ikea butcher block countertops. Below is one idea for a kitchen, from the A Country Farmhouse blog.

I live a country house on a farm in the middle of rural nowhere, too, but on the Canadian prairies, though I don't think my taste is all that modern! But I do like the Country Farmhouse blog kitchen. And to me, the stainless range hood makes it very modern country. Some industrial-type stainless or chrome pendants would also add to the modern country feel.

Leather I suppose on a sofa in the nearby family room or on island stools or chairs at the dining table, though for me leather isn't necessarily a given for modern country. Oh, speaking of leather and a wonderful example of modern country though not overly country-ish, Julie Brodie's wonderful kitchen here in the kitchen forum,
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0318593419284.html

I also think of this pantry picture, from the woman at Emersonmade, as modern country,
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/03/sneak-peek-emersonmade-2.html/6_emerson

Becky

Here is a link that might be useful: Wooden countertops at Country Farmhouse blog

Becky - those links were great! The one kitchen has a wine rack, lol, but otherwise is a great example of country modern. Each link was very pretty and fresh yet retained the charm of what I think is "country".

dianolo, no wine in a modern country kitchen?! What?! No wonder I like a more traditional kitchen!

PS Another fan for the Country Living book, which I just bought cheap at BookCloseouts before their supply ran out.

Becky

It's funny how different peoples' perceptions are... Here I am loving the "warmth" of my cinnamon Staron countertops and someone else mentions that Staron could never be warm and homey to them. ;-) I think that is proof of why you should build/decorate to please yourself!!

V

Hmmm. . .

Bits of hay scattered on the floor
Veggies from the garden piled on the counter
Work gloves along with assorted tools
Horse wormer
The "present" the kitten dragged in, if the dogs haven't already cleaned that up
Eggs from the coop with a stray feather or two
A pile of muddy riding boots in some random corner

Or maybe that's just what I see in my "Modern Country" kitchen? Seriously, who comes UP with this stuff? (I don't mean you, OP, I mean the "style" people who assign random labels to things).

Take Writersblock's advice, and take the Sweeby test. Figure out how you're going to live in your kitchen, and how you want it to function for you and your family. Educate your eye by spending a lot of time on the Finished Kitchens Blog. Decide what you like, and narrow down your choices based on what looks good together, but also importantly, what looks good in your house-- the kitchen has to live as a part of the whole, and it looks kind of dumb when it has no relation, stylistically, to the rest of the house.

Don't get too hung up on labels-- most of the time they make no sense. My kitchen has half the stuff on Sabjimata's list of "DO's" for a country kitchen, and half the stuff on Dianalo's list of "DONT's", but my kitchen is most definitely "Modern Country"-- it's modern and I live in the country.

The real secret though, I have to tell you, is the hay and muddy boot pile-- those give it real street cred.

brickmanhouse, I actually envy those with country kitchens -- modern or otherwise -- *without* the section of swather that requires a run to town; the black plastic shoe tray just inside the door for everyone's dirty/muddy work boots; a bottle of antibiotics in the corner of the fridge for one of the cows; the box of canning jars on the floor, just brought up from the basement; and the largest stainless steel bowl full of beets from the garden. I've been busy with the garden harvest and cooking for a large harvest crew twice a day, in between runs to town for parts and twine. At least I don't have to convince my husband that our new kitchen will get good use and not be just a show kitchen!

I have to confess I have an easier time picturing "modern country" than I do "transitional", a label/description I had never encountered before arriving at the GW kitchen forum and which I still don't quite understand : ).

Becky

hi phoggie - absolutely! Of course, I did not keep track of where these came from and so I cannot give credit where credit is due - I apologize for that! Poor form, I know... Some of these are more country and some are more modern, but they called out to me for whatever reason :-)

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Beckysharp,

I hear you, sister! Apparently there are people out there who don't shoo marauding chickens off the family room couch and clean up headless field mice from under the kitchen table. . . who knew?

I'm just a bit amused by this whole wildly romanticized notion of the "Country Kitchen," and when this thread came up asking point black what you'd expect to see in a modern country kitchen. . . I just couldn't resist.

My kitchen is most definitely a kitchen in the country. We worked very hard on it, and we love it. There are even some things about it that other people love, too.

But the things you see in it from day to day that define it as a real modern country kitchen in the year 2010-- muddy rutabaga, errant chicken feathers, vaccines in the fridge. . . those things that give it an honest time and place are most definitely not the things that most people want in a "Country Kitchen!"

Brickmanhouse - I see where we differ on definitions because I would not call your kitchen modern. It is traditional in the best sense of the word. Yours is updated because you put new and improved elements in, but you certainly have a traditional flavor (and not a faux, fussy traditional!).

I think the word modern is what means the spare lines and either a wild punch of color or montone with little variation. Country means not urban looking so that is a real twist on modern and adds a more utilitarian edge to it. It also means fewer high end embellishments to me. It is a down to earth friendly look when done right.

I am planning my kitchen to be retro-modern (pre-mid century). Basically, what a forward thinking person would have used in the '30s or '40s in a normal family kitchen.

Labels are good if they help communicate the style you are picturing to someone else, yet you do not need to be bound by a label as each kitchen should be what the owner wants and not to fit what someone else's idea is. Houses and kitchens are also meant to evolve over time, so you can add in new elements to work with old ones. I'd like people to have a tough time figuring what year we put in our soon to be kitchen. I'd rather it look timeless than new. The quickest way to have a kitchen look dated is to slavishly copy what is in fashion and popular, because there is always a backlash and what was hot, looks out of date.

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I'm not sure about modern country since I'm not even sure what goes into a country-country kitchen....but here's what ours, which I've taken to calling "modern Craftsman," will be like. (I'm making this up as we go along, though, so it's hardly definitional. :) Ours might be considered transitional too---still fuzzy on exactly what that is!

- Echoes traditional design and aesthetic (in our case, shaker painted cabinets matched to original built-ins; linoleum floors)
- Embraces modern additions: appliances and receptacles are not hidden, where appropriate newer materials are embraced (e.g., counters)
- Mixes up traditional features a bit (e.g., using stainless bar pulls instead of traditional bin pulls)
- Not afraid to add color, which would be extremely unusual in a true period kitchen.

Basically, recognizable in an instant as hearkening to the Arts and Crafts aesthetics (or more accurately, California bungalow; a true A&C house would have been stained wood v. painted, but ours wasn't). Also immediately recognizable as new---not to be confused with the original. Our goal is to have a kitchen that is at home in our old house, but does not try to replace or replicate what was originally there.

I could imagine a modern country kitchen as along those lines, but using traditional country kitchen aesthetic. Which is where I am useless....

Pretty much have most of the elements on sabjimata's list in our kitchen.

>"It is a down to earth friendly look when done right."

dianolo, I think you are so right about this -- and I would add "warm" to that description as well -- and I think it's one of the main reasons why updated country kitchens are so popular, even among those who don't have to deal with cows and chickens just outside the front door : ). Warm, welcoming, friendly, and yet clean, uncluttered, and not dated.

I also think the "modern" in modern country is a good way of telegraphing, however unconsciously at times, that the country look selected is a world away from the *very* dated country kitchens not so long ago featuring dusty blue/dusty mauve and geese with ribbons tied around their necks...

Here is a link that might be useful:

Apple pie on the counter. Me, with a plate, a fork and a hopeful expression.

The photos have been so very helpful! Thank you, thank you , thank you :-)

beckysharp: I really like the kitchen by jbrodie that you linked. I literally smiled when I opened it; that has not happened to me yet and I have looked at a lot of kitchens.

Being we have 4 young children and a doggy adoption upon moving into our house, we have been discouraged from putting in wood floors. What else would you'll suggest for flooring to keep the warm and inviting feel?

One other question! All of the photos have white cabinets. Does anyone have a photo with stained wood cabinets. I really like the white but I might like the stain even more if I saw some pictures. Thanks again for your help.

Look into marmoleum floors. Visit some places that have them installed if you can. I saw a fabulous one done with insets of a second and a third color which picked up colors elsewhere in the room. I also know someone with a red Marmoleum floor, which is always happy and friendly. Photos don't do justice for this product.
___

As for terminology, I like the term "Working Kitchen." That's what I was aiming for:
--lots of room for veg processing and counterspace for dehydrator, blender, food processor, mixer when they're in use, sometimes all at the same time
--room for two cooks to work all the time but with more work spaces when the number of cooks expands even more
--eating area in the room which can double as a work space.
--washable, friendly surfaces that do not require a bottle of special stuff for maintenance
--breadboards and stools
--large sink basins
--windows and lots of lights
--a feeling that nature is right outside the room
--a place for art and collections to be displayed
--rag rugs (an addiction)
--glass, lightweight linen textures, real wood
--an inviting ambiance that does not exclude anyone on account of style, taste, etc.
--a device to play books on tape during long work sessions
--a place for the mail, business stuff, etc. to land so that it doesn't move into the kitchen
--dog friendly floor
--compost handling

bmorepanic, I hope you get your pie : ). I think you just described my husband's and kids' idea of what they expect to see too!

mommaseed, isn't Julie's kitchen fabulous!?

One idea for the kitchen is white uppers and stained bottom cabs. That way you get the white, airy look and also more practical bottom cabs in a hard-working kitchen with kids and a dog.

As far as flooring, I'm looking at reclaimed wood wide planks, probably in a rustic grade, but then I don't mind the dings and wear and tear as long as the general color stays the same. I love the old oak hardwood floors in my parents' prewar apartment building in NYC, and how hard-wearing they've been. What I do mind are the dings, wear and tear on my current linoleum, because those turn into tears, rips, and differences in color when the top layer is removed. I can live with old, loved hardwood, but that's just me : ).

If you want authentic, skip the white romanticized version--that would never work for a girl coming in with hay in her hair and dirt/manure on her hands. ;-)

We did wood laminate flooring in the kitchen. Hardwood doesn't work in a house with dogs and small kids, tile is too hard. We bought plenty of extra in case spot replacement is needed. As long as you clean up spills in a timely manner, laminate does fine, barring a true disaster. Which means my dog will not be allowed to drink in the kitchen. LOL

V

mommaseed, below is a link to a thread on white uppers and stained bottom cabinets, FYI...

As for authentic : ), we farm (we have a certified organic cow-calf operation) and have painted cream cabinets, top and bottom, and three kids (9, 11, 13) who like to cook *and* spend time outdoors. Our first stop in the house is the bathroom to wash our hands and change out of "chore clothes", which stay on hooks in the basement, which the kids access through the garage.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread with painted upper cabs, stained bottom cabs

Okay, after eight years here, I finally have to ask. . .

Just what do kids and animals DO to white cabinets and hardwood floors?

I've read with fair regularity on this forum over the years that kids/animals and hardwoods/white cabinets don't mix. I've yet to figure out why, and no one seems to be talking!

Leaving aside my kitchen (which has only been installed for six months or so), I have 170 year old wood floors throughout my entire house, and all manner of white built-ins (cabinets, closets, bookcases, lockers, etc.). I have foot-thick baseboards-- all white-- and miles of white molding, paneling, and trim.

We may not be farming on a large scale, but with kids, dogs, cats, horses, chickens, ducks, geese and gardens, this house takes its fair share of abuse. There is nothing "romanticized" about the mud, manure, and beheaded field mice around here. And we're total amateurs in the abuse department as far as my house is concerned-- it survived the Civil War.

We've lived here for eight years, and of course most of what's in this house has been here much longer than that. I keep waiting, somehow, for something to HAPPEN to all this, but nothing ever does.

So someone please tell me. . . what am I missing?

brickmanhouse, they haven't done much if anything to my kitchen cabinets, which are painted plywood, and most of the cabs are 1950s plywood so very sturdy. I do recruit the kids a few times a year to wash down the bottom cabinets, and they know when we cook to wipe up any spills on the bottom cab fronts and to clean their fingerprints from the glass uppers, especially the one with the drinking glasses.

I don't think they'd do much to hardwood, which is why I want to get hardwood in my new kitchen: ). My ugly 17yo white/pink/gray linoleum is another matter, however; my husband installed it before we met. When the kids were babies and toddlers and would amuse themselves making "can towers" while I cooked, falling cans (especially the big tomato ones) would dent the floor, so there are some black dents and rents in the lino where the top layer has been gouged out. But I don't mind because I'm hoping that one of these winters my husband will finally replace the lino I have hated for almost 20 years.

I don't know about pets because I try to keep animals *out* of my house in general and kitchen in particular, though it doesn't always work, because I have enough to clean around here. Most people seem to be concerned about dog noses on the cabinets and nails on the hardwood, I think.

We try to keep the farming *outside* the house. My worst battle is with the kids' chore clothes -- they don't seem to realize when things should go in the wash, or don't think to hang up damp coveralls instead of leaving them in a heap. But all that happens in the basement, far away from the kitchen, and the garage entrance to the basement, which is the kids' main entry, helps a lot.

My worst battles *in* the kitchen are mostly aesthetics -- tractor parts that don't belong but are handy to the front door for the next trip to town, that ugly pile of boots by the front door, 4H project posters and country fair entries with pressed and dried leaves, grains and grasses on large sheets of posterboard on the wall by the kitchen table, the large 4H trophy on my marble-topped buffet. But those are also the signs of a well-used, well-loved kitchen, and thank goodness a family that's around the house more often that we aren't...

Becky

Dog noses on cabinets and nails on the hardwood are the problems we have with big dog + white trim + hardwood floors. The places where our dog likes to rest his head (windows, mostly) get a greyish grunge to them. Comes off with some vinegar solution, but still kind of gross; we tend to forget about it but I can see that being a big issue for some people. Notably, it would be there with stained wood too---just not as visible! :) Generally, white just shows dirt more. Some people like it specifically for that reason---you can see it and clean it.

Hardwood is a big issue with larger dogs (ours is 80+ pounds). His nails have scratched the finish on our white oak floors pretty badly. They can be sanded and refinished, of course, but that's not super convenient or cost-effective. We just ignore it and know that we'll do it before we sell. But---with a large indoor dog, I would never put in flooring softer than the oak (e.g., fir---lots of our neighbors use their fir subfloors in the kitchen, and they're gorgeous, but the one who has a big dog has gouges out of it). We're doing Marmoleum in the kitchen for that reason. I don't think I'd worry about wood with kids, though. Our floor is almost 100 years old and has dozens of little dings and patches in it from past residents (dogs, kids, who knows!) It forms a patina, and isn't especially noticeable in the grand scheme of things. The scratches are only noticeable because the floor was newly refinished when we moved in, so we've been particularly aware of their development. I imagine the average person doesn't walk in (I hope!) and wonder why our floor is so scratched up...