Out of all the rooms in your home, your kitchen is where the majority of family bonding takes place. While it’s true that bonds are formed through other activities like watching movies and playing games, food plays a central role in forming those bonds.
With food being central to family bonding, it makes sense to create an inviting kitchen environment that encourages connection. A farmhouse-style kitchen will accomplish that goal perfectly.
- Farmhouse décor is inviting
Farmhouse kitchen décor has the power to bring your family closer together by projecting a warm and cozy vibe. When your kitchen feels familiar and comfortable, people will want to be in the kitchen more often. This means you might get some help cooking and cleaning and your kids won’t be in a rush to grab their lunch and eat in their room on a Saturday afternoon.
Farmhouse décor is pretty simple, yet elegant. For instance, common décor includes reclaimed wood, oversized pieces of furniture, wrought iron accents, wide plank floors, and butcher block countertops.
The idea with farmhouse décor is to create an inviting, welcoming presence in the kitchen. Wood is a natural material that maintains that welcoming presence exceptionally well. For instance, wide plank floors make a kitchen feel like it’s supposed to be used and it’s okay for things to get messy. Elegant butcher block countertops invite the whole family to use the surface area for preparing meals and have conversations across the center island.
Walls decorated with reclaimed wood gives a sense that nothing goes to waste, yet there’s always plenty for everyone.
- A farmhouse table encourages shared meals
A farmhouse kitchen isn’t complete without a large, beautiful wooden dining table. Most large tables seat eight people, but some farmhouse-style kitchens have large picnic tables that can accommodate between 10-14 people. When your dining table accommodates your whole family and several guests, there’s no excuse for eating in front of the television and shared meals can be the norm.
Shared meals are an important part of family bonding. Not only do people bond more closely over meals than other activities, but eating meals together can directly affect each person’s happiness.
Research from the University of Oxford reveals that people who frequently share meals with others are more likely to feel happy and satisfied with their lives. Seventy-six percent of participants said they thought sharing a meal with others was a good way to bring people closer together. They were right!
- Your family can contribute to the décor
Most people feel good when they can contribute to household décor, so why not give everyone an opportunity to contribute décor to the kitchen? Farmhouse décor is easy for anyone to find. It’s become popular in recent years and can be found at any home goods store and probably even thrift stores.
Since farmhouse décor has definable aesthetics, you don’t have to worry about having to hang an item in an awful color like bright orange. If your kids bring you a crazy-looking item, you can simply explain that it’s not farmhouse décor and you won’t have to hurt their feelings.
- Farmhouse kitchens maximize space and reduce stress
Who doesn’t love being in a huge kitchen? A farmhouse-style kitchen maximizes the amount of functional space and is well-organized. You might find spaghetti sauce on the floor, but you won’t find clutter in a farmhouse kitchen.
Even if your kitchen isn’t as big as you’d like it to be, you can maximize the perception of space with organization. With highly organized drawers and cabinets, people will be able to find cooking utensils and equipment quickly and easily. An organized kitchen eliminates the need to empty cabinets and ‘Tetris’ everything around just to pull out a specific saucepan.
An organized, uncluttered kitchen makes people happy. When all items have a designated space, cooking becomes an enjoyable art form rather than a dreaded chore. When the cook is happy, hungry people are more likely to be happy and enjoy their meal together.
What’s in your farmhouse kitchen?
There are many ways to decorate a kitchen with farmhouse décor. Some people prefer the rustic look while others go more vintage. Either way, your family is sure to enjoy coming together for meals when the kitchen feels warm and cozy.
What’s your favorite piece of farmhouse kitchen décor?
