Natural Wood Kitchen Ideas: 5 Ways to Use Wood

Home PlannerApp Team · June 4, 2022

Five ways to bring natural wood into your kitchen, from a cutting board to the ceiling, and what each one asks of you in care.

You are planning a kitchen renovation. You have collected ideas, and now you doubt which of them really suit your kitchen. Wood is usually somewhere in that pile: a worktop, a shelf, a beamed ceiling.

These natural wood kitchen ideas go from small to large. Start with details you can add this week, then move to lighting, utensils, cabinets, and finally walls, ceilings and beams. For each one you get what it is, why it works and what it asks of you.

Why use natural wood in a kitchen?

Four reasons come up most often.

• Warmth. Natural materials make a room feel warmer and more alive, and this is true for any room, not only the kitchen. Timber is also one of the most comfortable natural materials to work with.
• It fits almost any style. Wood works as decor, as a floor or as a worktop. If you do not like wooden furniture, you can still use wood on the ceiling or on the walls.
• It is a natural material. A natural wood kitchen is an eco-friendly choice for the whole family, pets included. This often comes up when a young couple is expecting a child. The same years often bring a new house and a renovation, and wood is one of the simpler decisions on that list.
• It lasts. Wood is durable, although a kitchen is not its ideal place: the temperature and the air humidity change all the time.

So how long wood lasts in your kitchen depends on two things. The first is how the wood was treated when the furniture was made. The second is how you care for it afterwards.

Small wooden details

Wood in a kitchen does not have to mean large wooden furniture. Small and medium-sized items add the same warmth with much less commitment.

Some are purely decorative, such as statuettes or flower pots. Others do a job: a clock, serving platters and cutting boards, containers of different sizes for bulk products, or baskets that keep things in order. Choose whatever suits your kitchen.

Why it works: you see how wood looks in your own kitchen before you decide on anything large.

Wood and warm light

Wooden details already make a kitchen feel warmer. Light fittings with warm light add to that effect, and wooden fittings combine the two.

A fitting can have a regular shape or a more natural, irregular form. You can make one yourself, but only if you are confident in your knowledge of electrics.

A handmade fitting makes your kitchen different from any other. It also suits both kinds of ceiling: a wooden one, and the white one that most people have.

Wooden utensils and serving ware

Wooden cooking utensils are pleasant to work with. Well-treated wood feels good in the hand, and it is practical too: if you cook in non-stick pans, wooden tools are the ones you need. And they simply look good.

Wood also works at the table. Wooden plates are a frequent sight in dining rooms, in different shapes for different jobs: a board to serve cheese, fruit and nuts, or a plain bowl for a vegetable salad.

The trade-off: you will also find wood combined with glass or with plastic. Glass is still the more ecological material, so if you worry about the safety of your kitchenware, choose glass containers.

You can make most of these items yourself or order them from a craftsman. The only limit is your own idea of what each item is for and how it should look.

Are natural wood kitchen cabinets a good choice?

Yes, for most kitchens. Wooden cabinets are the classic way to use wood in a kitchen. They are simple to install and to care for, and you can restore them after years of use.

Clear wax, lacquer and paint all work as finishes, so you choose by your situation and your budget. The budget depends mostly on the kind of wood and its quality.

Do wood beams on a kitchen ceiling look too heavy?

A little, and that is part of their effect. Beams make a kitchen look somewhat heavy and massive, but they also give the whole room a sense of strength.

Wood is often used for trim and for large surfaces: walls, ceilings, beams. A modern kitchen with wooden beams or a wooden ceiling is not a rare sight. If a full beamed ceiling is too much for your room, a wooden wall or wooden trim gives you the same material on a smaller scale.

Are wood kitchens out of style?

No. If you worry that wood trim looks dated, pair it with white. A white and natural wood kitchen looks stylish and tidy for two reasons. The contrast between the two is clear, and white and natural wood simply look good together. The idea is simple, and that is why it works.

Try the wood on your own plan

Wood makes a kitchen feel like home. Wooden kitchens, timber-framed ones included, are comfortable, practical and easy to maintain.

The hard part is to judge how much wood your own room can take, and that is easier on your own plan than on someone else's photo. To try your ideas, use Home Planner App. Measure your kitchen and draw it as a 2D/3D floor plan. Then choose materials, furnish it with products from world-famous brands, and calculate what you need. Ready-made layouts for the bedroom, bathroom, living room and other rooms give you a place to start.

Try natural wood on your own kitchen plan in Home Planner