Cabin Kitchen Design Ideas

Looking for cabin kitchen design ideas? Whether you have tiny home, or deluxe rural retreat, it’s never too late to create an inspired cooking area in your weekend home. Here’s a look at a few of our favorite culinary hubs. 

Sustainable Cabin Kitchen

Halfmoon Bay Cabin by Patrick Warren

Location: Halfmoon Bay, BC, Canada 

Photography: Ema Peter 

Imagine what a joy it would be preparing meals in this kitchen. The neutral, calming material palette sets the stage for stress-free cooking. And really, when you’re away at the cabin, shouldn’t everything be stress-free? We love the elegance of the jute wishbone bar stools and textured, cream-colored backsplash. Everything evokes tranquility here. 

A big part of what makes this space so special is the choice in wall and ceiling paneling. As part of the design’s overall goal to create a seamless connection to the surrounding forest, the architect who is also the owner opted for a beautiful knotty grade of cedar. It’s a design choice that adds a lot of warmth and texture to this beloved sanctuary. 

“A house should be a world, unto its own, that emerges from the meeting of the experienced  environment with the story of the inhabitant,” says the award-winning architect. “And this home is a deeply personal exploration of that idea.”

Bold and Beautiful 

Aptos Retreat by CCS Architecture

Photographer: Paul Dyer

Location: Aptos, California Santa Cruz Mountains

Where to begin? This kitchen has personality plus. There’s the bold, modern red cabinetry, the live-edge island bar and of course those floor-to-ceiling sliding doors that open up to panoramic views of the stunning Santa Cruz Mountains. To further blur the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces, this deluxe culinary hub features extensive use of knotty Western Red Cedar paneling.

Cass Calder Smith and Tim Quayle of CCS Architecture specified Real Cedar, in particular because of how the wood’s warming effect “relates back to nature and the home’s natural surroundings.”

“The use of wood inside the house was to make it feel more connected to its rural setting,”
explains Quayle.

Not only does the cedar visually harmonize with the environment, it’s good for the environment. That’s because wood, such as Western Red Cedar, helps fight climate change by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere – as opposed to emitting carbon like man-made materials. So it’s a choice you can feel good about. 

Tiny Cabin Kitchen 

Galiano 100 by Trim Studio 

Location Galiano Island, BC 

Photo: Jarusha Brown 

When it comes to creating inspired cooking areas, size really doesn’t matter. This kitchen is a masterclass in making the most of small spaces. The bright white walls provide a sense of spaciousness and the strategically placed, compact countertop has enough surface area to comfortably prepare meals. And instead of large cabinetry, designer Rodrigo Munguia chose space-saving, stainless steel shelving that reflects light to create even more sense of space. 

Tying all these components together is the beautiful Real Cedar ceiling. For this, he opted for a beautiful knotty grade. Thus, adding some much needed warmth and texture to the other man made materials. It also harmonizes with the cabin’s beautiful wooded surroundings.

“Cedar enhances the lines of the design, grounds it to the context, and gives the natural and local feel we were looking to achieve,” says Munguia.

Paired Down Beauty 

Stealth Cabin by superkül

PHOTO: Shai Gil Fotography

LOCATION: Near Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada

This cabin is all about communing with nature and letting the surroundings inform the design. As such, there’s nothing ostentatious about any of the rooms, including the kitchen. It’s bright, spacious and functional. The lime green chairs add just enough pop of color for some visual interest. With natural light pouring through the skylight and the high angled ceiling, this open concept space has an airy simplicity to it.

And yet, it’s very warm and welcoming at the same time – thanks to the extensive use of Western Red Cedar. In this case, they opted for a beautiful grade of cedar for all of the exterior and interior. “Knotty cedar gives the project the texture and warmth that we were looking for,” says architect Meg Graham, adding, “and it better ties the house to its environment.”

Scandi Style Kitchen 

The York House by Trish johnston

Courtesy of House & Home 

Location: Bancroft, Ontario

Designer Trish Johnson transformed her cottage country fixer-upper into a gorgeous Scandi-style rural retreat where modern vibes meet rustic accents. The kitchen, in particular, is a showstopper, with a brand new stone backsplash, high-gloss kitchen island and sleek Euro appliances. For the ceiling, she chose a beautiful knotty grade of Real Cedar, and she’s glad she did. 

“That cedar ceiling – it just makes the room,” raves a delighted Johnson. “I don’t how it made the ceiling feel higher, but it did and then also just balances all the warmth like it looks like the floor tone and it picks up off the rock wall tone and it picks up off the cabinetry. It’s just beautiful. I’m so happy with it.”