Living far from groceries or without take-out delivery will change your day-to-day. If there’s a single room that’s most apparent – it’s the cabin kitchen. There’s a good chance you’ll be cooking every meal, needing to store more food, and generally asking more of this room than you would in an urban setting.

A Modern Cabin Kitchen Design

Kitchen Appliances

We’re starting with appliances because the resulting list will guide your casework design – and thus provide the best kitchen design. If you haven’t already, be sure to review our choosing appliances and fixtures guidelines.

Trash

It’ll likely be up to you to get your waste and recycling to a landfill or dump station (no trash service). Trash compactors are expensive but can dramatically decrease trips to the dump.

• You can reduce your waste by composting or making use of your garbage disposal (see our guide on septic use). Be aware however that composting may not be feasible due to the wildlife hazards it presents.
• Outdoor trash storage (and cooking equipment) may create a wildlife attractant – plan for a way to securely store it.

Food Storage

• Cooking every meal combined with being further from a store means more time between shopping trips. Plan on a larger pantry, fridge (or multiple), standalone freezer, etc.
• To ride the coattails of the above bullet – consider a large chest-style deep freezer. If the weather is bad or you just don’t want to make a long journey out to the nearest restaurant or grocery store – you’ll have lots of frozen back-up options on hand.

Cooking

• All this cooking means you’ll be asking more of your appliances. Buy the best grade, most efficient versions you can afford.
• Cooking a lot makes a range hood mandatory to maintain air quality and humidity. Decide on a unit and size your make-up air appropriately.
• Cooking creates dishes. Consider a dishwasher or create a very functional space to handwash and dry dishes.
• Leftovers create a unique need for food storage containers and open up a myriad of ways to best reheat them. Consider microwaves, convection ovens, air fryers, etc., and plan them into your kitchen layout and storage options.

Kitchen Layout

With your appliance list constructed using the above guidelines – now is a good time to design the layout of your kitchen. All the general considerations should be applied (i.e. sink next to the dishwasher). If there’s an emphasis to be placed – it’s on efficiency.

• One of the best and most timeless kitchen designs is the galley style. They’re efficient in space and use. This is especially true for kitchens limited to two or fewer cooks.
• Lighting (quality, placement of fixtures and switches) cannot be overlooked.
• Buy the highest-grade casework you can afford. Like your appliances – they’re in for a high-use scenario.

Cabin Kitchen Installation

The only thing unique to installing a kitchen in a rural area is getting the big items on site. Appliances and casework are big, awkward, and heavy. Consider all your options and take delivery fees into account. For example, Build.com offers free shipping on a huge selection of appliances, plumbing and electrical fixtures, and cabinet hardware. Often you can pay a single fee if you order all your appliances from the same place (and consider adding to that order other appliances like laundry).