The Most Warm and Welcoming Kitchens from the Homes & Gardens Archives – and How to Recreate Each Look

As a Kitchens Editor, I'm constantly looking ahead, whether it's predicting the trends to come or finding new and evolving ways to style and decorate our cooking spaces. But recently, I've been reminiscing and flicking through the Homes & Gardens archives at kitchens past.

It's incredibly valuable to look back and reflect on the styles that once proved most popular and rediscover the designs we marveled over that still feel fresh and totally timeless today. There are so many lessons and ideas we can still take from them.

And as I flicked through the house tours of past issues, I was drawn to the warm, welcoming kitchens that invite you in, feel comfortably elevated, and embody an enduring style. And for me, they are the recipe for the perfect cozy kitchen.

Here are six characterful and charming kitchens that stood out thanks to their warming color palettes, layered design, and considered decor that blend enduring style with homely appeal.

A Pink and Green Kitchen in a Victorian Home

Part of the renovation of an old Victorian house, this characterful kitchen was designed by Emma Ainscough in collaboration with deVOL Kitchens and created a warm and inviting hub in the home. From the charming colors to the collected decor, it's a space we always return to.

'We designed this kitchen from scratch. It was previously located on the lower ground floor, but the house hadn’t been touched for decades, so the kitchen location felt a bit stuck in the past. Our clients wanted the kitchen to be at the heart of the home, so we promoted it to these high-ceilinged, grander-proportioned walls of the raised ground floor,' Emma recalls.

'With kitchens, I always try to ensure that they don’t feel too clinical. This was particularly important with this kitchen to honor its home and architecture, and with it being in the heart of the home on the ground floor, it was important that it felt homely with the rest of the space.'

'To achieve this, we ensured there wasn’t too much full height joinery – we broke this up with low cabinets only, and put the sink in front of the large window overlooking to garden to frame that lovely green view. We also used a combination of different lighting, some quite atmospheric in order to zone the different spaces, and importantly used some antique pendants to soften all the ’new’ that you typically require in a kitchen,' she explains.

'We also played around with materials, using a marble countertop with plenty of strong veining in, accompanied by handmade Moroccan zellige tiles, which add a certain tactility to the space. I think tiles can be really impactful and change the whole feel of a kitchen depending on what you go for.'

'Zellige tiles are all hand-made with beautiful ‘imperfections’ which instantly soften that clinical feel that a kitchen can be at risk of feeling. Also, color – play around with tones, it doesn’t have to be bold tones to make an impact, often soft palettes are more livable, and this soft pink tone contrasts the heavy joinery to further soften the space.'

A Moody Kitchen in a Sydney Apartment

Decorating with moody colors is a wonderful way to add warmth and drama all in one sweep. But when we toured with a refined and eclectic Sydney apartment, the kitchen (which we all adored then, and still do now) was well ahead of its time.

Located in a relatively new building, the space was the perfect blank canvas to personalize and elevate to be something more statement. And the kitchen was the perfect place to start.

'We completely opened the space up to the hall and into the dining room to make it feel much more spacious and inviting,' says interior designer Tamsin Johnson, who created a more open feel and better flow in the space, connecting the rooms in a way that makes more sense.

From there, the design focused on textures. The dark wooden floor grounds the room more traditionally and adds to that moodier atmosphere, creating an inviting and all-encompassing scheme.

On the paneled cabinetry and island, color became the star of the show. The deep, burnt red hue feels warm and daring, without overwhelming the space. 'The colors are warm and contrast with the bold stone, creating a lovely little clash of activity,' Tamsin adds.

The Calacatta Viola marble is a beautiful addition – marble countertops and accents are a timeless choice, and the bold veining creates a striking contrast against the softer tones in the space. Silver faucets fade into the background, removing that utilitarian look that can so easily take away from the ease and comfort this space evokes.

An Elevated Farmhouse Kitchen in an English Country Home

Modern farmhouse kitchens may have fallen somewhat out of favor, but the more classic, more rustic iterations never will. It's a style that's humble, layered, and in the case of the kitchen in this contemporary farmhouse, quietly elegant.

'The previous kitchen was very modern and didn't work well at all with the heritage of the house. We designed a more traditional shaker kitchen with a large butler sink, which was much more fitting to the architecture and period of the house,' explains designer Angus Reid.

'The Calacatta Borghini marble plays a major role here. The kitchen island is huge, and there is a lot of work surface space. So it was important we chose a stone with warm tones. The Borghini has lovely warm veining throughout, which is subtle but adds interest,' he adds.

'The cabinetry was painted in a warm stone color. Whilst the color is neutral, it adds warmth to the space. We used reclaimed Delft tiles, which had the perfect amount of imperfections!

Layering and texture come into their own in this kitchen. The stone floor tiles feel perfectly imperfect, as though they've been imprinted by history; the zellige backsplash tiles' irregular form bounces light most uniquely, and wooden ceiling beams add further warmth and character.

And then there's the decor that creates interest and personality, from the single open shelf reserved purely for accessories, the garden trug basket filled with foraged foliage, and a vintage lamp to add ambient lighting on gloomy evenings. It's these small details that signal this kitchen is lived-in and loved.

A Californian Craftsman's-Style Kitchen

The darker wood tones and the heritage features of Craftsman kitchens always invoke a cozier atmosphere, and this Craftsman-style home by Heidi Caillier is a case in point. The kitchen is filled with wood tones – both light and dark – soft textures through the cafe curtains and rug, and vintage-inspired motifs.

A kitchen filled with dark wood tones can easily feel gloomy, but this space proves that with the right mix of colors, tones, and materials, it can be a bright and inviting scheme. And during the redesign, adding the island and updating the lighting made a huge difference to both the style and function of the space.

'It felt like such a big, empty room without an island to anchor it. I also wanted it to be something different than the cabinets so that it felt like it was added to over time,' explains designer Heidi Caillier.

'Wood cabinets, when done right, can really make a kitchen feel warm. Kitchens are normally all hard finishes, so the wood goes a long way to bringing in that organic element. We often do wood countertops for this reason. The handmade tile also brings an element of interest that draws you in,' she explains.

The open storage throughout the kitchen, from the shelves to the island, creates a lived-in look that instantly feels less formal and fussy, while collected vessels in various designs filled with fresh fruit and seasonal blooms add a sense of personality to the space.

For Heidi, the kitchen lighting is a true success story in the space. 'I love small-scale pendants over a kitchen island. I don't like big statement pendants. These feel functional and charming and are the perfect touch for this space.'

A Sensitively Modernized Victorian Townhouse Kitchen

When the homeowners moved into this Victorian townhouse, the proportions were all off. It was dark and uninviting, and the compact galley kitchen didn't function for family life. That was when interior designer Laura Stephens was called in to transform the space into something far more warm and welcoming.

'We flipped the kitchen from the back of the house to the middle room, where we feel it has made a huge difference in terms of the space. We added an internal window above the sink to let light flow into this darker back room,' Laura recalls.

The kitchen cabinet color is a beautiful element, which helps to brighten and invigorate the space without feeling stark or too bold. This, combined with the natural tones and textures throughout the space, offers a subtle nod to enduring stylish coastal kitchens.

'The elements of wood are essential in adding a sense of warmth to the space. The wooden flooring, but also the dark oak wall cabinets and shelf. I love using rugs in areas where there are lots of hard surfaces,' she explains.

'We used wall lights with fabric shades (which people are often worried about, but in fact really helps to create coziness in kitchen spaces), which is a great way to inject a little color and pattern. Think about using a sisal rug or runner, a more practical option than wool, but one that will help break up expanses of flooring.'

A Warm, Layered Family Kitchen

Located in a large Edwardian home, this kitchen needed to be layered and relaxed, not at all boring, yet still functional for everyday family life. And it was a task entrusted to Tiffany Duggan, founder of the London-based design firm Studio Duggan.

And she's transformed the space into an elegantly playful design, where emerald green cabinets, marble countertops, and brass accents combine. And the kitchen layout, complete with one row of wall cabinets, a large island, and a spacious dining area, ticks the boxes for relaxed and functional style.

But the layering really comes through from the decor and how it's been styled. Glass-fronted cabinets give everyday kitchenware and a more styled feel, while open shelving creates a designated place to display arts and decorative mugs that offer a preview into the lives and personalities of those who live there.

And the lighting has been layered to perfection, adding to the warmth and coziness of the design. Rattan sconces above the shelving doubles as a decorative feature and task lighting over the kitchen countertops, while globe pendants above the island offer focused illumination, while also helping to create a sense of separation from the dining area.

But it's the wood tones that really complete the design, and add that natural warmth and texture. The large dining table is the most obvious, a richly toned wood that gains a beautiful patina over time. But in the main kitchen, smaller accents like the rattan light shades and the layered cutting boards tie the whole scheme together.

Everything about this kitchen still feels in style today. From the classic color palette to the organic materials and layered features, it embodies warmth and coziness in the most playfully sophisticated way.

Every one of these kitchens is filled with warmth, character, and coziness, characteristics we all crave from our cooking spaces, especially in the colder seasons. But what makes these designs so special is that embrace enduring style – you can't tell which year any of them were designed. They prove that with the right colors, textures, and approach to design, you can create a kitchen that's equal parts cozy and timeless.