The Popular Rustic Cabinet Finish You'll Be Seeing Less Of In 2026

If you were furnishing and styling your home in the 2010s, it was hard to avoid being bitten by the farmhouse bug. This style had professional designers and DIYers alike distressing cabinets through living spaces to create a homey, unpretentious look. But as we slid into the 2020s, people started to notice that distressing furniture on purpose can create an inauthentic, even store-bought feeling. "It seems to me as if everything had the look of being in a country store," interior designer Heather Garrett told Real Simple. "As with outfits, there are better ways to dress something down!"  You'll probably see less intentionally distressed cabinets in 2026, but it's possible to stay current by pivoting toward authentic vintage pieces, giving outdated cabinets a fresh coat of paint, or adding in some texture.

Going into 2026, designers favor solid finishes instead of distressing created by glazes or strategic paint chipping to reveal underlying wood. Rich, nature-inspired colors are among the cabinet trends set to take over in 2026, leaving the overly themed farmhouse styles behind for more timeless elements. Although a worn look for your cabinets appears dated nowadays, there are on-trend ways to incorporate a rustic vibe into your space if that's your preferred aesthetic. Wooden cabinets are actually predicted to have a moment in 2026, but staining rather than distressing the wood will be more in fashion. You can also try using reclaimed wood for accents, such as in the kitchen, or natural materials like stone or brick for a less obvious country vibe.

There are a few reasons that distressed cabinets, a cornerstone of farmhouse or shabby-chic design, can be impractical or create a visual clash. Unless you choose features that blend well with the old-world statement they make, distressed cabinets don't always harmonize well with the rest of a room. Also, one can get carried away while creating the distressed look. Unless you stick to sanding or chipping only the parts of a cabinet that would naturally get worn down through touch, it's easy to step into overwhelming territory if you attempt to distress furniture on  your own. And on a practical note, the glazes sometimes used to give cabinets a distressed appearance may cause the pieces to become easily damaged and need more work to maintain over time.

If you're in the market for new cabinets in 2026, you can avoid the outdated farmhouse design trend of distressed cabinets by looking for wooden cabinets you can stain or paint, perhaps getting a touch of vintage charm with the hardware you add to them. Looking for vintage cabinets could be even better if you're on a quest to keep the warmth of a farmhouse living space in a more sophisticated way. You won't need to do a DIY project to create an artfully weathered look if you're already working with well cared for old wood.

When distressed cabinets were in their heyday, it was common to get the look by sanding or scraping the paint of a still-new piece of furniture. But if you're transitioning away from the modern farmhouse style in 2026, you don't have to buy all new cabinets. Prepping the distressed cabinets and applying a uniform coat of matte paint can give you a smoother, more updated look. If you're up for transforming the distressed cabinets you already have, start by taking the hardware off and giving them a thorough cleaning. Next, apply a paint stripper to the layer of paint that has been intentionally distressed, sand it down, and apply a primer. When you paint the prepped cabinets, you can dive right into 2026 style by moving away from soft tones to more saturated hues like shades of orange or even plum to embrace the rich and unexpected color trend that will show up more in homes.

Not everyone is ready to take the plunge away from a popular style, though, and it may take time to assemble the materials you need if you want to. For a quicker project to pull distressed cabinets into a less-dated look, add new hardware to the cabinet doors, which can create an alluring contrast between old and new. There are also trending alternatives to a sleek coat of paint if you prefer a more textured look. In 2026, experts also expect that panels made from ribbed wood will be popular, so it's a perfect time to look into modern wood pattern designs and how to apply them to your cabinets.