The Unexpected Furniture Piece That Perfectly Fits The English Kitchen Trend

White, minimalist kitchens have reigned supreme for nearly a decade, and while their airy design has its benefits, people are beginning to crave more imperfect, lived-in spaces. The kind of rooms that are filled with rich colors, worn antiques, and details that are acquired via craftsmanship rather than a quick click of a button on Amazon. Because of this, English kitchens have been slowly gaining traction over the last several years, and they're beginning to become more mainstream in 2026. It's the cozy kitchen design trend that embraces vintage charm. Spearheaded by brands like deVOL, a British kitchen is an "unfitted kitchen", which means it uses freestanding furniture that is accumulated over time to create a charming patchwork of antiques. However, not everyone is fully prepared to rip out their existing cabinets and run to an auction to buy century-old hutches and farmhouse tables. Luckily, if you want to dabble in the English kitchen trend, you can do so with one unexpected yet easy-to-source antique item: a dresser. 

This is one piece of bedroom furniture that belongs in your kitchen. You can easily find a heritage piece on resale markets like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, letting you experiment with the antique trend without breaking the bank. You can try anything from a small three-drawer dresser that would be the perfect freestanding cabinet for a small walk-up apartment to a large 12-drawer dresser in a more expansive kitchen. Here is how to make it work in your own space.

A dresser may seem out of place in a kitchen, but it can offer enclosed, practical storage that hides all the things that make your kitchen look cluttered. If you source one with deep drawers, you can store everything from servingware to cooking pots. Or, if you find one with shallower pull-outs, you can keep things like linens, cooking utensils, and knives in them. In fact, designer Nate Berkus, who famously champions incorporating antiques into design, recently shared on Instagram that a rustic wooden dresser helps keep his kitchen organized, providing a space for him to store his napkins, place mats, and other miscellaneous dining essentials.

To mimic the freestanding, Georgian look of British kitchens, focus on finding an authentic wooden dresser, particularly in mahogany, which was commonly used during that era. Look for a piece with some age, and don't be afraid of wear and tear, whether that's weathered wood or small chips and scratches. It adds to its character! Also, look for pieces with wood carvings or moldings, which give it more of a handcrafted look rather than a mass-produced one. Depending on your kitchen layout, a well-placed dresser can also function as a makeshift counter, especially if you add a butcher block top for meal prep.