The Older Kitchen Cabinet Design Nate Berkus Is Bringing Back

If you recall the popular farmhouse design fad of the 2010s, you'll surely envision large barn door closets, distressed wood, and rustic-chic elements straight out of a Joanna Gaines magazine. In recent years the barnyard-inspired home and decor style has experienced a slow fade into the sunset, along with other outdated design trends like subway tiles or pastels. Nevertheless, designer Nate Berkus is bringing an older farmhouse design back into the limelight: chicken-wire cabinets.

In an Instagram post dated July 6, 2025, the prominent design firm owner, TV host, and best-selling author shared a refreshed cabinet look involving chicken wire behind a glass cabinet front. In captioning the post, "Kitchen of our NYC Townhome project," Berkus indicated the personal nature of the project. Well-known for his passion for telling people's stories through home design, Berkus uses his chicken-wire cabinets to weave a narrative that combines old farmhouse charm with fresh, modern tones.

Strictly farmhouse looks may be falling out of style, but Berkus pays homage to the trend by combining the cabinets with other tastefully classic design elements. The designer pulls off the slightly outdated farmhouse cabinetry by juxtaposing it with modern, sleek touches like marble walls, sleek countertops, and crisp white paint. And overall, it just works — adding an element of airiness to otherwise chic and sterile accents.

Berkus' addition of chicken wire cabinets shows us that the farmhouse trend is indeed not dead — it simply needed a refresh. The designer's latest work displays that it's best to pair rustic farm-inspired accents with popular minimalist, luxury styles and lots of natural light. As is the case with his townhome kitchen, this combination creates visual appeal alongside modern kitchen looks, which keeps the space vibrant and filled with small charming hints of character.

Employing the upgraded design accent in your own home could also help you save money on your kitchen remodel, since chicken wire cabinets are pretty economical and easy to install yourself with a drill and some simple materials. So, you could leave the cabinet door exposed and allow the wired accent to speak for itself.

To install the modern-vintage look in your own kitchen, just buy some chicken wire, measure, cut, and weave it to fit taut to the cabinet frames. Once in place, you can paint the wire to match kitchen walls and cabinet colors or leave the mesh wire as is. It's also possible to use chicken wire to create organizational storage within open kitchen cabinetry. Either place the wire behind glass like Nate Berkus or let it stand on its own in doorless cabinets.