Kitchen Design Elements That Instantly Date Your Space (and How to Avoid Them)

The kitchen is an important part of the design and functionality of your home. Outdated kitchen design can significantly affect the perceived style of your entire home, and the materials you choose can make or break the smooth operation of your kitchen. With the interplay of so many materials and the rapid cycle of design trends, your kitchen may feel dated more quickly than other rooms in your home.

There is no better place to start when it comes to updating your space than the kitchen. Even minor changes in the kitchen can give your home a more modern feel while also improving room design efficiency and usability.

Design trends shift quickly, but one trend that we are particularly excited about is the trend of decorating your home according to your own preferences rather than what everyone else likes. This is the best way to insulate your home from trends that make your kitchen look dated.

Cool Neutral Color Scheme

The all-gray or white kitchens of the early 2000s have begun to look cold, sterile, and uninspiring. These colors were popular for many years because of their clean and modern appeal, but after people started to be at home more, they realized that these colors were not as conducive to a busy family life or heavy wear.

Neutrals may still be appealing to you, but warmer tones like warm off-whites, taupes, or grieges will give your kitchen a clean look while also providing enough depth to blend with the natural elements that can make any design more layered. Color is also making a comeback, so feel free to paint your kitchen in rich tones like deep blues and greens, as well as earthy terracotta, if they suit your personality and style better.

Busy-Patterned Granite

Patterned granite that is dominated by small speckles or heavy veining reflects the bold countertop aesthetic of the 90s or early 2000s. These countertop patterns often clash with today’s preferences for a cleaner, more subtle approach. Other countertops that may be dating your kitchen include laminates and tiled surfaces. This faux stone look or busy grout lines lack the sophistication that many homeowners want.

To modernize your kitchen, consider quartz, quartzite, or marble with subtle veining for a more refined look. Butcher block countertops are another choice that works well in certain kitchens if you want to create a home with farmhouse appeal. Mixing countertop materials is another popular contemporary trend that can help you customize your workspace to better support how you prepare and serve food.

Short Upper Cabinets

Short upper cabinets are a dated design trend that not only gives your kitchen a choppy, unfinished appearance, but they also waste valuable storage space and collect dust.

Traditional kitchens had built-in cabinetry, and this is the style that is re-emerging in contemporary kitchen design. When possible, choose cabinets that extend to the ceiling. Create areas in traditional or classic kitchen design where upper cabinets are integrated with lower cabinets to give them a more “furniture-like” appearance. This look instantly elevates the kitchen by giving it a more customized appearance.

Awkward Floor Transitions

Floor transitions from the kitchen to other rooms of the house can give your home an outdated look. Transitions between materials like vinyl to wood or tile to carpet create a visual disruption that makes the home feel disjointed and uneven.

To modernize your space, choose a single flooring material that will work well in all the adjoining spaces. Materials like hardwood, LVP, and tile are good choices for open living spaces. If a transition is necessary, choose two materials that have similar color tones or patterns to maintain the harmony between spaces.

Over the Range Microwaves

Over-the-range microwaves were once a clever space-saving kitchen design strategy, but they were never a good venting strategy. They also give the range a cluttered and cramped appearance. This positioning may also make them less accessible to some people because the microwave must be high enough to avoid the range.

Modernizing this aspect of your kitchen may be difficult without some renovation work. To relocate the microwave, you must replace it with a range hood or a self-venting range. To maintain a streamlined appearance in your kitchen and countertops, place the microwave in a cabinet or a specially designed drawer.

Decorative Molding and Corbels

Decorative corbels and intricate molding, once popular in traditional and Tuscan or French-inspired kitchens, now make kitchens feel heavy and outdated. These embellishments contrast with the modern design for a cleaner, more edited look.

Today, kitchen designers are using cabinetry with straight lines and little ornamentation. Shaker-style cabinets are one of the most popular styles because of the simple, recessed panel cabinet door. If you want to add more character to your kitchen, consider incorporating a section of open shelving or painting the cabinets a rich color to give them more interest.

Ornate Hardware

The heavy cabinetry that was discussed above was often accompanied by ornate wrought iron or brass hardware. These elaborate styles clash with the modern preference for simplicity.

Making your kitchen look less dated can just be a matter of changing out your kitchen cabinet hardware. Look for unadorned, clean-lined knobs and pulls to replace your dated hardware. Depending on the kitchen style you want to create, consider using brass, polished nickel, or chrome. To add a historic touch to your kitchen, consider simple hardware made of porcelain, glass, or wood.

Short Backsplash

A short backsplash that extends less than four inches up the back wall creates a gap that can be damaged by water and food splashes. It also makes a kitchen appear less luxurious and the design feel choppy.

Designers are now opting for higher backsplash designs, some that extend all the way to the ceiling but most to the bottom of cabinets or shelves. This choice gives the kitchen a more cohesive and unified appearance while also making a bold design statement. It also protects the kitchen walls more effectively.

Different Leveled Island

Kitchen islands serve multiple purposes in busy family homes, so the trend of the multi-leveled island was popular to make it more usable. Ironically, it can also make the island less usable because it limits the use of the entire island because it forces the separation of space. In addition, because one level is higher than the other, it disrupts the visual flow of the room and makes the kitchen feel closed off.

Contemporary kitchen trends favor simplicity over complexity. A uniform island height is much more versatile for however you want to use your island. This also makes a kitchen feel more open and accessible.

One-Dimensional Lighting

Basic kitchen lighting, such as a single overhead fixture or pendant light, will not provide the functionality you need, nor will it improve the look of the space. No matter what the room, good design requires layered lighting, which combines ambient, task, and decorative lighting.

Consider how to incorporate recessed, above-the-counter, island, and decorative options to illuminate each area of your kitchen. Add dimmers where possible so that you can adjust the level of light throughout the day and to create a specific mood.

Heavy Draperies

Modern interior designs make the most of the natural light that is available in the room, so designers are often choosing to use less elaborate window coverings than in previous design periods. Thick curtains, valances, or heavily patterned drapes not only feel visually heavy, but they can trap dust and moisture and block sunlight. Kitchens today are outfitted with bright and airy window covering designs.

To update the look of your kitchen, select window treatments like sheer blinds, cafe curtains, Roman shades, or simple curtain panels that you can pull back to expose the full window. Other options include bamboo and other woven blinds, which will add texture and color without overwhelming the kitchen with color. If you have privacy in your kitchen or your windows face a pleasant view, you can opt to not have any curtains at all.