3 Things That Are Making Your Kitchen Feel Dated – And How to Change It
I’ve been lucky enough to be trusted by many clients to design new kitchens for their homes. Kitchen design has evolved greatly over the years with a heavy emphasis on functionality.
For some clients, an entirely new kitchen isn’t the best approach and they simply need to give their kitchen a facelift to help it feel new again and less dated.
There are three key things that are making your kitchen feel dated, and we’re going to be discussing those in detail today!
Hanging a microwave above the stove, contrasting kitchen islands, and closed upper cabinets are all past trends that are being replaced with fresh approaches.
Let’s explore the 3 Things That Are Making Your Kitchen Feel Dated!
Microwave Oven Placement
Microwave ovens have been popular for many years as an extremely convenient appliance. As the technologies have improved over time, they came with an option to be mounted over the stove. This has been highly convenient for homeowners, but as kitchen trends have evolved over the years, the stove wall has become a focal point in many kitchens and the microwave location is being replaced by a beautiful hood instead. This is especially true as open concept homes continue to grow in popularity.
In addition to this, positioning the microwave above the stove isn’t functional if you’re on the petite side, or need things within easier reach.
So where does the microwave go? Microwaves are still convenient appliances to have in busy kitchens, and now instead of being mounted above the stove, microwave drawers are being installed. These are lower (below countertop height) and at a more functional height, or microwaves are given dedicated space in a pantry, or placed within cabinetry with a trim kit for a built-in look.
These are all great options to keep the microwave, but allowing it to be an accessory instead of the focal point of the kitchen. If you’re feeling like your kitchen is looking and feeling dated, evaluate where your microwave is positioned and consider moving it if necessary.
Kitchen Islands
When kitchen islands started to make their way into the beautiful kitchens of today, they were featured by accenting with contrasting colors and contrasting countertop to make them a statement of the space.
Not anymore!
While kitchen islands are still beautiful, the trend of a complete contrast is fading out. If multiple cabinet colors are used in the kitchen today, they are used differently. For example, the window wall of a kitchen may be in all white cabinets, with the range wall in beautifully stained wood and the island would also be stained wood.
The countertops are often the same throughout instead of the island being treated dramatically differently.
This doesn’t mean you need completely new kitchen cabinets to make your space feel less dated. You can re-stain or re-spray them a different finish or color!
Upper Cabinet Storage
Gone are the days of having all upper cabinets to the perimeter of the kitchen. Today, we’re seeing floating shelving as the more popular choice for upper storage. While closed cabinets are still important to conceal unsightly appliances and food, this is being used below the countertop. And the shelving (instead of upper cabinets) is being used to allow more light to bounce around the kitchen and give an airier aesthetic!
Larger pantry storage is also being added to compensate for the lost upper cabinetry.
If you’re feeling afraid of completely losing the upper storage in your kitchen, swapping solid doors for glass ones can help to create a similar effect.
