Kitchen Design Advice You Need To Hear Before You're Left With Feelings Of Regret

Center island this, hot water dispenser that — kitchen trends sometimes seem to fly around at the speed of light, fast enough that you can barely finish your renovation project before a new tile color, countertop material, or appliance is being touted as the next hot thing. Although it is always fun to take inspiration from what you see online, when it comes to setting up your home and kitchen, it is easy to get caught up in the latest aesthetic and forget to consider what you want your style to be in the long term. Luckily, two kitchen and interior design experts spoke to Chowhound to share some exclusive tips on warning signs and red flags to help you keep an eye out for designs that will soon feel outdated.

"If the design feels overly theme-y, hyper-specific, or rooted in an artificial color rather than something natural, that's a warning sign," said Cathleen Gruver, of the Northern Virginia-based Gruver Cooley. "If you can look at a kitchen and instantly guess the year it was done, that's not timeless." Christopher Boutiler, from Washington, D.C.-based Christopher Boutlier Interiors, had similar advice, reminding homeowners to focus on functionality rather than novelty, making sure a project is both practical and stylish. As far as what trends are in this summer? Gruver says bold-painted kitchen cabinets and very in right now, while Boutiler added statement backsplashes to the list of growing anti-beige, pro-color finishing touches that are so indicative of 2025.

Of course, something being trendy does not make it inherently bad. Instagram or Pinterest posts of a new fad might spark inspiration for you that is longer-lived than the trend itself. So how do you know the difference between timeless and soon-to-be-tacky? Christopher Boutiler says the key word there is "time" — in other words, one of the best ways to see if a feature is truly functional is to see if you could imagine it still existing (albeit in a new and improved form) 50 years from now.

Boutiler and Cathleen Gruver both acknowledge that there is one major benefit to switching up your kitchen on a whim based on that one cute Reel or TikTok you saw: joy. As long as you come to terms with the money and time it may take to paint over a cabinet color or peel off stick-on wallpaper, the space is ultimately yours. Even something that is entertaining for a few months or a year might be worth the whimsy and novelty it gives your kitchen. "If a bold cabinet color makes you happy, then it is worth it while it lasts," Boutiler says.

Just make sure that if this isn't your forever home, you are keeping in mind how renovation changes can affect the resale value of your place. Less trendy and more interchangeable decor elements make it easier for prospective buyers to see the vision of how they could transform a space to become their own. Rule of thumb? "If you plan to sell in the next five years, resale should always be part of the conversation," Boutiler advised. "If you plan to stay longer, it is better to make yourself happy and design a kitchen that truly works for your life."