Planning a kitchen makeover for 2025? Same here, and trust me, I’ve fallen down more than a few Pinterest rabbit holes. But as much as I love a good trend, some styles are seriously stuck in the past.
Before you start demo day, it’s worth knowing which looks are officially over. I’ve rounded up 15 kitchen styles that designers are steering clear of right now, plus 5 that are so outdated, they’re basically design crimes.
If you’re dreaming of a fresh, functional space that actually feels current, you’ll want to skip these and go for something that’s built to last.
1. All-White Everything
The clinical, hospital-like all-white kitchen is waving goodbye. Those stark cabinets, countertops, and backsplashes that once screamed “clean and modern” now just scream “boring!”
Homeowners are craving personality and warmth. White kitchens show every speck of dirt and tomato sauce splash like it’s evidence at a crime scene. Who wants to live in constant fear of marinara?
Future kitchens embrace contrast, texture, and strategic color that won’t make your eyes hurt from brightness overload.
2. Farmhouse Overload
Sorry, Joanna Gaines fans! Those barn doors, shiplap walls, and rustic signs proclaiming “EAT” are officially past their expiration date. Unless you actually live on a working farm, this style is becoming the design equivalent of a dad joke.
The distressed furniture that looks like it survived a tornado? The mason jar everything? Time to put it all out to pasture.
Your kitchen doesn’t need to look like you churn butter every morning when we all know you’re just making coffee with a Keurig.
3. Granite Countertop Monopoly
Granite had its golden era, but its reign as countertop king is ending. Those busy, speckled patterns that hide crumbs are also hiding your kitchen’s potential for something fresher.
The brown-beige-black granite combo that dominated early 2000s kitchens now looks as dated as flip phones. Modern kitchens are embracing materials with subtler veining and more interesting finishes.
Plus, who wants to keep applying that special granite sealer every year? Life’s too short for high-maintenance countertops!
4. Tuscan-Inspired Overindulgence
Those faux-finished walls in burnt orange and mustard yellow? The ornate corbels under every surface? The grape and olive motifs scattered everywhere? Not in 2025, friend.
Tuscan kitchens with their heavy Mediterranean vibes had their moment back when “The Sopranos” was still airing new episodes. The dark, oppressive feel of all that wrought iron and those terracotta tiles is giving modern homeowners claustrophobia.
You can appreciate Italian cuisine without turning your kitchen into a theme park version of an Italian villa.
5. Cherry Wood Cabinet Catastrophe
Those reddish-brown cherry cabinets that dominated the 90s and early 2000s are the kitchen equivalent of a mullet haircut. Once everywhere, now best forgotten!
The orangey undertones clash with pretty much everything except more orange. And those cathedral-style arched cabinet doors? They collect dust in places you can’t reach without specialized cleaning tools.
Modern kitchen designs favor woods with less dramatic coloring and simpler door styles that won’t make future homeowners ask, “What were they thinking?”
6. Fluorescent Light Fixtures
Nothing says “welcome to my kitchen, where you’ll look sickly and everything appears unappetizing” quite like fluorescent tube lighting. Those long rectangular fixtures buzzing overhead cast the kind of unflattering light that makes even fresh food look questionable.
The harsh glare creates shadows in all the wrong places. Remember squinting while trying to read recipes under that blue-white light?
Kitchens in 2025 deserve layered lighting that enhances the space rather than making it feel like a sad office break room from 1987.
7. Cluttered Open Shelving
The Pinterest-perfect open shelving dream quickly becomes a dust-collecting nightmare. Those Instagram photos never show what happens after three months of cooking splatter coats every exposed dish.
Reality check: Unless you’re a minimalist with matching dishware who cleans daily, open shelves become stress-inducing display areas. Your mismatched mug collection and plastic sippy cups don’t create that curated look you hoped for.
By 2025, we’re embracing the joy of hiding kitchen chaos behind beautiful cabinet doors again!
8. Tile Countertops With Grout Nightmares
Whoever thought putting grout lines on a food preparation surface was brilliant clearly never had to clean tomato sauce or coffee stains from those white grout lines. Tile countertops are essentially bacterial playgrounds disguised as kitchen surfaces.
The uneven surface makes rolling dough a challenge worthy of a reality cooking show. And dropping a wine glass? It’s guaranteed to shatter on impact with those hard tiles.
Future kitchens demand surfaces that don’t require a toothbrush, bleach, and the patience of a saint to maintain.
9. Rooster-Themed Decorations
The rooster invasion of American kitchens must end! Those colorful cocky birds have strutted across enough cookie jars, wall clocks, and paper towel holders to last several lifetimes.
Nothing screams “my kitchen hasn’t been updated since 1995” quite like a collection of ceramic roosters watching you cook. The matching rooster canisters, placemats, and curtains create a barnyard vibe that’s less charming farm and more tacky overload.
In 2025, we’re letting these birds fly the coop for good!
10. Over-The-Range Microwaves
That microwave hanging above your stove is the kitchen equivalent of wearing socks with sandals. Functionally questionable and visually dated!
Short people need stepladders to reach them safely. Hot soup becomes a dangerous game of “don’t spill it on your face.” Plus, they’re terrible at venting compared to proper range hoods, leaving your kitchen smelling like last night’s fish dinner.
Forward-thinking kitchens are tucking microwaves into drawers or pantries, freeing up that prime real estate for better ventilation and cleaner sightlines.
11. Chevron Pattern Overload
The zigzag takeover that dominated the 2010s needs to finally zig off into the sunset. Chevron backsplashes, floors, and accessories make your eyes work overtime just to look at your kitchen.
Walking into a chevron-heavy kitchen feels like entering an optical illusion that might trigger a headache. The busy pattern competes with everything else in the space, creating visual chaos where calm should reign.
Future kitchens will embrace patterns that don’t make you feel like you’re staring at a magic eye puzzle while trying to cook pasta.
12. Word Art Wall Declarations
We get it—you “Live, Laugh, Love” and your kitchen is where you “Gather.” Those giant script words stating the obvious function of rooms are the bumper stickers of home decor.
Nothing dates a kitchen faster than a wall proclaiming “EAT” above a table. (As opposed to what—standing there confused about the purpose of food?)
The 2025 kitchen speaks through thoughtful design and personality, not through mass-produced phrases that state what everyone already knows about kitchens.
13. Distressed Cabinets That Look Truly Stressed
Those artificially aged cabinets with deliberate chips, scratches, and worn edges have reached retirement age. The faux-vintage finish that was supposed to look charmingly aged now just looks like you don’t take care of your kitchen.
Real vintage has character. Fake vintage has an identity crisis. The deliberately distressed look often clashes with modern appliances, creating a confused design statement.
Future kitchens embrace authenticity rather than manufactured imperfections that collect real dirt in those fake chips and dents.
14. Cabinet Soffit Dead Space
That awkward gap between your cabinets and ceiling isn’t a design feature—it’s a dust collection system! These soffits create weird dead spaces that serve no purpose except gathering greasy kitchen dust you can’t reach without a specialized duster.
The wasted vertical space could be used for taller cabinets or display areas. Instead, it becomes the place where spiders establish their kingdom, safely out of reach.
Modern kitchens take cabinets to the ceiling or create intentional open space, rather than this no-man’s-land of neither here nor there.
15. Pot Rack Jungle Gyms
That hanging pot rack seemed brilliant until you kept bonking your head on copper bottoms. Now it’s just a dust-catching obstacle course dangling from your ceiling.
Unless you’re 6’4″ or enjoy the thrill of dodging swinging cookware, these overhead hazards create more problems than they solve. The pots collect grease from cooking that’s nearly impossible to clean without taking everything down.
Forward-thinking kitchens store pots in drawers or cabinets where they’re accessible without requiring a helmet for safety.
1. Gloomy Dark Cabinet Caves
Those espresso-colored cabinets that were once the height of sophistication now create kitchen black holes that swallow light and joy. Dark cabinets show every fingerprint, dust particle, and water splash like they’re under a crime scene blacklight.
Opening these shadowy storage units requires a flashlight to find anything toward the back. The heavy, imposing look makes even spacious kitchens feel cramped and unwelcoming.
Kitchens of tomorrow embrace medium tones or strategic dark elements that don’t transform the space into a cave dwelling.
2. Raised Panel Cathedral Doors
Those arched cabinet doors with raised panels that look like mini church windows had their moment—back when people still used fax machines! The fussy, ornate style collects grease in all those decorative grooves and curves.
The formal, traditional look creates a stuffy atmosphere more suited to a Victorian parlor than a modern cooking space. Cleaning those detailed crevices requires Q-tips and the patience of a saint.
Future-focused kitchens favor cleaner lines that don’t require specialized cleaning tools to maintain their appearance.
3. Kitchen Desk Work Stations
That built-in desk nook in the kitchen seemed brilliant in 1995. Now it’s just a landing zone for junk mail, unread school notices, and random chargers. The uncomfortable chair gets used approximately never.
Nobody wants to work surrounded by dirty dishes and cooking smells. The awkward desk height makes typing a wrist-straining adventure.
Modern homes recognize that dedicated office spaces—even small ones—function better than trying to cram a workspace between the refrigerator and pantry where pasta sauce can splatter on your laptop.
4. Vegetable-Themed Wallpaper Borders
Those strips of wallpaper featuring dancing eggplants and smiling tomatoes need to be composted immediately! Wallpaper borders in general are dated, but the vegetable parade marching around your kitchen walls takes tackiness to a whole new level.
The faded, yellowing adhesive edges that curl up after a few years of kitchen humidity create a sad, neglected look. And those anthropomorphic vegetables with faces? Slightly creepy when you think about it!
Future kitchens embrace full wall treatments or clean lines without these awkward in-between decorative elements.
5. Kitchen Islands On Wheels
Those wobbly, rolling kitchen islands that never quite stay put are the kitchen equivalent of unreliable friends. They roll away just when you need them most!
The cheap wheels lock until they don’t, sending your chopping station on an unexpected journey across the floor. The height is usually awkward—too tall for comfortable chopping but too short for proper bar seating.
Contemporary kitchens deserve permanent islands with proper foundations, built-in storage, and the stability to handle everything from vigorous dough kneading to casual family gatherings.