A kitchen renovation is a big investment that should last you a very decent amount of time and as such, you will want to make sure to get it right by spending a bit of time researching timeless kitchen design ideas and stearing well clear from the following:
Obnoxious Colour Choices
Everyone thought mustard was the sh*t in the 70’s – Need I say more?

Fancy Coloured Appliances
I actually quite like fancy coloured appliances but even I found myself sticking to black and stainless steel when buying for my home. I love, and I mean love Smeg’s Retro Appliance Range – I have their toaster and kettle.
In BLACK.
Coloured appliances are fun to admire but there will come a time when you start to grow sick of them or at the very least, tire of trying to match everything else in your kitchen to that pastel toaster.

Built-in Desks
A few years ago, we all rushed to build a desk in our new kitchens only to find that we never actually used them… We bought funky stationery and file holders that matched the colour scheme of our kitchens; we insisted on those shallow pen drawers under the bench and sweated over where we would store all the bloody files, and then?
These desks became glorified junk stations.
The day’s mail gets thrown on them, followed by the car keys and phone. That super shallow pen drawer is now a junk drawer, forever cluttered, cleaned out then mysteriously cluttered again.

See, we all just want to be where the action is: who really wants to work from a little corner of the kitchen where there are smells and sounds and garbage bins? Our laptops will simply always find a way to sneak back into the living area or dining room table.
Hanging Pot Racks
Why would you want pots and pans hanging in the air so close to your head? Not only that, but this look just makes the whole room appear cluttered and busy – not what you want in your brand new, sleek kitchen. To be honest, I’d be constantly glancing upwards to make sure nothing falls on my head.

Farmhouse Sinks
Farmhouse sinks are great. For the farmhouse. From 50 years ago.
Apron front farmhouse sinks are just space hogs – they seem to just suck out the space in the entire kitchen; all the focus is drawn straight towards the sink – not ideal for a modern kitchen!

Paper-Thin Benchtops
The super-thin benchtop trend thankfully did not last very long, but it still rears its ugly head every now and then. A benchtop as thin as a sheet of paper is not the most durable thing in the world; usually a thin sheet of porcelain, these waif-like benchtops are much too thin for horizontal use, especially in a kitchen.
Any porcelain sheet manufacturer will recommend a minimum thickness of 12mm to avoid chips and breaks in the surface. Those super thin porcelain sheets were designed for use on the walls and not on your benchtop!

Glass & Mirrored Splashbacks
They may look fabulous but glass and mirrored splashbacks are not our friends. No, not anymore… The streaking, the fingerprinting, the scratching, the cracking and the breaking – NO.
Kitchen designs are going ‘back to basics’ in a sense, and swapping out these tired and messy looking splashbacks for a more traditional approach: porcelain. Whether you opt for tiles or large format sheets, the versatility and extreme durability of porcelain is undisputed. And the best part is: There are SO MANY OPTIONS!

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FURTHER READING:
- 4 Timeless Kitchen Colour Schemes
- The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Kitchen Benchtop
- Timber Kitchen Cabinets for Every Budget
What are some kitchen design trends you’re tired of seeing? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
