These are the outdated kitchen trends to avoid, according to experts

These styles and colors are no-gos, according to experts

blue and pink modern handleless kitchen with island
(Image credit: Future Jody Stewart)

We all love keeping up with the latest kitchen trends, but a new report has revealed some news that we’re not so sure of. According to a study of Instagram, Google and TikTok searches, some of our favorite kitchen trends are officially out.

Wondering what these are and why this is? We've spoken to design experts to find out all about the style trends to avoid, so you can make the best decisions possible when decorating your place.

Looking for kitchen trends and want to know which ones to steer clear of? This is everything you need to know about them and what you can do instead of bringing these in.

These are the small space interior design trends for kitchens that you definitely don't want to be decorating with this.

Blue plate rack feature in a shaker kitchen with modern glazing

(Image credit: Photography: Jody Stewart)

Kitchen zoning, built-in booths, integrated kitchen storage, checkerboard flooring and mix and match furniture are the design features that have been called old news according to the study by Atlas Ceramics

They compared the number of annual Google searches, TikTok views and Instagram posts tagged with these trend terms to give them a total trend score out of ten. Chequerboard floors get just 330 searches a year, while only 49 people tagged their 'Built in booth'. 

On the flipside, the most popular kitchen remodel ideas for 2022 included pendant lighting, with over three million annual searches and TikTok and Instagram users love a backsplash, clocking in over 100,000 views and more than 500,000 Instragram posts.

But before you rip out your banquette or buy matchy-matchy furniture, we want to show you the other side. If ever there’s an example of the danger of blindly following trends without really considering what works best for you, this is it.

Kitchen trends considered to be on the out

1. Kitchen zoning
2. Built-in booths
3. Integrated storage
4. Chequerboard floor
5. Mix and match furniture

David Mason is an interior designer from The Knobs Company with plenty of experience in the fine details of kitchen design. He's of the opinion that kitchen zoning is still a popular way to layout a kitchen, and that, on the contrary, it is in fact a growing trend.

‘I have seen a surge in people wanting zoning in their kitchens as it allows for a more efficient workflow within the space. This is especially popular with clients who entertain often or have large families, as it means the space can accommodate multiple activities at once,’ he says. 

grey shaker kitchen with banquet seating

(Image credit: Benchmarx)

Tom Saunders, the CEO at Flooring Stores also disagrees with the idea that checkerboard flooring is on the out.

‘The checkerboard flooring trend is one that I fully support and I see no sign of this disappearing. The pattern is timeless and versatile – you can make it work for anything from a traditional style kitchen to something more contemporary and elegant,’ he says.

We've even seen many people painting a checkboard floor onto their existing tiles, showing this look is still sort-after. 

deVOL kitchen with old world feel

(Image credit: deVOL)

We spend a lot of time looking at kitchens and beautiful houses, and from what we’ve seen, integrated storage and mix and match furniture are features that are very much still big news in the kitchen design sphere. 

Our kitchens are, generally, getting smaller, so integrated storage and built-in booths are always going to be a good idea. As for mix and match furniture – especially of the vintage and freestanding kitchen kind – sustainability is becoming more and more at the forefront of our minds, so we don’t see that going anywhere either.

At the end of the day, a kitchen is a huge investment that could last a lifetime, so it’s important to choose a design that you love and that works for your home, regardless of the specific trends of the moment. 

Amelia Smith
Content Editor

After joining Real Homes as content producer in 2016, Amelia has taken on several different roles and is now content editor. She specializes in style and decorating features and loves nothing more than finding the most beautiful new furniture, fabrics and accessories and sharing them with our readers. As a newbie London renter, Amelia’s loving exploring the big city and mooching around vintage markets to kit out her new home. 

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