The Common Kitchen Design Features Social Media Warns To Avoid

Designing your dream kitchen can be one of the best parts of your home renovation, as there are so many different kitchen remodel ideas you can work with and trends you can hop on to create that perfect cooking space. In 2023, we saw kitchen trends lead to the rise of Mediterranean flair, butler pantries, rounded islands, and earth tones, but just because something is trending doesn't necessarily mean it's the right choice. Somewhat contradictorily, social media agrees. According to National Stone LV on Instagram, people should avoid adding standard refrigerators to their kitchens, not adding proper lighting, and choosing doors over drawers in their cabinetry, among other errors.

Ultimately, your kitchen design should reflect your own unique personality, and sometimes, that can mean straying from the norm and ditching current trends. Besides, some of those trends can actually make your kitchen look a little worse for wear, and nobody wants that. These are just a small collection of trends you might want to avoid.

For so long, we have stuck to the idea that our base cabinets should match our upper cabinets and have doors with one big shelf inside. Unfortunately, this means less storage and more wasted kitchen space. Instead, in the Instagram post mentioned above, National Stone recommends opting for drawers on your base cabinets instead. "The popular trend right now, and truthfully what's practical, are drawers over doors when it comes to the base cabinets," he said in his video.

If you still love the look of a door on your cabinets to blend with the rest of your kitchen, he has a solution for you. Instead of the single shelf that comes with most cabinets, install roll-out trays. "The thick shelf inside of the cabinet is just not practical anymore," he says. "Put those roll out trays in there, let's make it function." You can either ask for this during your renovation or do it yourself by purchasing the trays, which you can find at Home Depot for about $100 each, and install them in your cabinet.

Your appliances can make a huge difference in your kitchen design. While color and style are important, they are not the only things to consider when choosing your fridges, toasters, and microwaves. If you are in the market for a new refrigerator, National Stone LV recommends choosing a counter-depth fridge over a standard refrigerator. "If you have the option to change out your appliances, when getting a new fridge, get a counter-depth fridge, it's a no-brainer," he says. The custom countertop professional knows this opinion is controversial, saying that while a standard fridge may have more storage, all of our fridges become a "black hole for storage," so we might as well make it look aligned with the rest of our kitchen design.

If you agree and want to create a cohesive look for your kitchen, consider the Cafe Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator from Build with Ferguson for $2,999. For a more affordable option, we like the LG French Door Counter-Depth Smart Refrigerator in stainless steel from BestBuy for $1,599.99.

Lighting is having a moment. Sconces, can lighting, and pendant lights have been proven to instantly revamp a kitchen and make it look more inviting and modern. However, while many people focus on the actual light, they forget to pay attention to where the lights are placed. National Stone LV says that not paying attention to the placement of your lighting can be a big design mistake that many homeowners make.

He says that your can, or recessed, lighting should be placed above the edge of your countertops, about 24 inches from the wall cabinets. This allows your kitchen to avoid shadows in prep areas and project light exactly where you want it to. If you struggle with seeing your food as you cook dinner at night or have a kitchen that fails to illuminate your countertop space, you may want to consider moving your recessed lighting.