Oak cabinets are probably the hallmark of a tired kitchen. Don’t get us wrong, oak is a sturdy wood that holds up! However, those old blonde stained oak cabinets need a facelift. The good news: you have an excellent set of cabinets to fix up. The bad news: If you don’t give them a face-lift, your kitchen will always look dated.
It’s just the way it is. Oak cabinets were huge during the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. When a trend like that takes off at that scale, it’s destined to look dated later. Try sanding and restaining, or covering with a fresh coat of paint in a timeless color. Everyone always scoffs at painting over oak, we get it. But at least choose a more up-to-date stain color.
We can’t believe we’re still having to tell people to get rid of those disgusting linoleum floors. Originally marketed as the luxury flooring of the future, linoleum took over the kitchen in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Here’s the deal, there’s not a nice kitchen on earth that has linoleum floors…and that’s a fact.
Linoleum was actually invented in the 1860s, and it was the premier flooring for the rich. It was considered very posh at the time because hardwood and tile were all people had for literally all of history before that. It had a lengthy century in fashion, but it’s time to part ways with our old friend.
No one should ever snub their nose at extra storage, but built-in’s are one of those things that can make or break a kitchen. Why? Shelving and cabinetry tend to have a signature style for each decade. Some were more desirable than others, however when trends like this make it to permanent fixtures…it locks your kitchen in time.
If you live in a museum, this is a good thing. However, most people don’t. We’re not saying to rip them out just yet. Just consider giving them a good sprucing up, and make sure they fit the style of the rest of your home. Not all built-in’s are worth the trouble. If it was built cheaply back then, it will look cheap now.
We love fantastic woodworking as much as the next guy, but when it comes to the kitchen these uneven surfaces are hard to clean and can seriously date a space. That lackluster trim piece over the kitchen sink is an even worse iteration of this trend that was prominent in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Too much of a good thing can turn bad at the flip of a switch. There’s nothing more embarrassing than a kitchen that looks like it’s out of a summer chateau in the middle of a midwestern middle-class suburb. Don’t try to make your house into something it’s not.
You can do a lot to a kitchen, but if your cabinet doors are dated…your kitchen is dated. All the updating in the world won’t mean anything if your cabinets look like they have their own AARP card. Sorry! But it’s just true. Other than your countertops, cabinet doors are the main focal point of your kitchen.
There are so many styles of cabinet doors, our advice is to stick with a style that provides clean lines. Rounded cabinets tend to look dated, even if they’re trendy at the moment. Also, anything too decorative can be a little difficult to live with long term. Don’t even get us started on glass cabinet doors!
Cabinet pulls and handles are the most touched surfaces in the kitchen. They can either make or break a kitchen, so make sure yours aren’t working against you. If the finish has dulled, the color has flaked, or they’re just not a desirable style anymore…it may be time to spend a little cash for some new ones.
The good news is, you could probably swap these out yourself with a simple screwdriver! It’s just that easy! If you keep the general shape and size the same as the original, you won’t even need to redrill the holes! These days pulls come in all shapes and sizes. Since they’re easy to swap, don’t be afraid to go bold!
For whatever reason, tiled countertops were the big trend for a couple of decades. When you first think about it, tiled countertops seem perfectly fine…however on second thought, you begin to realize that all that cooking gunk gets caught in the groat and quickly becomes a health hazard!
Not to mention, the countertop is a bit difficult to tile. After a few years, the tiles will begin to crack and lose their original luster. Tiled countertops scream the ‘80s…matched with those cringy oak cabinets, and you’ve got a dated kitchen on your hands! Definitely don’t put tiled countertops in your remodel.
There’s nothing worse than one thing that’s trying to be something else! That’s exactly what Formica is! It’s a cheap material that’s pretending to be granite. Here’s the problem with Formica, yes it’s initially cheap to install. However, after a few years, that fake finish starts to fade.
Formica just feels cheap to the touch. It feels like plastic and like with most things, you get what you pay for! The only place Formica belongs is the breakfast buffet at a Motel 6. No one wants their home to look like a Motel 6…at least shoot for a decent Best Western! All jokes aside, Formica is a terrible investment.
White appliances are another nail in the coffin when it comes to a dated kitchen. No one in the past 20 years went to an appliance store and said “Hey! Give me some white appliances, please.” After living with those appliances for decades, we learned that white means dirty!
Pasta sauce, hamburger grease, and who knows what gets all over your appliances, and can stain them! Not to mention, they just don’t look that great. Stainless steel is a durable, and lifelong material. It can hold up to stains and will look the same for years. White appliances yellow with age, and can look dingey.
Light fixtures are the focal point of any room. They illuminate the space, and can also be a great way to throw a little inspiration into your space. A great light fixture can total make a room. However, one that’s not so great will completely derail your space. It’s all anyone ever sees when they walk in.
Lighting in the kitchen is both functional and used for decoration. In an open-concept kitchen, lighting becomes a focal point in your space’s design. If that lighting looks cheap, broken, or just out of date, that’s all your guests will notice. Swapping lighting is relatively easy, so don’t be afraid to switch things up.
Don’t even get us started on China cabinets. They’re a gigantic waste of space that again, stamps a room in an era of decor. People left their china cabinet at their grandma’s house in the ‘80s and you should too. They’re clunky and weigh down space to house a few dishes you’ll never use.
If anything, ditching that china cabinet would cut down on the clutter in your house. There comes a point in time where you need to assess what items in your life serve you, and which ones don’t. Holding on to too useless things only does one thing for you, it clutters up your life.
There comes a point in our kitchen's lifetime where things just start to look a little…bad. Listen, it happens to the best of us. After years of wear and tear, it’s natural that things start to show a little age. Wood isn’t an infallible surface, a good kick or scratch, and you’re left with a mark.
If you take an inventory of your space and start noticing those little marks don’t look so little anymore, it may be time to do a little overhaul. The good news is, good hardwood cabinets can be sanded down and repainted or stained! If they're in horrible shape, just get some new cabinet doors.
Ahh, wasted space. The bane of all kitchen’s existence. For some reason, usable space wasn’t something builders thought about for decades! Wondering why? So are we. Seeing some of these horrible kitchens out there makes you wonder “what in the world were they thinking?” Truth be told, they probably weren’t.
A kitchen at its best is a usable space. Function is the number one priority for a utility space. We use the kitchen every day to feed our households, host dinner parties, and even to just hang out. Kitchen needs have changed over the years, and what was once a perfect use of space, just isn’t anymore.
Layout, layout, layout. You may have heard of the kitchen triangle before, but apparently, some people just haven’t. If you didn’t already know. The three core functional pieces of a kitchen should form a triangle for easy use while cooking.
If you’ve ever lived in a house with a kitchen that didn’t follow this golden rule…you know just how painful it could be to cook a simple dinner. If you’re unfortunately living with a kitchen like this, this is your sign to throw in the towel and give it an overhaul! Stop letting your kitchen work against you.
A porcelain sink in the kitchen is just the standard. Porcelain is pretty great, but over the years, life can take a toll on that pretty white porcelain. A scratched sink is an undeniable sign that it’s time to remodel that kitchen.
The kitchen sink is something everyone in the home looks at, every day. If it’s scratched up and dingey-looking, swap it out! It sounds like a bigger deal than what it actually is. You can drop a new sink in without even taking apart your countertop! If not, maybe it’s an excuse for some new granite.
When it comes to kitchen trends, the whole Tuscan kitchen era may have been the worst one of all time. People everywhere wanted to be transported to Tuscany while they crack open a premade can of pasta sauce over their store-bought Kraft pasta. (Screams in Italian).
This trend is super dated, and if your kitchen still has those travertine tiles with fancy grapes and artichokes stamped on them…it’s time for a complete overhaul. We know you spent your hard-earned cash on that Tuscan kitchen, but let this be a lesson about investing in short-term trends…just don’t do it!
Around the same time as the Tuscan kitchen, rooster-themed kitchens were all the rage! Every middle-aged person’s house you went to had chickens everywhere. Collecting things as a hobby is perfectly fine but turning your kitchen into a ceramic chicken coup is not.
No one wants to be judged by the rest of the henhouse while they’re biting into a juicy fried chicken leg. It’s almost cannibalism! Honestly, the whole idea of filling your house with beady little eyes just doesn’t seem right. Furthermore, chickens are kind of scary looking if you take the time to actually look at them.
There’s nothing worse than a cramped kitchen. These days, we’re expected to be gourmet chefs at home. With all the tools and appliances in the world, we can achieve that dream. But, even pro chefs need space to cook in the kitchen! The most frustrating thing while cooking is not having the space to prep.
If you find yourself holding a hot pan because you have nowhere to set it down…it may be time for a remodel. It’s expensive, but the next time you have ample space to cook for the holidays, you’ll be grateful that you committed to your kitchen. No one ever regrets a kitchen remodel. You’ll always see a return on your investment.
Storage, storage, storage! The most important thing is storage! The list of things in a kitchen that needs a drawer, cabinet, or shelf is seemingly unending. There’s always something that needs to be tucked away. Thankfully, we’ve come a long way in the storage and organization department in the kitchen.
These days there are ingenious gadgets and systems that help you store your kitchen accessories in a way that utilizes all of your space. If you’re running into a lack of storage in the kitchen, it’s time to do something about it. The days of toppling over stacks of clutter to get something on the bottom is over.
Living with a kitchen that wasn’t smartly planned out is just miserable. If your cabinet drawers bump each other, it’s time to do something about it. No one should have to live this way! It’s just sad. Bumping corner drawers only say one thing…CHEAP! There are drawer systems that use all of the corner cabinet space.
Over time, this design flaw can really take a toll on your cabinets. The constant bumping and rubbing ruins finishes and can leave you with an unsightly gash on the face of your kitchen! We suggest fixing this as soon as you’re able. When you remodel your kitchen, look for ways to efficiently utilize space.
Countertop space is precious in any kitchen. If a clunky old microwave is taking up that vital space…it’s time for a remodel. An under-cabinet microwave isn’t that expensive, and the benefit of having that extra countertop space far outweighs the cost of hanging it.
When you do decide to remodel that old kitchen, you can move the microwave off of the counter in two ways. You could buy a mounting kit, which brackets the microwave with bolts to the underside of the cabinet, or you can build a built-in cubby for your microwave.
Those of us who live in an older home know the struggle of finding ample space for these massive refrigerators that are made nowadays. So often, you walk into an old home and the fridge is placed in the most awkward spot. It’s not our fault that things back then were a lot smaller!
However, at some point, you have to fix this issue. Reconfigure your kitchen to support modern cooking accessories. You can still keep that old house charm without compromising the creature comforts of modern appliances. We promise you’ll see a return on a kitchen that’s been updated.
Oven on the fritz again? If so, spare no time upgrading to something better. How are you supposed to cook for your family while your own oven is working against you? You can’t! There’s nothing more frustrating than spending hours perfecting a pie only for it to cook unevenly in a broke-down oven.
Honestly, spare yourself the pain and suffering. Yes, it’s a sizeable investment to replace your appliances, but it’s not a frivolous expense. You use those appliances every day, multiple times per day! And when you do make the decision to swap them out, don’t be cheap either! You get what you pay for these days.
Living with a kitchen that feels like it’s barely holding itself together just isn’t a good way to live! The kitchen is the most important room in the house. It provides families with a place to gather and be together. You want the best for your family right? So, don’t let a kitchen stand in your way of giving them that.
Signs of shoddy workmanship can typically be spotted in dropping cabinet doors, bumping drawers, trim pieces, and bad tile jobs. If you paid a contractor to build your kitchen, and they under-delivered in any way, don’t be afraid to make them fix it right then. If you let it go too long, you’ll never get them back to fix it again.
It seems like we’ve spent the better part of twenty years correcting the mistakes of our pasts! Swapping out horrible countertop materials for granite has been going on so long now that granite is out of style! Now, not all granite is bad. But if you just have granite for the sake of having it, you may have a tacky kitchen on your hands.
No one wants a builder-grade kitchen. So, your countertops shouldn’t be builder-grade either. If you have a simple granite, consider upgrading to nice quartz or a more unique granite when it comes to your countertops. Don’t be afraid to make a statement either!
Cracked tile in the kitchen is a dead giveaway for a kitchen in dire need of a remodel. You can have the nicest cabinetry and appliances in the world, but if your flooring looks like it’s on its last leg…your kitchen isn’t going to look nice.
If you can’t replace the single tile with a spare. Consider doing an overhaul on your flooring. Chances are if your flooring is starting to show its age, the rest of your kitchen is too. So while you’ve got a contractor at your house, go ahead and tackle the rest of the mess too.
If you’re still housing dust-bunnies in that horribly tacky faux kitchen ivy…please for the love of all things, take it down. If you haven’t looked up there in a few years, grab a ladder and take a look for yourself. Those fake plants cling to grease from cooking and then hold onto dust for years.
Kitchen ivy hasn’t been on trends since the ‘90s…so get rid of it! That ivy is so old it needs a colonoscopy! Use that slim extra space for storage. Not too much, but your serving set would look great up there! Or just stick with some simple lighting over your cabinets.
Oh, your kitchen only has one oven? How quaint! These days, one just isn’t enough. A double oven is a must for a fully functional kitchen. If you have more than two people living in your home, chances are having another oven will substantially improve your cooking time.
It’s amazing what a few more feet of cooking space can do for your family. Not to mention those holiday dinners! Forget having a cold turkey to have a hot green bean casserole! You can cook it all at once with double ovens. Just take a look at any kitchen in a magazine, you’ll notice two of nearly every appliance.
Are those cabinet doors drooping? Well, if they are…it’s definitely time to do something about it. Listen to what your kitchen is telling you! It’s just natural that things break down over time. By the time your doors start losing their hold, it’s probably time to fix up a few other things too.
Take a look at your lighting fixtures, cabinet hardware, and pretty much every other thing that gets used and abused. Tightening up those cabinets is a pretty easy task, but this is definitely a sign of an aging kitchen. If nothing else, consider upgrading your hardware and maybe switching out fixtures.
Ahh, the “Landlord Special.” You know what we’re talking about! Do you remember that god-awful rental you lived in after college that had painted over light switches and plugins? What some call white-washed cabinets, we just call lazy! There’s nothing worse than a halfway remodeled kitchen!
A kitchen with slapped-on cabinet paint, mix-matched clearance appliances, and granite look-a-like Formica is not a remodeled kitchen! It’s a patchworked junk pile. Please, do not pay top dollar for these band-aid cheap fixes. Take the time and do your kitchen justice, and definitely don’t buy a house that has a kitchen like this.
