5 Reasons Your Kitchen Looks Dated (and How to Fix It), According to Designers

If your kitchen is feeling a little outdated, fixing just one element can often make a world of a difference. Although a fresh coat of an on-trend paint color can be a great place to start, the source of your stale-feeling space might take a little more work to uncover and upgrade.

We've asked three design experts, and they spilled on the five most common signs of a dated kitchen—and how to fix each of them, of course.

Glossy White Finishes

Although white cabinets, walls, and countertops are well-known to make a kitchen look lighter and brighter, Redecor's head designer, Aino Heinäsuo, says that a high-shine take on this neutral color can feel a little bit behind the times.

“One major sign of an outdated kitchen is the all-white, high-gloss look, which can feel overly sterile and lack personality," Heinäsuo says. "Current trends favor high-quality textures, natural wood accents, matte finishes, and muted tones."

To achieve a bright and welcoming space without the gloss, she advises leaning into warm, off-white, or light and earthy paint colors, or natural wooden cabinets in lime wood, oak, maple, or birch.

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Old-School Laminate

The telltale sign of a dated kitchen all three of our designers called out? Laminate, which is often used on countertops and in flooring. Although it's now available in much more realistic finishes, older versions of this affordable material are easy to spot.

“Backsplashes, floors, and counter surfaces are usually the things that really tell the era in which a kitchen was done," says Peter Spalding, co-founder and chief creative officer of Daniel House Club.

Fixing this can be as simple as upgrading the laminate in your space—but if budget allows, our experts recommend making the investment and switching to quartz countertops and wooden floors, especially in a soft and joint-friendly oak, alder, walnut, or teak.

Tile Countertops

When it comes to kitchen countertops, home designer Nina Lichtenstein shares that laminate isn't the only sign of a dated space to watch out for.

"Tile countertops may have been trendy decades ago, but today they’re a dead giveaway of an outdated kitchen," she says. "Besides looking dated, tile is challenging to clean, and grout lines can easily trap stains and bacteria."

If you're looking to modernize the tiled counters in your kitchen, Lichtenstein suggests opting for a low-maintenance, durable natural material such as quartz or granite. For a charming-yet-updated take on a rustic kitchen, Lichtenstein recommends a butcher block countertop.

Overly Ornate Elements

A statement element in a kitchen can be eye-catching and effective, but our designers say using ornate details on cabinetry, lighting, and other elements can be overwhelming and make the space feel smaller than it actually is.

"Highly ornate range hoods, for example, are really uncool right now, and this is such an easy fix," Spalding says. "Just re-imagining the housing in a simplified or more accurately historical manner can go a long way.”

However, Heinäsuo and Spalding agree that the context of the rest of your space is important to consider when planning kitchen remodels—and both suggest embracing vintage features like ornate wooden cabinetry to build warmth and bring out the character in older homes.

Busy Backsplashes

Another busy area both Spalding and Heinäsuo suggest simplifying to make a kitchen feel more modern is the backsplash, which can bring the rest of your kitchen back in time when too many colors, patterns, or small pieces of tile are used.

"I am still pulling out a lot of glass-tiled backsplashes from the early 2000s," Spalding says. "I actually find counters that feel dated don’t always need replacing—they just need a different context, and swapping out the backsplash can deliver that."

For a fresh, cohesive look that can also incorporate a pop of color, Heinäsuo recommends using subway tile to make a timeless upgrade that will always be in style.