An interior design expert has revealed five kitchen trends they would never use in their own home – and explained why you should avoid them too.
TikTok creator Project 23 Designs, who uses the handle @project23designs on the platform, shared the information in a recent video.
In it, she outlines each of the fives trend, also explaining exactly why she feels they are best avoided.
Many of the reasons are deeply practical, for example, relating to how difficult it is to keep certain set-ups or design features clean and hygienic.
Speaking in the video, she says: ‘[Here are] three things I would avoid doing in the kitchen as an interior designer.’
An interior design expert (pictured) has revealed five design choices she says you should avoid implementing in your kitchen
The first feature she outlines may split opinions, as it is a look that many people find pleasing – open shelving. But, says the designer, she would avoid ‘too much open shelving’.
She explains: ‘This might look great on photos, but open shelves accumulate dust and grease, especially if they’re near your cooker top.’
As a result, she says, she would limit the space to having just a few open shelves, where a small number of carefully chosen stylish items can be stored, not just everyday cups and plates.
Suggesting an alternative, she recommends a tall display cabinet, adding that she loves smoked glass.
Her second point may also be a contentious one for some keen decorations. She says she would avoid ‘pans and pots on display’, adding that they are for cooking rather than their aesthetic value, and she prefers to ‘keep them for that purpose’.
The designer’s third trope to avoid is having too many items on the countertop.
‘Avoid crowding your cabinets with small kitchen appliances and utensils,’ she advises. ‘This will help you maintain a clean and inviting kitchen space.’
Her fourth tip also relates to keeping a space that is clean and well kept – avoiding having cabinets that don’t extend all the way to the ceiling, thus leaving gaps between the top of the cupboards and the ceiling.
Tips like ensuring you have more than one light source, and building your cabinets up to the ceiling also made the designer’s list
‘These gaps will collect dust and we’ll make your space feel lower,’ she says.
‘If you have a standard ceiling height, I would take the cabinets all the way up to the ceiling for a more sophisticated look. This will make your space feel taller, and your upper cabinets will not collect dust.’
If you already have cabinets which don’t extend to the ceiling, she advices against storing or displaying items on top of them.
Her fifth and final point relates to lighting, and the optimum way to illuminate the space. According to the designer, her tip is to avoid having only one light source in the kitchen.
She explains: ‘Having only one light source in the kitchen…will not be functional. You need to incorporate both task lighting and ambient lighting.’