7 Kitchen Design Trends That Make Cooking Way Harder, Pro Chefs Say

If there’s any room in your home where it’s best to tread lightly with the trends, it’s your kitchen. Kitchen trends typically have a short lifespan, and reversing your cabinet, tile, and countertop choices comes with a high cost.

Some kitchen trends may look lovely for the Gram, but no one can spot a trend that doesn’t hold up in real life quite like a professional chef. We asked a couple of them to share which impractical trends you won’t find in their kitchens, and now you’ll catch us avoiding these design faux pas too.

Pure White Countertops

If there’s one countertop trend Private Chef Christopher Hensel absolutely hates to see, it’s all-white countertops. We’re talking about a light-colored countertop that doesn’t contain any trace of veining to disguise the little everyday messes.

“Completely white countertops are super sleek looking when they’re well maintained, but they need to be scrupulously maintained,” Hensel says. “Any drop of coffee, partial ring from a cup, a singular crumb, all annoyingly stand out on the white nothingness.”

So, unless you’re up for wiping down your countertops multiple times a day, it’s best to go a different route, like marble that shows off more intricate veining.

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Too Many Deep Drawers

Lately, recipe developer Marissa Stevens has been noticing a major influx in the number of deep drawers that homeowners are installing in their lower cabinets. According to her, anything more than a couple used for storing pots and pans is overkill.

“I’ve seen them used in place of almost all lower cabinets, even for pantry storage,” she says. “That works in theory, but in practice, it’s awkward to load and unload tall items like bottles or canisters, and things tip over constantly. Sometimes a good old-fashioned cabinet with pull-out shelves is the better call.”

Skinny Islands With Built-In Sinks

It seems like everyone wants a kitchen island with a built-in sink these days. But if your kitchen lacks the square footage to accommodate one that’s a functional size, it’s best to forgo the idea entirely.

“As a private chef, I cook in a lot of houses,” Hensel says. “A few times, the only sink has been [a small one] on the end of a skinny island.”

In Hensel’s experience, an island set up like this is frustrating to use. Trying to keep water from splashing onto prepped food, cutting boards, and platters is a near-impossible feat that usually ends in water pouring down the sides of the island.

Islands That Are Too Big

On a very similar note, the oversized kitchen island trend is one that Stevens wants the world to finally lay to rest. But what’s worse than a kitchen island that’s too big and leaves you fighting for walkspace? One that lacks enough outlets.

“A giant island is a prep dream, but if I have to run a cord across to the wall, it defeats the purpose,” she says. “I’ve tested recipes in beautiful kitchens where I couldn’t even plug in a hand mixer without rearranging the whole space.”

Ideally, your kitchen island should be no more than 10 percent of the total square footage of your kitchen.

Open Shelving

If Stevens and Hensel were designing a kitchen for their worst enemy, they wouldn’t add any upper cabinets–just open shelving.

Keeping your open shelving well-styled is practically a full-time job, and so is keeping it clean.

“I know open shelving is trendy, but I’d never trade it for enclosed storage,” Stevens says. “Cabinets protect your tools and ingredients from grease, steam, and dust—especially if your stove doesn’t vent well.”