Watch out for these outdated kitchen features

Kitchen trends, just like fashion, come and go. Some decades saw a penchant for pine kitchens, while other eras saw sleek monochrome kitchens.

In 2025, both textures and natural colours are on trend, according to Ideal Home. If you are planning a kitchen refurbishment Surrey or another location, it can be worth reading about not only the current trends but also the outdated trends that run the risk of making your kitchen look old-fashioned.

Specialist kitchen renovation companies, such as thekitchenrefurbishmentcompany.co.uk/, offer personalised kitchen styling advice to ensure your refurb looks bang on trend.

Let’s look at a few features to avoid:

Table of Contents

Oversized lights

Lighting is important in a kitchen; today, it is soft, inset lights that are much more contemporary than the oversized can-style lights from years gone by. They also offer a softer, warmer light.

Formal dining areas

Gone are the days when meals were served around a formal dining table and chairs, which now has an outdated vibe. More casual dining spaces, such as breakfast bars, banquette seating, or perching around a kitchen island, are much more relaxed and fit in with today’s busy lifestyles.

Shabby chic

The shabby chic craze of the noughties has dated quickly, with distressed cabinets looking a little out of place in most modern homes.

Non-integrated appliances

Standalone appliances, such as ovens and refrigerators, don’t fit today’s sleeker vibes. Integrated appliances have the advantages of not only looking much more streamlined and crisper but also taking up less space.