Style is subjective — or, at least, as long as you’re not trying to sell your home. Sometimes it’s best to leave it up to the experts, especially when it comes to kitchen design. The kitchen isn’t just the visual focal point of a home, but also a space that gets utilized every day, which means it can benefit from its features being both timeless and practical.
I asked several design experts about one of the most important features in the kitchen: cabinets. They shared their biggest kitchen cabinet “icks” and, luckily, how to fix them, so your kitchen can be beautiful for years to come.
1. Bulky Under-Cabinet Lighting
Under-cabinet lighting is arguably one of the most important features of kitchen cabinets, aside from the shelves. It lights up countertops and dark corners of the kitchen so that every space is more usable.
But Patty Hampton, cofounder of San Francisco-based interior design firm Refresh Your Space, warns that under-cabinet lighting should be hidden. She says a great alternative to bulky, visible lighting are LED tape lights with diffuser lenses that are integrated into the bottom of the cabinet. “It’s tucked away from sight, but the functionality is still there,” Hampton says.
2. Short Cabinets
Perhaps one of the most popular “icks” I heard from designers and kitchen experts alike are cabinets that don’t go all the way to the ceiling. “Gaps above stock cabinets don’t serve any purpose other than to gather dust,” says Judi Cooper, principal interior designer at Kitchens Inside Out.
Instead, she recommends custom cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling, which she says creates a more polished look. Lauren Syrowik, founder of Syrowik Home, agrees that leaving a gap between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling tends to look less polished and feels outdated and unfinished.
Not just are they visually messy, but they’re also inconvenient to clean. “You do not want to dust those puppies,” adds Sarah Brown, a manager at a custom cabinet company in Connecticut.
3. Crooked Cabinet Handles
Over time, knobs can loosen and become crooked, making your cabinets look unpolished and dated. It also makes the task of twisting and adjusting your knobs seemingly never-ending. Luckily, crooked knobs can easily be fixed.
Hannah Haynsworth, co-owner of a decorative hardware company in San Diego, says that if you opt for a non-round knob shape, make sure it’s fitted with a spike underneath its base. She says the small but important addition will prevent your knobs from spinning — retaining the clean lines of your cabinetry and relieving you from the constant task of straightening them.
4. Bulky Molding
“My biggest kitchen cabinet ‘ick’ is overly bulky crown molding on kitchen cabinets,” says Elizabeth Vergara, owner of design firm Vergara Homes. She says this type of molding on cabinets can weigh down the space and make everything feel top-heavy. Micheal Hartel, founder of Cabinet IQ, agrees, noting that instead of scalloped valances or bulky moldings, you can opt for clean lines as they tend to age better. Vergara concurs: “Clean lines with subtle detail keep things feeling fresh and elegant without losing charm.”
5. Multi-Toned Cabinets
Multi-toned cabinets are all the rage right now, but contractor Rick Berres warns they can create a messy look in a space that “should be calming and pristine.” He says the look can also make it difficult to choose hardware that matches and looks harmonious. And Berres warns that painting your kitchen island to match one of the colors won’t help much. Instead, opt for a single neutral or jeweled tones.
“It definitely gives me the ‘ick’ more than any other bad kitchen trend,” Berres says. “Well, except for people who put up those ‘EAT’ signs, what’s that for? Very ‘Live, Laugh, Love.’”
What do you think about these kitchen cabinet “icks”? Let us know in the comments below!