Given its central role in the home, it's no surprise that the kitchen's appearance and layout are of considerable importance to homeowners. While some favour a minimalist approach, others choose a more striking aesthetic. Unfortunately, certain design choices can easily push a kitchen from stylish to simply gaudy. To help steer clear of any design blunders, interior decorator Penny Modern has taken to her YouTube channel to reveal what she believes needs 'removing' from kitchens that make the home look cheap and tacky. She highlighted that what truly makes a space 'look expensive' isn't what you introduce, but rather what you should get rid of.
1. Exposed bins
Many households are guilty of this, but having an 'exposed' bin in your kitchen is the first no-no. No matter if it's the most well-designed kitchen bin in the world, it's still an item that no one really wants to see. Penny said: 'Nothing cheapens a beautiful kitchen more than a dirty, grimy trash can sitting off in the corner,' reports the Express. She added: 'If you have an exposed bin, it can make it [a kitchen] look cheap because it's just extra clutter; it reminds people of trash, and it can also lead to smells.' Naturally, in any functioning kitchen a bin is a necessity, but it is worth considering concealed options fitted within cupboards to create a more streamlined appearance. Alternatively, Penny recommends choosing a stainless steel bin and positioning it discreetly, as the objective is to 'make it disappear' and have it 'as unobtrusive as possible'.
2. Visible pot racks on display
Working out where to keep your pots and pans can prove challenging when storage space is limited. This prompts numerous households to utilise pot racks for hanging their cookware up high. While this might create a professional culinary aesthetic, in the majority of domestic kitchens, many of these pot racks ultimately appear 'looking cluttered, chaotic and a jumbled mess'. Penny highlighted that it can make the kitchen appear 'cheap' unless you have high-end pans that match throughout. She further observed that having this arrangement can obstruct your line of sight and reduce the size of your kitchen, and cautioned that the pans ultimately 'collect a lot of dust and grease'. As an alternative, Penny suggests purchasing some dividers enabling you to arrange your pots and pans horizontally within large cupboards. Otherwise, should space be tight, a final option involves keeping pots and pans inside your oven.
3. Decor on top of kitchen cabinets
Should you have kitchen cupboards that don't extend fully to the ceiling, Penny advises resisting the temptation to place numerous decorative items up there. The interior design professional observed that homeowners with gaps between their cupboards and the ceiling typically position photographs, wine bottles and artificial plants, and what will happen is that it 'makes the kitchen look cluttered, smaller and cheap'. She remarked that it's simply 'clutter that draws the eyes upwards, and it's very distracting'. Penny emphasised that the optimal approach involves removing all the clutter from atop the kitchen cupboards and appreciating that empty space.
4. Word art signs
Those conventional word art plaques displaying 'kitchen' or 'eat, pray, love' are going to 'make your space feel cluttered', and they're 'not going to look charming', according to Penny. She observed that numerous such plaques are mass-manufactured and can 'make your kitchen feel generic and not very luxurious'. Rather than these word-art plaques, Penny suggests investing in genuine art - perhaps a landscape from a destination you've visited. She said it 'doesn't have to be expensive', as you can simply print numerous options from Etsy or discover smaller pieces that you can showcase in your kitchen.
5. Appliances that have different finishes
This presents a challenge, as appliances can fail at varying times, but having a mixture of appliance finishes is 'definitely something that's not going to make your space look luxurious'. She said: 'You definitely don't want to have a white dishwasher, a black fridge and a stainless steel stove; it's just going to look like a jumbled mess and that you just bought anything that was on sale.' Penny highlighted that households might want to think about purchasing panel-ready appliances. She said: 'Having a panel on your fridge to hide the finish altogether is definitely a trend we see in luxury homes.'
