10 of the Most Overrated Kitchen & Bathroom Features
There are tons of trending DIY home projects floating around on your Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok pages. Whether you are debating trying one of these fun and eccentric projects in your own space, or you’re just looking to avoid trends that will be out of style by this time next year, we wanted to talk about some of the most overrated kitchen and bathroom features.
Here are our top picks.
Most Overrated Kitchen Features
According to Domino, there was one kitchen trend that has been dubbed the worst kitchen trend of the past 50 years, and that is tile countertops. And though there are many reasons why you shouldn’t have them, hygiene is at the top of the list of problems that tile countertops cause. They’re hard to clean and the grout lines between the tiles act as a tiny receptacle for dirt and grime. And because of the grout lines, these countertops are hard to keep clean. Staining, odors, and all kinds of other issues come from having grouted tile for your kitchen prep surfaces.
The next on our list of the most overrated kitchen features include walls with too many colors. The housing market is hot right now, and many people are looking at their homes and wondering what it would take to update their spaces enough to appeal to hungry buyers (no pun intended). And a great easy way to do that is to freshen up (and simplify) your kitchen’s color palette.
Sticking to one or two colors in your kitchen doesn’t mean you have to keep everything white, however. In fact, in a recent article from Decoist magazine, some of the top kitchen colors of 2022 include black, as well as rich hues of blue and green. You can still have fun with the palette, without overloading your space with too many different colors.
Frosted or shaded light fixtures are another of the most overrated kitchen features. These lights, like having too many colors in the design, just make things look busier and less open and inviting. Plus, brighter, more functional light fixtures are always going to work better in kitchens, where you often need more light to do your cleaning, food prep, and more.
Rounding out our list of the most overrated kitchen features includes the DIY lovers’ special: painted wood cabinets. While tons of people are buying old wood furniture and refurbishing it with some sanding and a few coats of trendy paint, this is not a great look for your kitchen.
Painting over woodgrain, especially with cabinets made of quality wood like oak, is almost impossible to do well. And the wood grain showing through your paint only makes your kitchen cabinets look more dated.
Most Overrated Bathroom Features
Bathroom features can be just as overrated as kitchen features.
Topping the list of most overrated bathroom features is wall-mounted faucets. The style of your vanity can come and go, but if you attach your faucet to the wall, you could be setting yourself up for failure. Wall faucets can be chic and modern-looking, but they hide a bigger problem: leaks. When you wall mount a faucet, there’s a good chance that you are adding tile or other design elements to the wall as well, which will make it impossible for your to see if your plumbing lines start leaking.
Another bathroom feature that is often seen as overrated is ornate design elements. Having a patterned tile or antique feature in the bathroom is fine, but gilded mirrors, ornate wood carved vanities, and over-the-top showers and tubs are out.
Most bathrooms today are being refinished with simple elegance in mind. Modern and floating vanities are timeless and easy to clean, and they lend a spa-like quality to the space.
Skipping the tub is another of the most overrated bathroom features. Big, open-concept or no-threshold showers are trendy and modern, but they don’t replace the utility of a bathtub for most homebuyers and renters.
Barn doors for bathrooms are everywhere right now. But in a few years? This trend will not only make your space look excessively dated, it will also be annoying to replace them with standard or pocket doors.
The last on our list of overrated bathroom features is all-white everything. While having a white tub, white walls, white floors, and white vanities will certainly brighten up the space, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. It can come off as harsh and cold rather than a welcoming and relaxing space.
Anve Is Here to Help Banish Overrated Design Trends
Not sure what direction you want to take your next kitchen or bathroom project? Check out Anve Kitchen & Bath’s inspiration gallery to spark some good ideas! We also offer bathroom & tile design and kitchen design services.
Your dream kitchen or bathroom doesn’t have to be a DIY nightmare. Anve is here to help you with everything from bathroom vanities to full room design. Trust our experts to help you bring your vision to life without all the hassle and headaches.