If you spent hours obsessively selecting the most timeless materials for every aspect of your kitchen, from the most elegant marble worksurface, to classic tiled flooring, all in the pursuit of a kitchen that will never go out of style, we’ve got some news for you. There’s another aspect of your kitchen design that you may have forgotten to consider: your appliances.
That’s right. Just as there is a rapid trend cycle when it comes to your cabinetry and kitchen islands, kitchen appliance trends are just as prevalent, and the wrong oven, or airfryer, can just as easily propel your kitchen into looking so 2010. While you may think these innocuous necessities are there for their functionality, as opposed to their visual appeal, you’d be wrong. On full display, these appliances take up a major part of your kitchen's final aesthetic, and the wrong choice can derail all your hard work and effort.
Here to save you from falling into these outdated trend traps, our experts have shared all the biggest kitchen appliance mistakes they’ve spotted in kitchens.
1. Bulky Gas Hobs
Weighing in on the gas vs induction hob debate is Sean Drumm, MD at Falmec UK. He says, "It used to be popular to have those burners that protruded from the surface and now look really old-fashioned."
While these larger gas hobs were once loved for their rustic feel, and the open-fire cooking experience, modern design trends, and a deeper understanding of their environmental impact, has left this style feeling thoroughly outdated.
"Today’s option is, of course, the electric induction hob: completely flush without any protrusions, more energy efficient, and also totally flexible compared to their predecessors," explains Sean.
The modern electric hob can look practically seamless when integrated to your worksurface, perfect for those who love the minimalist look.
2. Mismatched Appliances
With items of pure necessity, such as your toaster, kettle and other appliances, it can be very easy to pick based on their functionality, or their affordability. Although this feels sensible in the moment, all these mismatched appliances can end up making your kitchen design feel slightly haphazard, a far cry from those modern kitchen ideas you had in mind.
"Mismatched can disrupt the overall aesthetic of a sleek, contemporary kitchen as well as dating it," explains Tom Hopper, Miele's kitchens manager. "Similarly, placing too many small appliances on worktops will detract from the design. To achieve a more timeless and sophisticated kitchen, consider opting for built-in and handleless appliances that blend seamlessly with cabinetry," he says.
In recent years, we've seen a huge move toward integrated appliances, which can help achieve that super sleek, seamless look in the kitchen.
"Integrated refrigeration, ovens, and dishwashers create a streamlined finish, while timeless color choices like black, graphite, or even cream help maintain a modern edge. For smaller appliances, built-in warming drawers, coffee machines, and ovens with air frying functions help to keep worktops clear," Tom says.
John Davies, from Smeg, agrees, saying; "A common mistake that makes a kitchen look dated is overcrowding the countertops. Busy surfaces create a hectic appearance that can often reduce the aesthetic appeal of the space."
In order to avoid this, John recommends integrating multi-purpose appliances.
"The best way to avoid this problem is to invest in multifunctional appliances that minimize surface clutter while providing high-quality performance. Smeg’s Omnichef oven, for example, combines steam, microwave, and convection cooking, eliminating the need for multiple appliances and helping to create a clean, sophisticated, and modern kitchen," says John. "Smeg ovens can also be paired with pizza stones, air fry racks, and other accessories to make the oven even more versatile and avoid the need for additional countertop gadgets."
Price: £1209
With a built-in airfry feature and a whopping 76 litre capacity, this oven will render the rest of your kitchen appliances useless.
3. Low-height Ovens
Have you ever sat, crouched on your knees, peering into your oven, steam in your eyes and aching in your legs. Isn't it odd that we purposefully put ourselves through this discomfort, despite the fact there are other, more ergonomic options available.
“In older kitchen layouts that included built-in appliances, as opposed to a range cooker, the fashionable options were to have a single oven situated alongside base cabinetry under the countertop, with a built-in hob above it. The alternative was to have a double oven installed in tall housing," explains Darren Taylor, managing director at Searle and Taylor.
"A single oven installed beneath the worktop is not ergonomic because you have to bend down every time you use it. Double ovens are no longer in vogue, as they tend to include a main oven with a small additional oven cavity above, but they offer limited functionality in comparison to single ovens. This is because single ovens often feature more cooking functions and many include self-cleaning pyrolytic technology, which we recommend, as cleaning the oven is so much easier," he says.
When you're designing your own dream kitchen, it's important to consider how you will use the space, and design it according to your own needs, as opposed to only focusing on the way your design looks. Beyond just considering the choice between freestanding vs built-in appliances, it can be helpful to think about the placement for your appliances as well.
"Instead, we prefer to design tall cabinetry with housings for a bank of four ovens to provide all the functions you need for roasting, baking, steaming and more. It is much easier and safer to remove hot food from the ovens when they are at this height," says Darren. "The ideal layout includes two 60cm built-in self-cleaning pyrolytic ovens situated side-by-side at waist level beneath a combination steam oven next to a combination microwave oven that are at eye level so that you can see directly into each cavity when food is cooking."
4. Standard Cooker Hoods
"Unless decorative or industrial framed versions with stunning lighting, a chunky metal island hood over your hob can make your kitchen look dated," says Darren.
With such a focus on sleekness, and minimalism in kitchen trends, the bulkiness of a hooded hob can really work against this look. "We prefer to design kitchens that feature a vented induction hob instead, where downdraft extraction takes place at source, directly next to the pans," says Darren, "By having a dual-purpose hob in your island means that you don’t need overhead extraction so it allows for lovely pendant lighting to be a feature of the kitchen instead.”
Bringing in some effective kitchen lighting ideas as opposed to an unattractive extraction hood can help elevate your kitchen design, giving a more polished finish.
"Nowadays, most people prefer discreet models that blend into the kitchen rather than stand out like a sore thumb," agrees Sean. "So much so, that hidden extraction is now ‘a thing’! Take the ‘Jolie’ by Falmec that looks like a wall cabinet – and it is – but also offers concealed extraction (not to mention extra storage, which is very much welcome in most homes!)."
5. Countertop Appliances
One of our all-time favorite trends to emerge in kitchen design over the past few years has undoubtedly been the elegant kitchen station. A mainstay in modern designer kitchens, these sleek, concealed cupboards provide a space to store away all your additional appliances, hiding them from sight while still allowing for full functionality in the kitchen.
"One design mistake made for many 20th Century kitchens is that they were usually considered for one person to use, even in a large family home, because the dining area would be in another room. This often meant that there was nowhere other than the countertop for small freestanding appliances that would take up valuable preparation space. This could be a microwave oven, a toaster and a kettle, possibly a coffee machine or a coffee grinder as well. If the kettle and the toaster were located close to the cooking area, anyone wanting to make a cup of tea or coffee, other than the cook, would always be getting in the way of them," explains Tim Higham from Higham Furniture.
"Including a breakfast station within a kitchen layout is an ideal way to enable a person to make coffee, tea, and a snack without interrupting the cook. It is usually set apart from the cooking zone and it incorporates numerous plug sockets for small appliances such as toasters, coffee machines and / or grinders, together with integrated LED lighting. There is usually a cold shelf inside the cabinet that can also be used for cutting bread, thus limiting breakfast clutter on the countertop in the rest of the kitchen," continues Tim.
The expert says you should also further open shelving above the cold shelf as this can be used to "incorporate a microwave oven, together with storage for cups and saucers, teapots and crockery. Most breakfast stations feature double bi-fold or pocket doors so that it can be easily accessed, and then all appliances can be neatly concealed when the doors are closed.”
A pocket door kitchen station is a particularly effective way to bring this feature into your kitchen, the folding doors allow for a completely seamless look with plenty of extra storage space.
6. Traditional Kettles
Now, this one may hurt, but experts have declared that we've reached the end of the humble kettle.
"A kettle would have been a mainstay of an older kitchen. It would either take up valuable cooking space sitting on the hob, or it would clutter up the countertop as an electric version," says Darren.
Darren continues: "A boiling water tap is a must for today’s kitchens. Space-saving because a kettle is no longer needed, it is also energy efficient because only the exact amount of boiling water is delivered, whether it is for a cup of tea, or to peel tomatoes. We recommend the Quooker Cube, which is a tap that delivers hot and cold filtered water, plus sparkling filtered water together with 100° boiling water. With this functionality, you do not have to buy bottled water, making this type of tap friendlier to the environment too."
The introduction of the boiling water tap has practically rendered the kettle pointless, and you'd be hard pressed to find a modern, minimalist kitchen design that doesn't include an integrated hot water tap.
Price: £649
Not only can this tap provide you with close-to-boiling water in a matter of seconds, you can also use it for normal hot, and cold water.
With this expert advice under your belt, you are well on your way to creating an effortlessly timeless, striking kitchen. Staying up to date with the best of kitchen appliance brands can also be a helpful way to make sure your appliances are still on trend.
