While I am in the camp that agrees some of the pros seem to dismiss almost everyone's choices as lacking or done to death or wrong and seem to get pleasure out of doing so:

Perhaps to an extent this is a bit of turnabout is fair play for all the years that it was insisted that anyone would get a much better kitchen designed by the members of the Kitchen forum than by any kitchen designer (who probably lacked any real training).

And interior designers were viewed with even greater suspicion. They were people who had their own agendas, and came up with random but expensive ideas designed mostly to part you with your money.

In other words, some of the pros are treating the non pros the way a lot of people in the old GW forums treated pros. (Partly because it was assumed there were few pros there).

I am not condoning it, but I don't see as much change of tone in the forums as I see a change in population in the forums. I also feel like there's been a steep decline in interesting ongoing projects and the senses of continuity and community, but that's a different topic.

Does anybody else feel like trend cycles are also getting shorter and shorter? Compressed in timescale like everything else because things move so quickly. It doesn't take nearly as much time to turn out webicles as it does magazine and tv shows. Even those are accelerated in pace, these days. So, with things moving so quickly, do the trends live and die in a shorter space?

I also think that there are two opposing forces (I wouldn't call them equal, though, since one is clearly more prevalent than the other). One is the increasing homogenization of mass market "tastes" that happens with such a super saturation from HGTV, mass market magazines, and the "everything looks the same" world of instagram. I think this may stampede more people into a trend more quickly.

OTOH, one of the delights of the internet is that it makes it easier and easier to find things that are NOT popular choices. You can dig up lots of pictures of colored kitchens that you might not see in BH&G. Plus you can source things that aren't available at the local shops. I think there is a certain subculture out there that uses this precisely to buck the trends.

I do think that the speed and extent to which trends take over nowadays make things SO popular that they feel tired more quickly. Even if it's something of a classic, we've just seen so many versions of it that we give a collective yawn at yet another one - no matter how nicely done.

And there is so much good info out there for laypeople now, it should be somewhat easier to make your kitchen fit your house. Old House Guy has some great tips on making your kitchen timeless. And if you have an older home,Old House Journal is a treasure trove of ideas. The toughest spaces I think are in homes built since 1980 that don't have a cohesive architectural style to draw from. They're not old enough to be classics, yet, so they just hang in the dreaded "dated" limbo for now.

I agree with this statement...."We all read these negative comments but nothing is offered as to newer ideas that offer a fresh perspective."~Aloha2009

I love kitchens and would love to see new, fresh, elegant, creative, beautiful ideas. I enjoy all kitchens the pink formica 50s, the golden oak, the brady bunch orange, classic farmhouse, craftsman, Christopher Peacock, The British cozy, the bohemian,... I love all kitchens and love to see how people design, use and enjoy them. It would be wonderful to see the talent on Houzz showing options beyond just white. It could help people like me when we are making our choices.

The 30" honey oak wall cabinets over golden or black granites are what seems dated right now — and it's what most the posters on Houzz who are considering painting their cabinets are painting over. There's nothing wrong with the look. The reason it seems dated is because it's what EVERYONE was installing 15-20 years ago. (It's also about 80% of what you'll see on Green Demolitions - where people donate their old kitchens.) The white cabinet with marble-look counters are in danger of being in this same category in about 10-15 years, simply because (like the oak of 15 years ago) it is so ubiquitous right now. Despite all this, I'm using white shaker and (real) marble in my kitchen anyway.

I'm buying what I love and want to look at every day. And I expect to be loving this kitchen for a very long time. After all, I've been staring at our marble bath now for 5 years and the love is not fading. :-)

Unless you plan to sell your house in the very near future, I hope you'll just get what you love.

”It would be wonderful to see the talent on Houzz showing options beyond just white. It could help people like me when we are making our choices.”

Many kitchen design pros have plenty of examples of alternatives to white kitchens in our portfolios, but we are not necessarily allowed to show them in these forums. I’m often blocked from sharing images of my own work, even in response to a relevant topic. So I suggest you look into some of the portfolios of kitchen pros on your own to see our newer projects.

Thank you Kristin Petro.. I agree with you. I did in fact chose my designer based on her portfolio through Houzz. And of course meeting with her in person to help me. Meanwhile I am THAT boring soon to be DATED white kitchen owner. I am very happy with my choices so far. I love my kitchen as it is unfolding (reno) and that is more important than any trend. Do what you love! I did a white kitchen 11 years ago and I am doing it again.

I think you have to consider the source of the above quote.

The House of Chanel constantly updates even the classics from their collections to keep people buying and buying. I know someone who works for Chanel and has customers who buy every single new shade of quilted bag that comes out.

And really I think a lot of Chanel couture is pretty vulgar and the antithesis of classic. Intentionally so, I think, but nonetheless, I think Coco is probably spinning in her grave looking at some of it.

What I think Lagerfeld is being is snobby. Trendy is not the last stage before tacky. I think he thinks Accessible to Too Many People or Too Long after it originated is tacky. When he's tired of seeing it, it's tacky...but he's probably tired long before people further downstream.

You can do white cabinets and still not have it looked dated and trendy.

"The problem isn’t the white kitchen. The problem is the white kitchen in a house that shouldn’t have a white kitchen."

I just felt compelled to quote this so it appears one more time))

I'm still not sure why a house built in 1970 shouldn't look like it has a kitchen that could have been in the house since then.

It doesn't have to be a facsimile or a museum, and it wouldn't be because of the appliances. It also doesn't have to be ugly 1970 or trendy 1970 either. It doesn't have to look like the original did. But why does something that most people will only do once per house or once in 15-20 years is usually detailed as specifically as an item of clothing fashionable for that year or so.

Palimpset, this is where most people run into trouble. The kitchen gets an upgrade, and since it's expensive to do, they go all-in for everything that's new and spectacular. Because the old kitchen felt "tired," they go for something that feels "fresh." And we're all products of our environment, so we tend to reach for whatever is trending NOW. It's what we see everywhere and it feels so vibrant.

I think the trick is to try to keep that kitchen in keeping with the house. And that can be much harder to do. Salespeople, KDs, and the market in general will keep pushing you toward what's "hot." On top of that, you might have to work extra hard to find or pay more to acquire those things that would keep the kitchen within the same style and milieu of the house.

But going to the extra effort will avoid the painful visual "clang" of later seeing a grey and white "farmhouse" kitchen in a midcentury modern home to which it relates not at all.

Circling back most people I know don't live in homes with distinctive architectural styles.

Obviously there are some homes that do possess specific architectural distinctiveness but the interior of most homes are pretty much open canvases.

Now obviously some slavish reproduction of a very distinctive style might look out of context but someone who admires the aesthete of MCM could certainly use those design elements in a nondescript suburban home of the 1970's or could borrow Arts & Crafts/Mission style if they found that design genre more pleasing.

If one truly does have a home with some kind of distinct architectural flavor then it would be a travesty to fight it - if one has a true 1920's Arts & Crafts bungalow style or Spanish Colonial, I am assuming part of the purchase was driven by one's liking for the style of the home. But at least among people I know, the exterior style of the house is way down the list after location, price, interior layout.

Now obviously some slavish reproduction of a very distinctive style might look out of context but someone who admires the aesthete of MCM could certainly use those design elements in a nondescript suburban home of the 1970's or could borrow Arts & Crafts/Mission style if they found that design genre more pleasing.

I agree with you up to a point. I think the operative word is borrow in the sense that if you live in a nondescript home you're not slavishly putting in an MCM or craftsman kitchen either. For example, I think a craftsman kitchen would look just as out of place in a nondescript house as it would in a modern box.

Like you, I LOVE craftsman and in my condo which was built with a 1980's aesthetic, I did add some modified details that felt semi-craftsman. I had shaker cabinets in cherry. I had 7" base molding and a modified and smaller version of a craftsman crown and door molding. I had 5 panel shaker doors. In the end it didn't scream craftsman but wound up "bridging" the gap between the more modern aesthetic of the condo and my love of craftsman. And it was contemporary enough in feel that the new owner loves the detail.

Meaning one still has to work with the overall feel of the house.

As had been said before it's not the white itself so much as the white plus, plus, plus (add in the most current other finished, hardware and fixtures).

People say "Well fixtures and hardware and etc. are easy things to go trendy on and change later."

Maybe yes and maybe no. I've rarely seen a piece of furniture that looks better with hardware other than the original on it. Different maybe but not better necessarily.

And light fixtures are tricky. It's very difficult to pick a new fixture for an old house. There are obvious exceptions like doing obviously contemporary fixtures in an antique house, but if you want it to fit in rather than stand out, kinda difficult. So trying to update a white kitchen where the oversized lantern is a key element may do nothing more than dilute the look whether the overall look is dated or not.

To some degree a newer kitchen and bath in an older house is a natural progression. I live in an area that's old enough that many houses had neither originally. There's no point in maintaining a cast iron range with a flue or a faded fiberglass avocado tub just because that's what the house had originally...but it still makes sense to do something new that will age in a way compatible with the rest of the house.

Some sort of plainish soft contemporary seems to make the most sense to me but that's not a look that is particularly popular right now.

@cpartist - Of course the actual bones of the house are going to dictate what is going to look completely out of place. I was only responding to posts which seem to posit that all homes have distinct architectural styles that need to be respected. I don't know anyone attempting to reproduce a complete period look in a remodel of any genre unless they have bought a home that truly has a distinctive architectural style that should be preserved.

Some of the suburban remodels I've seen that are done with very modern touches look fine even if the original home had the classic copper or avocado appliances from that era. But they would look equally fine if remodeled with more traditional style. Maybe the faux Tuscan look would be a bit much but that might be more because of MY style predilections as why not an homage to Tuscan if that rocks the homeowner's boat -assuming it is scaled down from the massive Tuscan kitchens of the McMansions of the last decade.

On the other hand, my friend from high school lived in a true ultra contemporary home in the hills with the kitchen of that period and to replace it with a kitchen with white Shake doors - or even the ubiquitous marble would be a travesty.

Trends are about marketing and nothing else! Without trends you could wear the same clothing, use the same kitchens and furniture until they fell apart. Trends are about getting you to have to buy new while what you have is still serviceable. There's no money for the people selling these things if you keep them for decades. Their goal is to make you spend money by suggesting that what you have is somehow lacking and making you feel inadequate for not having the latest and greatest. Then you go out and buy more and different to keep up. This repeats over and over which is the whole point of it!

Even the most nondescript middle of the 20th century house has a distinct architectural style...the architectural style is that it's a nondescript sorta contemporary (usually) house. I'm not saying that to be smart, I'm saying that because that's what it is. It may not be as easy to label or have strong characteristics... except that the characteristics are that it's bland and non descript.

That said the best newer kitchen for such a house...unless you are adding character everywhere...is a relatively plainish contemporary transitional kitchen. And the problem with the Millennial white kitchen is that it is too detailed and fancy for such a non-descript house. The only marble you would have seen in most of these houses would have been the kind kids used to.play with.

I disagree for a couple of reasons: 1) I don't think these kitchens are particularly detailed - if anything most emphasize pretty simple lines (shaker) and reject ornate moldings, corbels, etc. They are arguably less "detailed" than arched golden oak cabinetry with exposed hinges 2) A big reason why those houses didn't have marble or granite wasn't style, it was cost. But technology, trade liberalization, volume, etc. have brought those prices down drastically - I've seen people on here who looked at both Formica and granite say that the granite now comes in cheaper or very close.

For example, a typical house built in the early 00's would have a huge media center to house that honking tube TV and VCR player. A high end home of the period had a flat plasma and didn't need that media center. Nowadays everyone can afford to hang a TV on the wall, so there's no need to be a slave to the original architecture and keep those built-ins.

The only times I’ve really seen the pros say that the white kitchen is dated is when an OP who has top notch cabinetry in a color other than white, typically stained, cherry, etc says “I want to paint my cabinets white and add white/grey quarts and white subway backsplash, and make it modern farmhouse, help!!!”

Personally I think it’s okay for pros to respond that way to those posts.

@palimpset - I think you really are discussing taste rather than whether a particular style kitchen looks outlandish in a nondescript suburban tract home.

No doubt the original kitchen would have had formica or if slightly upgraded tile counters. Formica is generally only chosen now because of budget and tiles are almost universally despised for functional reasons. Therefore why shouldn't the homeowner select whatever solid surface rocks their boat and complements the style of the cabinets chosen.

I think scale has more to do with whether something looks out of place in terms of kitchen design. I think most people seem to be decorating their kitchens in a safe style which I think falls under the penumbra of contemporary transitional - surely white Shaker cabinets with some form of solid surface - even marble - fall into that category. A lot of the non-modern tract homes had country kitchens so theoretically contemporary farmhouse - would be fine as well.

I really think if someone is lucky enough to be able to do a kitchen remodel, they should do it in whatever style and colors make their heart sing. It's hard to imagine someone with Chippendale furniture installing a Euro style glossy kitchen and the converse would also be true in terms of someone with contemporary modern furniture probably not opting for a farmhouse style kitchen or a Tuscan kitchen.

Most of the units in my building have remodeled kitchens and they run the gamut - from safe to flippers of the moment gray Shaker kitchen with waterfall style counter to more traditional kitchens. I am not sure what the exterior of the building should have dictated - although obviously the constraints of space would have made certain features out of scale although we even have one SubZero with glass doors - a design outlier :-)

"Classic" and trendy are not mutually exclusive. Let's use Helen's Chippendale example from above - it is most definitely "classic", and has been around for centuries. Yet right now it is definitely out of style. A house designed in that style 30yrs ago (or 200), when it was both classic and trendy would look incredibly dated today. Yes, white shaker is "classic" but it is also trendy. And without a doubt it will look out of date shortly - and already is in certain locales, though it will still be classic.

I don't think a multi unit building really dictates strongly to the interior. I think most are designed not to, so much.

Thats why you can have this: (which is not new, it's early 80s with new appliances)

And this, which is also 1980s and probably the original kitchen, in the same building. These may not be the same building, they might be neighboring buildings but the point is the same. If they are neighboring, one is a contemporary building and one is Beaux Arts but neither really dictates to what the kitchen should look like and there are probably as many of the kitchen below in the building above, and more of the units are overall like below than above: Consistency within the Unit is what apartments are about. But the same could be said for houses.

I really have to disagree about styles of kitchens vs the rest of the furniture in the house. I would say more often than not, if it's a remodeled kitchen, the white and marble esthetic stops at the kitchen door, and the rest of the decor looks absolutely nothing like that at all.

freeoscar agreed it's not the shaker door, it's the sum total of that with compound moulding, higher end active stone counters, overscaled lighting, and hardware, and backsplashes.

The thing is, that a lot of brand new builds are themselves pretty plain in detail except for the kitchen and baths so to some extent, someday these will be the typical middle of the road details.

My sister is looking at houses in my city now and because of where she is coming from (a LCOLA) she is looking at what is basically entry level in regentrifying areas of the city, new construction or gut/near gut rehabs in neighborhoods you wouldn't hav walked in after dusk a few short years ago.

(Of course there are even less expensive houses in some more stable neighborhoods, but more remote, older needing some work etc., if she wants new this is it.)

It's not uncommon to walk into these <1000 sq foot houses with two bedrooms, and 1 to 1.5 baths, and have very basic finishes everywhere except the kitchens and baths and small as they may be they are tricked out with all the same Pinterest type details of a much larger house (not always white) shaker, compound mouldings at the ceiling, stone countertops, stone backsplash, sparkly hardware and if there is an island at least one large pendant there and a glamourous fixture where the table goes.

And upstairs we've even seen freestanding contemporary tubs with floor mounted fillers wedged into a couple bathrooms.

I am not saying these are bad things in and of themselves. (personally I find white kitchens with big lanterns and marble counters rather handsome as an overall aesthetic) , but I can't speak to the actual quality of any of it, (much of this stuff is made in builder versions now), but the rest of the house is often very plain Jane with no trim around the windows, and plastic sliding doors on the closets and stuff.

The pricing on these houses is between $280 and $340, which is unfortunately entry level in a transitioning neighborhood. The same finishes would be found at double the price in a more established neighborhood.

Just a comment on the Chippendale furniture.

If anybody wants to buy some extremely well-made, nice looking furniture, buy the traditional, "brown furniture", the stuff modeled after classical 18th and 19th c. furniture it's super cheap right now and because of that I guarantee it's going to come around again. We also have the 250th coming up and "early American" always makes a comeback around these anniversaries. At least it always has in the past.

Someone within the last month posted and said they were going to rip out all of their beautiful hardwood flooring and replace with fake wood gray tile. The pros jumped in to try to keep them from making a huge mistake. Fake wood gray tile is trendy and is quickly becoming outdated.

If anybody wants to buy some extremely well-made, nice looking furniture, buy the traditional, "brown furniture", the stuff modeled after classical 18th and 19th c. furniture it's super cheap right now and because of that I guarantee it's going to come around again.

Well, if the chalk painters haven't found it all, anyway. I'm OK with some of it being painted, but other elements sort of make me cringe. Usually anything that was tiger maple, or quartersawn oak.

But then, I also really would like one of these. So I'm pretty much not the decor trend target market to start with.

@palimpset - I assume that starter homes are going to put in the current trendy bathroom and kitchen because they are attempting to sell the sizzle to first time buyers who are probably relatively unsophisticated in terms of looking below the surface. I used to watch House Hunters and I would find some of the first home buyers hilarious because they had to have stainless steel and wood flooring and granite and then would often ask whether laminate was wood and whether formica was granite - not to mention that the price of stainless appliances is no indicator of quality since the least expensive stainless is less expensive than even moderately priced better quality white appliances - oh the horror :-).

What I do find strange is when people buy a home with a kitchen that seems perfectly functional and want to rip it out because it looks dated. I don't know whether this is a small category of people who happen to post on houzz and therefore not reflective of general pool of homeowners but I can't imagine tearing out a functional kitchen because it wasn't my style - cosmetic fixes excluded of course. If one is truly wealthy go right ahead and rip out the Christopher Peacock kitchen - I am aware of this phenomenon as my friends have observed kitchens ripped out in their neighborhoods that were installed fairly recently but their homes are multi-million dollar homes and judging from the homes posted that want to tear out a passe kitchen on houzz, the posters' homes are much more modest and I would suspect that the $30,000 or $40,000 needed for a remodel is not discretionary income but is being spent in lieu stuff like retirement savings or tuition savings or to pay off a credit card balance.

The pictures below are that of a kitchen of a unit in my building that was flipped recently. It sold about one week after listing for $200,000 more than what the flipper paid and the purchase price was as much as nicely remodeled - albeit not quite so trendy - units in my building sold for within the same time period. It is on a low floor and has a view of a parking lot. Since I live in a high rise, upper floors with unobstructed views are way more desirable. However, it has every element of what is currently trendy - I don't have any way of judging the quality of the cabinets or appliances but I assume they are not the premium brands that a sophisticated homeowner might purchase for their quality rather than for just being stainless :-) - Shaker doors - check; gray - check; open shelves - check; waterfall counter - check check LOL

@cpartist - Of course the actual bones of the house are going to dictate what is going to look completely out of place. I was only responding to posts which seem to posit that all homes have distinct architectural styles that need to be respected.

Helen, I knew you got it. I was responding mostly for the lurkers. :)

On the other hand, my friend from high school lived in a true ultra contemporary home in the hills with the kitchen of that period and to replace it with a kitchen with white Shake doors - or even the ubiquitous marble would be a travesty.

Exactly!

I’ll take Chippendale over Restoration Hardware every time. Add some abstract art and a few very modern accessories/ occasional tables or side chairs and I am one happy camper.

Imho, White cabinets are classic & are not going anywhere, anytime soon.

Several reasons why, I think white is used so much....

The color white can be used with so many other color choices which makes an easier color to use in a project

the color white is bright, which makes a room visually appear bigger

the color white is used a lot in trim work. so if the cabinets come near white trim, sometimes the home trim Is used as the cabinet crown, so white cabinets are used.

I asked the cabinet stores often, what's the most popular color lately, the past few years , they say white is 70% average of their business. That's more than half! So, if white is that high of a margin for cabinet sales, the cabinet manufacturers will keep making & selling white, because that's what the public is buying. I don't see white going anywhere, anytime soon, if ever.

Clients often ask is this Trendy or Classic.

Trendy defined " very fashionable or up to date in style or influence. "

Classic defined "judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind."

Trendy to me, is what the public is choosing currently. I see advertisements pushing new colors, to sell more product. Manufacturers want to sell more products, so they heavily advertise new products as the current trend through tv, internet, home shows, etc. It's a huge $ maker.

Classic, to me, is what works with the coming & going trends. What is used for many years & is still being purchased.

Trendy is very subjective.

Trends are coming & going so fast now. The reason why is due to the internet & remodel tv shows. The fact almost anything can now be ordered off the internet & show up on the doorstep in days has fueled the switching trend timeline as well. The market is not just local anymore. It's now worldwide. It's quite exciting and remarkable what's available these days.

In kitchen & bath remodels, clients ask should I do what's trendy or classic, I say it depends what your goal is.

If they plan on selling within 1-5 years, I often suggest classic, white because that's what most the people are buying in the cabinet stores.

If they plan on staying for many years, I suggest whatever their taste is. If they have a huge budget & can afford to keep up with all the tends, I say have fun, go for it.

If the funds are not so huge, I suggest go trendy on the smaller projects and keep the bigger remodels classic.

I always suggest, if not selling anytime soon, I remind the clients, it doesn't really matter what others think or I think, what matters is what you like in your home, so choose what you like & brings you joy.

I am often resistant that people paint any cabinet with a good finish other than builder grade because of getting a good finish. Of course I am having the slab room doors in my house sprayed in conversion varnish in a shop .

I sometimes wonder why fashion & trends repeat themselves.

I wonder what goes on in the board meeting of how they choose what trend to push that year. I wonder since it worked last time, let's bring it back. or They repeat the same, because they already have the designs & setup, so they can redo again & save costs from re-designing it. Or maybe they have a bunch of inventory left over & need to sell it.

I have always found trend cycles interesting & wonder why. Have we really designed everything that's possible, so they have to repeat what's been done? I think not. There's got to be more to the equation of trend setting in business & why it's being made. What makes the more return on investment & profits is definitely what fuels the trend decisions and marketing.

What really makes a game changer is new inventions. New inventions can make different products and change how people do something. Changing behaviors, can open up a whole new market & product line. New inventions can change a trend to be out dated fast.

An example is the invention of the internet. It's simply amazing anything you want to look up is at our fingertips!

The ability to have internet access at home, has made many jobs available out of a work office. Working from home has made rooms re-purposed to home offices

Now that wifi is available, no longer do we have to be attached to a specific area where the wires are attached. So, anywhere in the home can be now be used to do internet work. Will this effect the trend of home offices, possibly some.

In kitchens, it was quite popular to have a desk area for the landline. Since a lot of landlines are being disconnected due to the invention of mobile phones, I have many clients say, no one ever sits there anymore. Those kitchen hubs are being redone for more storage, a tv, etc.

So, things are going to keep changing due to new inventions changing human needs & behaviors. It's quite exciting what's being invented & what will happen next.

I personally feel that what’s ‘on trend or classic’ is all a marketing ploy to sell ‘stuff’. And we the consumer fall for it. I can’t think of the paint company commercial that’s out there right now pushing color but their tag line is something like “ohhhhh, you must have used a designer” as they’re implying that only designers can come up with color combinations for the homes walls, which by the way I would think that most good designers would cringe at the use of some of these colors on a wall or anywhere for that matter. It’s marketing, they’re trying to push what they call the ‘new trend’ in paint - COLOR. It’s not a trend or a new classic, it’s marketing. They’ve got to sell paint. Same thing applies across the board with anything that’s marketable. White cabinets aren’t going anywhere.

I think things repeat stylistically though, because we have been through everything from Baroque and Rococo to the minimal white slab. And for whatever reason many people don't embrace strict modernism. I think most people embrace technology but they don't want things to look high tech so much.

I too have always been fascinated by trends in decorating, more as an observer. I think though it's virtually impossible to be immune from the trend aspect.

I do find that with respect to styles being rejuvenated- the old everything comes back in style eventually or it's so old it's new----when the style comes back it is typically tweaked a bit.

I also think the points made about the inventions and technology are spot on. The old desk in the kitchen. I still think though that there is a need for something like that. Even though we have a finished basement and office space there, there is something to be said for having "stuff" accessible in the kitchen. (but I do remember how the deskinthekitchen would become a clutter magnet).

Trends aren't ONLY there to make money for the companies that push them, although they certainly maximize what they can of it!

Some of it is the herd mentality. Everyone runs out and gets what is new and looks so sparkling. Suddenly, every kitchen is harvest gold or avocado. But there weren't that many people who really loved those colors just because they love those colors. So, 10 years in when appliances started to die, the trend and moved out and most people put in white or bisque. Which made the other shades in that kitchen look "dirty" and tired. The eighties followed, with lots of pastels and clearer colors. And after a while, most people tired of that because it was too much pastel, too much neon, too much saturation. So then we moved into the earthy tones of the 90's. That, correspondingly, gave way to softer blues and greys. Now, we're getting tired of the greys and the neutrals are moving back to beige, with more jewel tones.

If you love blue because you've always loved blue, you can put in a blue kitchen and not care when everybody else has hunter green. If you put in a blue kitchen because blue kitchens were the thing... you're going to think your kitchen looks "dated" when Elle Decor starts showing pages and pages of greens and earth tones.

And, while a lot of more contemporary homes don't have a classic architectural style, that doesn't mean they have NO style. A 70's trilevel may not be Federal, or Victorian, or Colonial - but it will always look like a 70's trilevel. And a white kitchen with shaker cabinets and waterfall counters will look very dated in THAT house in another 5 years or so. It doesn't relate to the rest of the house. While midtone wood cabinets and arctic white corian with a simple roundover edge and a neutral backsplash will relate to the rest of the house without looking "dated." Wall color and other elements can change more easily so that the entire home can flow. You can choose something that relates to the house itself, even if it doesn't have a cohesive "style". Slapping in the latest trend while arguing that the house doesn't have a style so it doesn't matter is usually untrue and will look out of place as the trend fades.

I agree..a house might not be definite style. Yet it'll have character. Certain character. It'll be what it is. Which will suggest some things, to a degree

It's like with some people. Hard to guess exactly who they are. Yet you know definitely it's them, not somebody else))

It's also not about..bones only

I think location plays role too.

I understand in our age things travel everywhere and so very fast, and I agree-new inventions play huge role in how things are shaped.

yet it comes as a bit strange when exact same combinations of materials and colors are used in a house somewhere whether standing in Arizona, Vancouver, Orange County, CA, or Maui, Hawaii. There's something about it..I don't know..something that causes some disconnect. Maybe only to me, I don't know.

You understand why it happenned (say, white was in vogue, while granite was sturdy and available)-but you can't place the inside and outside together somehow, in half of cases like these. It's like you're in the kitchen -but the inner world ends in this kitchen, and the outer world begins somewhere outside.

@Helen,

I find Houzz interesting for that too - a lot of people who remodel functional and still quite new kitchens because they are “dated”. I do think there is a population on Houzz that is more well off and thinks nothing of getting “just what I want” with costs a small or non-factor in that consideration, but I think a lot of people are of more average means who want what is “desirable” and there is some “keeping up with the Joneses” at play there, a race that only leads to losing all around of course. I think part of this is the new world of how our “world” is unlimited by borders or “who we know personally”. With the internet, HGTV, expectations of what is normal changed.

When I grew up no one really remodeled functional kitchens and baths. If one did they were the talk of the group for months! Everyone wondered what they were doing and how they could afford it (lol) but no one else was rushing out to do the same. Now it seems almost expected if someone moves into a new house - even a starter home - they will remodel it as the 1990 kitchen is “so dated” according to HGTV and the like. Without maybe knowing the couple on HGTV remodeled a house they bought for $250,000 in 1990 and is now worth $4,000,000 because of a HCOL boom and it makes more sense to stay then move and they aren’t worried about “recouping” cost of a $100,000 remodel kitchen at resale.

Of course I also did not grow up with people moving and such as much as they seem to now where they can “chase trends” a bit easier. The “starter” home is a bit strange to me (though I had one too though more by relationship changes and moving across country than choice) as growing up most I know bought one house and lived in it for several decades. Maybe until they went out feet first. They made the house work for them - it adapted and they adapted and they lived on. They did not buy a starter home, than a new home when they got pregnant, then another when their kids got bigger, then another when kids moved out, then another when grandkids started coming home, and so on. Not it seems more common for people to move every 3-10 years (not for me when I have choice, I hate moving and it’s expensive!). Usually they “upgrade” as they go too, even many “downsizes” are just upgrades in disguise.

I have a plain jane non-descript new build production home and went white with my kitchen, but I have had several white kitchens and knew I wanted white again before I ever looked at what was “currently in”. It was not for trend, or avoiding being dated, or anything else. I am unlikely to ever change my kitchen as long as I live in the house (unless it literally falls apart) since I picked all things I like even if they may not appeal to others. It’s not fancy, and there are no to the ceiling cabinets but that is what I wanted as I am not “fancy”. For me a kitchen is more a necessity to have “something” as I don’t cook a lot and when I do it is low prep sort of stuff. I don’t need a “working kitchen” or one to display my dishes or store seasonal serving ware. So yeah, my simple look kitchen won’t be getting oohs and aahs, but for me the simplicity is the appeal of it (and longevity of it).

I do see what is meant by some houses being pretty versatile though. My parents remodeled a 1991 honey oak kitchen in around 2010 but went IKEA with glossy slabs. It actually still fit the house as there was really no “defining” architectural detail except more of that honey oak (trim etc).

There is a challenge in remodeling very old houses with new kitchens though. In a lot of very old houses, at least where I am, the old kitchens were small (not suited for today’s larger appliances or the use today of kitchens as a “hub” and entertaining space). I see in many of the older houses here, those of 100+ years, how challenged homeowners are if they want to update their kitchens. Even if they keep materials similar to say wood trim of rest of home, something has to budge with newer appliances, newer cabinetry making methods, and so on so it will likely always look somewhat of of place. And a “modern white” kitchen would likely look really out of place and definitely not be keeping with the “bones”.

@palimpest I think strict modernism is very much a niche that is unlikely to ever be very mainstream, just my thoughts but I think many see it as cold. I know two people who it suits very well in its stricter form, but most I know who like modern prefer a “softer” modern.

Good point about location & how it effects style of the area. I was fortune to have lived outside the USA & seen some really cool decor & unusual things.

For example, in Switzerland, some of the bathtubs were smaller in length & had a seat in it. You could fully be submersed, but you couldn't lay straight out. I was really happy to get back to my comfortable, full length tub. A lot of things are bigger in the USA compared to Europe.

A lot of kitchens had stainless steel, industrial like countertops with a raised edge. Functionality, made clean up a breeze. You could spray water on the whole countertop & the water would drain to one area due to gravity & the way they leveled the top.

In Germany, The german take-everything-including-the-kitchen-sink, rather than having to live with the previous tenant`s taste as tends to be the case in Britain. I guess the advantage is that the space comes open, so the new homeowners are then free to fit the space with their tastes.

In Northern Brasi, tile floors throughout, granite everywhere was normal, probably because the land has a lot of that material available, the price was cheaper. Glass showers & glass doors very popular. The wash machines were outside. No dryers. Hanging out to dry was normal, even in the high end neighborhoods.

In Seattle Washington, beautiful forests thereforr, many gorgeous, wood homes everywhere. Cedar siding very popular & grows there.

So, yes location effects the classic in an area. The climate & local resources do, too.

Which, of course, is why the architects frequently go on about location, relating to the site, etc. That's not just how the house is positioned. But a house that is made of materials indigenous to the region (or reasonable facsimiles thereof) it will appear more "in place" than one that isn't For instance, up here in the Great White North, you don't see much adobe. It just looks out of place. Because it is.

This is also a great (although somewhat long) article on style trends and the Grandma Couch we all know and love...

Holly - there is an adobe look (but with stucco not actual adobe) house near where I live (also in Great White North) and it does look sooooo out of place even in middle of summer.

White is timeless. It has always been and will always be. Add some eye catching accents... be it good art, interesting tile or a splash of paint and you're all set. White always wins, IMHO.

There are basically only 3 types of cabinet doors. Shaker, slab, and raised panel. I don't think any of those are going away. There are only four types of finishes. Natural wood, stained, painted, and foil. What dates a kitchen are the other finishes and colors used. I think certain looks are more popular at certain times but if you stay with plain basics it shouldn't date that much. If you do a kitchen that you can't pinpoint what decade it was done in, you have a kitchen less likely to date.

Well, I guess that comment above brings us back to an earlier point: just because you can pinpoint the date a kitchen was built, why does that make it "dated?" If it's a classic, good, functional design, does the year of its build actually matter? "Dated" to me isn't about the decade that something was built, but about the faddish trimmings which were never good to start with (green appliances, purple cabinets etc) and that look out of place now.

@RaiKai - I think we grew up in the same neighborhood. My house was a standard house built in what was then the suburbs of Brooklyn in around circa 1919 :-) although my family didn't move in when it was new obviously :-)

The kitchens weren't remodeled as it still had what was truly a cupboard as the only storage. However, I am fairly certain that at some point the gas stove on legs would have been swapped for a Post World War II snappy model :-) and similarly the sink was probably swapped for one of those all in one metal kitchen sinks with a built in metal sideboard. Periodically my father would paint in whatever color my mother then preferred with the iconic wallpaper of the period to match - I remember my grandmother who lived downstairs had the ivy. Tiles were white subway ha ha but I don't think anyone called them subway tiles back then.

The original 1919 bath was remodeled sometime in the 1970's but I don't remember my mother agonizing over design choices ha ha. It was done in what was very straightforward yellow which would have been a trending design color back then. But the bathroom was remodeled for utilitarian purposes rather than aesthetic updating as I would imagine that the old bathroom really was worn out by that time. On the other hand, my parents were both public school teachers and retired with pretty amazing retirement portfolios :-)

Good quality and simple lines will last. It's when people try to "fancy" up a cabinet with arches etc, that things go south. All those golden oak cabinets were usually very poor quality - true "builder's grade" stuff, so the poor quality shows through. There are a LOT of white kitchens out there that are very low quality and they will look "tired" very soon. They will look worn and they will be due to low quality.

Audrey Hepburn's Givenchy clothes still look good as they were superbly made - fine workmanship, fine fabric, and had classic, simple lines. Look at the clothes Jackie Kennedy made famous - simple little sleeveless dresses and pearls. Are these today's hottest trends? Of course not, but then today's hottest trends can't really be worn by anyone over 16 or over 105 pounds. Unless one is a Kardashian with a butt eat size of Texas. All of this looks dated 5 minutes after it hits social media. But all that Givenchy does not.

The buying masses could care nothing about quality - they constantly want to be changing and wouldn't dream of wearing a 3 year old anything. They just want flash and glam. The same is true when buying a house. How many people does one have to see on HGTV who insist they "must have glam". And this is what home builders give them lots of "glam". And they're happy. They'll just move when they want the next great trend,

RaiKai : a lot of people who remodel functional and still quite new kitchens because they are “dated”. I do think there is a population on Houzz that is more well off and thinks nothing of getting “just what I want” with costs a small or non-factor in that consideration,

I'm pretty sure my mother would have said those people "have more money than sense." :-)

I think strict modernism is very much a niche that is unlikely to ever be very mainstream, just my thoughts but I think many see it as cold.

The super streamlined ultramodern Euro kitchens have all the charm and homey feeling of a conference room, as far as I'm concerned.