What style of Kitchen is going to age well

[WhatWouldHopperDo]

We are in a (rare for us) position to be able to rip out our kitchen and start from scratch. We can change the layout and style to (almost) anything. We have a large kitchen but I am fairly shit at picturing what something will look like.

What styles of kitchen have you got/seen that won’t look out of date in 5 years?

Also any recommendations for who to go to for a really good design/layout. Is a local independent better than someone like Wren or similar?

Marble will date, it’s already starting to look really tacky and overdone. Shaker style doors will stand the test of time.

I have shaker doors - I didn't choose them, the kitchen was here when I moved in. I don't like them, they collect dirt and grease and are hard to clean.
The kitchen is cream and would not recommend it as it is open plan with the dining room so ideally needs cream walls and everything else to tone with cream and I'm not keen on that.
I would choose matt white or a light dove grey. Lots of people still have grey and it's easier to match everything else with it than cream. I don't care if it's old fashioned. I think lots of people are still choosing it and I like it.

White, matt and natural materials and not difficult to clean.
I also think looking at the proprotions and era of your house helps a bit.

No. Picture taken from the dinning room which has bifold doors full width of external wall. To the right of the picture you can go straight through to the living room and then again through to a study / grd floor bed with en-suite.

Not an extension all part of original property with a floor above.
Depth 3.3m approx from the end of the bank of kitchen cupboards. So lots of light at the moment esp as south facing which is lucky.

thanks for your comments !!

This looks fine if you're selling the house. Kitchen fashions seem to change really quickly, so it's not worth changing anything now. The one thing I'd do is replace the kitchen light to make the kitchen brighter. And put some plants or a picture up on the far wall to soften the look.

Is the wall with the hob a party wall then? It just looks a bit strange not having a window in the actual room I think.

Agree
Definately need to dress it up, it’s not finished yet.

I told my dh about that horrible light. I will show him your message now. Thanks for the support.

I agree with a pp, flat Matt shaker kitchens are timeless, been a popular choice for years.

Avoid dark colours as they are likely to age fast, I also recommend avoiding white worktops as they stain

I think a shaker kitchen real wood doors if you can afford it. They have been in fashion for all of my adult life, first as a plain wood, then in creams, then greys and now Navy, dark green or pink. All the same style just new paint, new handles and maybe a change of worktop /tile.

Although maybe the fact they have been in for so long means they will go out of style soon.

I think shaker kitchens always look very dated (very 90s). They are also a pain to clean. I would go flat wood that you can repaint. Marble tops are also dated, go for something plain or wood.

No
it’s the end wall to the house Not a party wall. There are these weird round windows in it. One either side of the hob. Our neighbours had the same, guessing the developer in the 1950s likes portholes or was an ex sailor 🤣

Any kitchen free of clutter will age well IMHO.

Think I might start a thread as I don’t want to hijack OPs.
Then hopefully MNs can give me some thoughts on softening the look.
Ive done this look before and it’s worked but I’m starting to worry now.

Ooh that sounds cool. I think you could go for Japanese inspired styling with that which could work with the modern units?

I’ll have to Google that as I’m Not sure what it means.
Thanks!!!!

Just looked @GeraltsBathtub i think you’ve hit the nail on the head there!!!!
wow
what a fantastic look.

Natural materials. Painted real wood shaker kitchen - this can be repainted to colour of choosing again in future. Stone or real wood floors not plastic alternatives. Wooden or quartz etc worktops. Solid and real materials. Shaker kitchens stand the test of time. Quality simple handles - think armac Martin or Devol or Yesterhome for cheaper but good - heritage brass or silver tones. Not black. Despite some people dismissing brass as a trend it really isn’t - go in to kitchens in NT properties and grand historic homes and brass taps etc still look amazing from a century or more ago.

I'm really surprised to see the love for Shaker kitchens here. To me they make me think of 1980s houses. @WhatWouldHopperDo I think the trend is towards sleek kitchens with units that look more like pieces of furniture and very little handles if any.

White maple shaker with brushed steel handles and black granite worktops (think they’re galaxy) as have a bit of sparkle in them that reflects the steel. Brushed stainless tap and black and brushed steel ovens. Everything else hidden behind doors. Plenty of cupboard space and nothing on worktops!

Thanks all for your thoughts and suggestions.

We are really unlikely to be moving. Ever. So I do agree with a PP who said we should get something we love. I also hadn’t thought about how easy something would be to clean and that will definitely influence our decision!!!

Noted re quality/real wood.

This ^

Imho painted shaker kitchens - particularly inframe - are a classic, traditional style and won't date. Paired with either solid wood or marble/quartz worktops and handles in either solid brass/pewter or similar.

Our current kitchen (from Handmade Kitchens of Christchurch) was purchased in 2015, although we didn't fit it at the house we'd bought it for, instead taking it with us to this house where we fitted it in 2018. It is painted (currently F&B Oval Room Blue, but can be redone easily if/when we want a change) and has iroko/teak worktops. We have a mix of solid pewter handles and knobs in a traditional style. Flooring is wood painted with Little Greene Lamp Black floor paint. Because it's a traditional style it transcends current trends and suits an older property such as our 400 year old house.

Our first (cream) shaker style kitchen was fitted in 1997 in a Victorian house and we've subsequently fitted the same style in Tudor (2008, duck egg) and Georgian (2012, cream again) houses. From feedback when we sold, the kitchen was a big positive for our buyers and AFAIK, all are still in situ several years on.

We went for neutral colours and fairly classic styles on all the expensive stuff - ie the fitted kitchen itself, the flooring and the tiling. So that we wouldn't get bored with it and also it would hopefully be acceptable to a future buyer. Then went with the fashionable colours for wall paint and accessories., as they're easy to update.

Also we avoided anything hard to clean, or that needed any looking after (like wooden worktops) as we knew we wouldn't look after it...

I think this also depends on the type of property what works in smart city home is very different to country property.
I think we are going with solid wood painted in darker colour, but we can repaint and it is a massive room flooded with light. Also this is our forever home so I probably don't need to worry about selling. That's my DD's problem.