The 14 things making you kitchen look cheap and tacky – ESPECIALLY where you keep your wine – according to top design experts

The kitchen is often the heart of the home: a space for cooking, eating, relaxing, working and chatting.

But precisely because of its multifunctional role, it is easy to put the kitsch in the kitchen, turning the entire space into a room that is, to put it once, quite tasteless.

From hanging kitchenware to flashy gadgets and that one household item you should never see, we spoke to interior designers and home experts to identify the 14 signs your kitchen is tacky.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT ABOVE THE DOOR

It should be pretty obvious that a kitchen is, well, a kitchen (the oven, stovetop or dishwasher is usually a giveaway). Why would you hang a sign ‘Kitchen’ on the door? Even worse if it’s an attempt at humor: ‘The only thing stirring in the kitchen are problems!’; ‘More espresso, less depression’; “Let’s get ready to crumble.” Room signs are just garish and unnecessary.

OTHER ‘HILARIOUS’ NEWS

The list of style offenders is endless. ‘funny’ fridge magnets, tea towels decorated with cheeky slogans, aprons with faux bras and underpants, crazy gadgets such as rubber egg poachers or ice cube trays in the shape of Nigel Farage’s face. Such novelties all scream sticky, sticky, sticky. They have to go.

THE KITCHEN THEME PARK

So you like the tranquility of a rustic landscape or the peace and colors of a nautical view. But over-the-top themes in the kitchen — whether it’s a sea of ​​cheerful sailor blue designs or a forest of faux ferns and pine — is guaranteed to be a fast lane to cross.

“If kitchens in particular rely too heavily on one theme, it can become overwhelming,” says interior design expert Liv Conlon, owner of home staging company The Property Stagers. To make it even more fun, choose subtle, elegant accents that reference the theme without going overboard, such as a few well-placed textures or colors that complement the rest of the room.

WINE FRIDGE

Another pitfall is the way you store your wine. The really smart set will have a cellar to keep their collection of vintage vino at the perfect temperature. But in the absence of such luxuries, the temptation may be great to install a wine refrigerator in your kitchen. Don’t. It’s the epitome of tackiness. The same goes for wine racks. Instead, store your bottles in a pantry, under the stairs or in a special kitchen cupboard that is cool and dark, and place any bottles of white in the family refrigerator a few hours before you plan to open them.

HANGING STEEL TOOLS

The need for space-saving efficiency in the kitchen can lead to the temptation to hang kitchen utensils on the wall. Sure, it can be useful to have a nice row of stainless steel slotted spoons and ladles hanging in a row. But sorry, there’s nothing stylish about displaying servers (especially if they’re not made of wood).

The same goes for jugs and cups. If you want your kitchen to look less tacky, keep as much of it out of sight as possible. The same goes for baking. The sight of a bulging liner cradling last night’s curry supper and protruding from the lid of a pedal bin is off limits.

WASHING MACHINES

Television presenter Kirstie Allsopp thinks it is unsanitary to have a washing machine in the kitchen. Regardless of whether that’s the case, it’s certainly tacky to show one. Is there anything more likely to break the charm of your kitchen than a machine that’s spinning at the end?

Such appliances should have their own nesting place in a utility room – which should be complete with orderly shelves holding an interesting selection of jasmine-scented fabric softener and organic soap flakes.

TV DINNER

While you might enjoy giving half an ear to something lively starring Ant and Dec while you peel carrots, TVs have no aesthetic appeal – especially in the kitchen. For a really stylish distraction, place a small radio in a corner (preferably a vintage Roberts) and tune it to The Archers.

KICK-KNACKS AND SOUVENIRS

You love the statue of the Greek goddess that you bought at a market in Crete. And those Liverpool Garden Festival decorative plates you bought in 1984? They have a prominent place on your windowsill. Unfortunately, a kitchen can quickly look tacky if it’s overloaded with clutter and mismatched decor, says Looeeze Grossman, founder and CEO of The Used Kitchen Company.

She says: ‘Overcrowded countertops and shelves with trinkets or random accessories can make the room feel chaotic and unrefined. Instead of filling open shelves with a jumble of bowls, vases and plates from different places, choose a statement piece, such as a statement vase or a beautiful bowl, to make a statement. This minimalist approach allows each item to shine and creates a more polished, cohesive look.”

BAD LIGHTING

Lighting can literally illuminate a stylish kitchen or expose the room to all its ostentatious flaws.

‘For example, choosing a single fluorescent ceiling light and standard subway tiles can make an expensive kitchen look cheap and tacky. This includes white plastic such as sockets, handles and lighting fixtures,” says Penelope Jacobs of MyJobQuote.co.uk, Britain’s leading trade matching site.

Swap old fixtures for trendy pendant lights or LED lighting to brighten up the space and give it a sleek, updated look without a huge investment, suggests Liv Conlon.

BAR STOOLS

Smart kitchens have no place for bar stools, which are an unfortunate hangover from the popularity of the lounge home bar. And with about as much style. The kitchen is not a meeting place for thirsty gamblers. The only place they look good is in the neighborhood.

FEATURES WALLS

Painting one wall in a striking contrasting color may sound stylish, as can using a stray or unusual piece of wallpaper to make just one wall stand out, but feature walls – also called ‘accent walls’ – consistently feature many ‘most hated interior features’. Surveys conducted over the past ten years. Adding a feature wall will only give you a less streamlined or relaxing look.

GOOD GADGETS

Clutter on the worktop never looks good. And if that clutter is dominated by cheap, tacky kettles, toasters and other accessories, your kitchen will unfortunately look a bit tacky, says Penelope Jacobs.

“Try moving toasters and microwaves to the utility room or into a special cupboard so they are out of sight,” she says.

Nicolle Whyte, design director of kitchen furniture store Olive and Barr, agrees, saying: ‘To keep your kitchen looking stylish and thoughtful, it’s best to avoid excessive accessories. Consider a curated display of your most beloved tableware and art that complements your kitchen design through color and texture.”

LINO AND LACE

Once considered a luxury flooring option, linoleum is now something people actively avoid when buying homes. Tear it up and bring it to the point, along with any ruffled lace curtains hanging from the kitchen window. Lace is difficult to clean, never looks good and, like lino, dates your kitchen for all the wrong reasons.

REVOLVING DOORS

It’s a kitchen, not a lounge in the Wild West. Enough said.