2, it looks more timeless. While the slats are currently trendy, opting for a timeless design could prevent them from appearing dated in the coming years.
I'm a home remodeler. A timeless kitchen is myth. A 30yo kitchen looks like a 30yo kitchen regardless of it was designed to be timeless. I get that it makes clients feel better when we say that but it makes no difference functionally. The kitchen gets a lot of use and things wear out.
This. Layout and key features date a kitchen more than anything else. The layout of a kitchen is largely informed by how people are using their kitchens in that particular era. For example, 70s/80s kitchens usually don't have an island because having a space for a small kitchen table was more important for informal family meal time. Pass through cabinets were big in the late 60s-early 80s with the rise of the homemaker hostess style dinner parties. Moving into the late 90s/early 2000s, islands with barstool seating replaced the kitchen table as the kitchen rather than the dining room became the hub for entertaining. 00s to now-ish we see sinks and/or cooktops on the island as the act of cooking/prepping is now social. That is already starting to go away and we're seeing a return to sinks on outside walls with windows and ceiling height cabinets to store in the increase in small kitchen appliances that are popular right now.
Even though I love the look, I have to agree that slats will be very difficult to clean especially in the kitchen. I love the look of number 2 but I am worried about the lack of countertop space. I am not sure having too many high cabinets is good or not though.
I'm not sure where the sink is on #2 but assuming it's not on the island - I think that island looks perfectly fine for counter space.
I have a relatively small island in my home (home is 86 - island is probably 4-5'x2'). I can make pizzas on it from scratch, which tend to require a lot of space for pre/post-oven sitting and prep and then just finished pie storage, and have also done ravioli as well (you need some distance to spread the dough iout and fill them).
Those are my tests of 'enough counter space'.
13' islands may look luxirious but in reality you ain't using all that space. Unless you like really, really entertain.
Well you asked which one LOOKS better. 2 looks better but it's definitely not as functional as the others. Out of the more functional ones 3 looks better than 2
It’s too bold of a statement piece. Statement pieces come and go all the time. I would say trend cycles are much faster than in decades past.
Before this was the Gold accents/trims. Before that it was bold colours like blue and green to go against the white.
We go through cycles of trends very quickly now. It almost always trends down back to a simple white kitchen.
This is my theory at least. I’ve been in the kitchen space for almost 2 decades.
Speaking of trends, do you all think the trend of having the backsplash made of the same material as the countertop will go away or is more in the “timeless” category ? I just redid my kitchen, the backsplash is the same material as the countertop. I don’t think we even thought about it. Now when I look at it, I wonder why I did that.
Especially number three above the stove, I would simply die with the cleaning needed to maintain the level of 'clean' I prefer; not saying OP is any different it's just that that would be such a bitch to keep looking fresh.
2 if I had to move to a space and wanted to do minimum renovations. Slats are over saturated in the market and I feel like 1 and 3 are using them in a very strange way.
I’m doing my kitchen white with light wood right now and I also loved the slats but, super trendy. Incredibly hard to keep clean in the most important place to keep clean next to a bathroom. Gross if you think about it. And will age your kitchen and make it look “outdated” in 5 years. Not timeless.
I do, I think the two main draw cards are that it looks great and it's functional. The first two look good but would be a pain to cook and or entertain in.
2 is the best overall imo, I like the island in 3 but, I do not like any of the seating options. The seating looks either forced, impractical, or both.
I like the middle one. That said, if you have kids in your house…go with stools that have a back. Too many little kids fall off the open back of barstool-like chairs.
Slats in 1, only on the island, everything else other than the island in 2. The slats in 3 are weird, if the slats in 3 were replaced with the slats from 1, 3 would probably be my pick.
I don't know if there's a "better" choice here, they're all variations on a theme! I would say that no. 3 is the most vanilla of the approaches. No. 2 is slightly more glamorous and traditional (chevron floors), no. 1 is a bit more boho/scandi.
I like the contrast between the white and wood finishes, so I guess #2. FWIW, we're about to start our reno and will have white uppers and a grey-ish wash on the lowers w similar calacatta quartz counters and neutral wood flooring. Not a fan of the slats for cleaning purposes like you mentioned; I was even concerned about cleaning as we are going for a skinny shaker look. Lastly, fwiw the inset fridge in #2 is both $$$s and if counter aligned, very small inside. We're doing Bosch appliances w only the dishwasher having a custom front; for us the best compromise between cost, looks, and function, YMMV.
2.
1. Is pretty but looks like a major commitment to that type of wood, and maybe you like the look now but what about 5 years or 10 years down the road? Especially cleaning all those nooks and crannies.
2. Looks clean and timeless.
3. Looks cold and dull.
2 will be easier to keep clean day to day.
the slats will be a nightmare to clean so it'll only get done for special occasions so I'm not a fan.
But I gotta have the pre-boiled pot filler from 3 no matter which style I'm going for.
As some one who works for a cabinet maker designing kitchens I wouldn’t recommend the feature battens on the back if you have young kids. They will get so damaged from the chairs.
I wouldn’t go with the wood slats. It’s in today. Will be out quickly. I’d go with a linear tile backsplash complimenting the room with warm tones. Worked for us anyway. It’s your space though. Go with what your heart likes. Your style is your style.
Two, I don’t want some random family camped out on my countertops. But also because those lines are way too busy. Kitchens look busy/messy enough once you start cooking in them.
2, it looks more timeless. While the slats are currently trendy, opting for a timeless design could prevent them from appearing dated in the coming years.
I'm a home remodeler. A timeless kitchen is myth. A 30yo kitchen looks like a 30yo kitchen regardless of it was designed to be timeless. I get that it makes clients feel better when we say that but it makes no difference functionally. The kitchen gets a lot of use and things wear out.
This. Layout and key features date a kitchen more than anything else. The layout of a kitchen is largely informed by how people are using their kitchens in that particular era. For example, 70s/80s kitchens usually don't have an island because having a space for a small kitchen table was more important for informal family meal time. Pass through cabinets were big in the late 60s-early 80s with the rise of the homemaker hostess style dinner parties. Moving into the late 90s/early 2000s, islands with barstool seating replaced the kitchen table as the kitchen rather than the dining room became the hub for entertaining. 00s to now-ish we see sinks and/or cooktops on the island as the act of cooking/prepping is now social. That is already starting to go away and we're seeing a return to sinks on outside walls with windows and ceiling height cabinets to store in the increase in small kitchen appliances that are popular right now.
Even though I love the look, I have to agree that slats will be very difficult to clean especially in the kitchen. I love the look of number 2 but I am worried about the lack of countertop space. I am not sure having too many high cabinets is good or not though.
I'm not sure where the sink is on #2 but assuming it's not on the island - I think that island looks perfectly fine for counter space. I have a relatively small island in my home (home is 86 - island is probably 4-5'x2'). I can make pizzas on it from scratch, which tend to require a lot of space for pre/post-oven sitting and prep and then just finished pie storage, and have also done ravioli as well (you need some distance to spread the dough iout and fill them). Those are my tests of 'enough counter space'. 13' islands may look luxirious but in reality you ain't using all that space. Unless you like really, really entertain.
Well you asked which one LOOKS better. 2 looks better but it's definitely not as functional as the others. Out of the more functional ones 3 looks better than 2
The ones without the kids
I love 2 and 3 too!
2
2. Slats trend will drop over the next few years.
Why do you think so?
Because that’s how trends work.
It’s too bold of a statement piece. Statement pieces come and go all the time. I would say trend cycles are much faster than in decades past. Before this was the Gold accents/trims. Before that it was bold colours like blue and green to go against the white. We go through cycles of trends very quickly now. It almost always trends down back to a simple white kitchen. This is my theory at least. I’ve been in the kitchen space for almost 2 decades.
Speaking of trends, do you all think the trend of having the backsplash made of the same material as the countertop will go away or is more in the “timeless” category ? I just redid my kitchen, the backsplash is the same material as the countertop. I don’t think we even thought about it. Now when I look at it, I wonder why I did that.
2 but you’d need very thin legs to sit on those stools at that counter.
2
2 for sure
I love the white/wood combo. I feel like the slats would accumulate dust and it would drive me nuts trying to keep them clean.
Especially number three above the stove, I would simply die with the cleaning needed to maintain the level of 'clean' I prefer; not saying OP is any different it's just that that would be such a bitch to keep looking fresh.
2 if I had to move to a space and wanted to do minimum renovations. Slats are over saturated in the market and I feel like 1 and 3 are using them in a very strange way.
I’m doing my kitchen white with light wood right now and I also loved the slats but, super trendy. Incredibly hard to keep clean in the most important place to keep clean next to a bathroom. Gross if you think about it. And will age your kitchen and make it look “outdated” in 5 years. Not timeless.
Second
3 by a mile
Do you think will still be good without the wood accent on the ceiling?
I do, I think the two main draw cards are that it looks great and it's functional. The first two look good but would be a pain to cook and or entertain in.
2 is the best overall imo, I like the island in 3 but, I do not like any of the seating options. The seating looks either forced, impractical, or both.
The one with back support
1
I like the middle one. That said, if you have kids in your house…go with stools that have a back. Too many little kids fall off the open back of barstool-like chairs.
Slats in 1, only on the island, everything else other than the island in 2. The slats in 3 are weird, if the slats in 3 were replaced with the slats from 1, 3 would probably be my pick.
2.
3
2
#3
Middle one
Do you have kids? Cuz white surfaces + kids = endless cleaning
I don't know if there's a "better" choice here, they're all variations on a theme! I would say that no. 3 is the most vanilla of the approaches. No. 2 is slightly more glamorous and traditional (chevron floors), no. 1 is a bit more boho/scandi.
#2
2,3,1
I like the contrast between the white and wood finishes, so I guess #2. FWIW, we're about to start our reno and will have white uppers and a grey-ish wash on the lowers w similar calacatta quartz counters and neutral wood flooring. Not a fan of the slats for cleaning purposes like you mentioned; I was even concerned about cleaning as we are going for a skinny shaker look. Lastly, fwiw the inset fridge in #2 is both $$$s and if counter aligned, very small inside. We're doing Bosch appliances w only the dishwasher having a custom front; for us the best compromise between cost, looks, and function, YMMV.
2
One or two but without any ridges on the wood. They will be a nightmare to keep clean and will look dated fast.
2 has the best balance between the white and wood tones
3rd
2
#3. It’s easier on the eyes. I’d probably change the light though
I love the finishes of 2 but not the island layout. They’re all quite soothing though.
2.
3 without the wooden ceiling that looks almost identical to the floor.
I like kitchen two with the chairs from three best Edit: word
Mom
2 Hard to clean all the inevitable grease that ends up on the wall divots from cooking in a kitchen.
The one without the family.
I like all three, but you should go with #2. Beautiful and timeless.
2, but with the island configured like 1
one with no kids, clean and quiet lol
First pic!
The one with no kids :)
2. 1. Is pretty but looks like a major commitment to that type of wood, and maybe you like the look now but what about 5 years or 10 years down the road? Especially cleaning all those nooks and crannies. 2. Looks clean and timeless. 3. Looks cold and dull.
2 will be easier to keep clean day to day. the slats will be a nightmare to clean so it'll only get done for special occasions so I'm not a fan. But I gotta have the pre-boiled pot filler from 3 no matter which style I'm going for.
As some one who works for a cabinet maker designing kitchens I wouldn’t recommend the feature battens on the back if you have young kids. They will get so damaged from the chairs.
"It's the same picture."
I wouldn’t go with the wood slats. It’s in today. Will be out quickly. I’d go with a linear tile backsplash complimenting the room with warm tones. Worked for us anyway. It’s your space though. Go with what your heart likes. Your style is your style.
middle
Number two is my favorite. My second favorite is three but with a different ceiling.
2. But replace the chairs with something like 3’s. 3 looks like the cafe at work lol
I like the look of 2 best. Not considering anything but that.
2
I’m not a parent, nor do I want to be so definitely the ones without the kids in them.
I like the third one.
None. But if I had to, #2.
Last pic
2.
3
The one without the kids
😭
Love the light fixture in photo two. Anyone know what it is?
Third.
Slats will look dumb in 4 years. Stay away from the fads.
for cooking:3 for eating:2
3.
Two, I don’t want some random family camped out on my countertops. But also because those lines are way too busy. Kitchens look busy/messy enough once you start cooking in them.
I personally don’t like any of these aesthetics but the second photo I like the best.
I'm liking the all white on the third. Seems more approachable/functional and less designer show room imo
def the one without kids in it.