The Best And Worst Kitchen Trends Of 2021 

Garrett has such a rare gift in design-- common sense.

I love how you focus on function. The amount of times I’ve had friends recommend me an Instagram design tip that has me scratching my head and think ‘ok but how does that work if somebody lives there’s?’

Speaking of "floating" marbles, I am reminded of a project that someone I know worked on. The owner wanted lobby of the building covered in marble, floor and walls. Instead of going through the builders to source the marble, the owner decided to do the sourcing himself because he "knows a guy." Well he sources the wrong type of marble. The back hadn't been treated for the grout (or whatever) to adhere to, as in, both sides of the marble were polished smooth. Also it was REALLY thick and heavy. They were told to "just do it." The slabs didn't set in and they came back to fallen marbles the next day. So, anyways, your fears of marbles falling on your are not completely unwarranted.

I didn't even know about the mirror trend in kitchens🤔. It's like eating Tide pods or glue, you shouldn't need to be told NOT to. Thank you for another great video.

I wish drying cupboards became a trend. They have them in norway I think like every home. Use a cup, wash it then stick it in the drying cupboard, keeps your kitchen neat.

When I was a youngster, I worked in a steak house that had a huge salad bar. There were mirrors on the back of the bar. (at least 10 2x4 ft panels) Cleaning the splatters off those mirrors every freaking night after closing was a nightmare! I do a lot of cooking at home, and cleanup after a meal is more than enough work for me. I had no idea anyone would want to put mirrors in their kitchen. No way!

"I'm an Instagram designer but don't really know anything about design." Shots fired and I'm lovin it 🤣🤣🤣

Oh Garrett, I hope you don't mind me saying, but you're really coming into your own. During this video you radiated confidence, knowledge, and charm. As a viewer, I felt the connection, and totally agree with everything you said. Design is everything to us Design Lovers, but we can never forget function. What's the point in being in a space that is beautiful, but unusable. Kudos 👍

Can we talk about people being so insistent on having an island even if their space really can't accommodate it? They either cram them in a space and reduce the overall function and flow of the kitchen, or make a tiny one or two cabinet island that ends up looking like misplaced base cabinets. I was a kitchen designer, and sometimes there were no amount of explanations, drawings, or measurements that could convince someone their space was too small for their vision. If I got a bonus every time someone regretted it after the fact...

I am not into the open shelving, I prefer more storage

"He was crushed by quartz" I'm dying!!

I generally am not really wild about the ridiculousness that most decorators come up with. And I’ve seen way too many rooms that photograph well, but don’t make sense otherwise, aren’t functional, aren’t comfortable, aren’t inviting. But, this guy makes sense and I love how he says “if you’ve got to have it, I want you to have it, but it’s not for me.” Kinda’ like…ok, you were told, but whatever.

I often ask myself "who is doing this to their home?" when I hear about trends. I don't do trends.

"Where is your stuff?"..... How true! Why even have a kitchen ? You need "stuff" if you want cook for goodness sake ! Luv this ! You nailed all of my pet peeves in kitchens !

Finally, a common sense approach to decor: elevation of function over form, while still elevating form.

I so agree with having upper cabinetry that goes (or looks as if it goes) right up to the ceiling. It instantly makes the kitchen look more high end. Loved Albert's cameo appearance! "...crushed by quartz? I don't think so." OMG I nearly choked on my coffee and had to pause the video to recover! 😂😂😂

This is the first time RU-vid has recommended a video to me that I was thankful for. I'm instantly in love.

Couldn't agree more about the trend of getting rid of the upper cabinets! I have a very small kitchen and need every bit of storage I have available to be functional- I cannot imagine removing the storage for some shelves that can really only display aesthetic-looking items. Its so trendy at the moment that I worry the next time we move we won't find a kitchen with any upper cabinets.. lol. Loved this video!

I have a larder in an awkward corner of my kitchen. Really it’s a functional thing as it’s where our toaster, kettle and coffee grinder live. When they’re not in use, they’re tucked behind a cabinet door. It’s visually more appealing. Also, thank you for looking at design as functional and long term. So many people don’t and it’s completely impractical for the vast majority of homeowners. ❤️

I'm looking forward to the end of using grey on walls, cabinets, flooring, etc. It's institutional IMO. I really hate the use of grey flooring, it's limiting as far as decorating goes and is going to look dated within a few more years. Let's face it, flooring is not inexpensive to change. Use wood stains that are actually found in nature!. Whenever I see pics of rooms done in shades of grey, they almost appear to be black and white photos.

Mirror in kitchens is insanity for anyone who actually uses their kitchen. Yikes!

Re: marble. Watch over installers carefully to make sure that no “images” appear! The Court of Appeals had to rip down yards of marble because it formed a “gynecological” image behind the judge! I’ve heard of other mishaps.

The open shelf thing and no upper cabinets. Meh…. It’ll be dirty and you’re effectively reducing your kitchen storage by half and replacing it with display space for only attractive things and not much of those or it’ll look cluttered. This too shall pass. Your advice is excellent on all points.

Looking at these trends it's obvious that we have kitchens all figured out. So wealthy people have to go far out of their way to stand out in a sea of standard IKEA kitchens which look good and function well. And this leads to the overuse of expensive materials (marble) and glass shelves.

I need some open shelves in the kitchen because I don’t want to open and close cabinet doors to take plates and other frequently used items in and out of the cupboard. Open shelves are ideal for small condo kitchens. I think they look cheap in big kitchens.

omg i LOVE you! instant connection. and girl i feel you on glass in the kitchen. so much that i will go ahead and seal my doom by saying that kitchens are also horrible places to keep appliances finished in stainless steel. "stainless"? ha! it collects more fingerprints than a police blotter.

I bought a condo in 2013 that had mirrored upper cabinets and a mirrored fridge. I have to say, it really wasn’t bad to clean. IMO, mirrors/glass are much easier surfaces to wipe down than stainless steel/wood/painted cabinets. It also forced me to be more diligent on wiping those things down, so I think it helped avoid some of that gross caked on grease you see on a lot of cabinets.

My god, you're adorable! You're swiftly becoming one of my favorite channels because you're so upbeat, relatable, and informative. The only thing is you move so fast, it's hard to absorb it all. But that's okay. I just rewind. Keep up the great content. Love it and love you!

I don't like open shelves primarily because I don't want to be concerned about dusting, or degreasing, but also I don't have enough nice stuff to display! 😂 I don't think anyone wants to see my collection of shot glasses on dsiplay!

Love your advise in decorations! Love that you're knowledgeable on all the different decor styles, and that you don't "push" for only your personal style. Great job!

When I saw Erté behind you, I knew you were a designer after my own heart! I actually have The Duel, among other pieces. Love your ideas and trend breakdowns!

The trend I see where I live is. Wall ovens under a cook top. This drives me crazy. If you don't have the wall space to install a wall oven at counter height. Just buy a range and save yourself $3000. The purpose of a wall oven is to save your back from bending over.

Love these tips. We closed on our home on Friday. We will have a small kitchen that has been opened up by taking a wall down & having an island with under cabinet storage. The previous owners actually took a corner wall down & opened the space up so you now see into the kitchen from the main living area. I believe they had quartz countertops wrapped on the island top & kitchen couter tops. We do have some upper cabinets in the kitchen. Eventually we will remodel the whole kitchen but not now. I LOVE the idea of using the top part of a hutch on the counter. Something to think about.

The Whole segment…”crushed by marble…”. LOL🤣

I love open shelves but they can be a pain to clean. What we did in our last kitchen was to use open shelves in the corner of our L shaped kitchen. This allowed us to put a few decorative items up, break up the cabinetry so the kitchen felt more airy, and gave us something more functional than corner cabinets which tend to swallow up whatever is put inside.

100% spot on about the texture in the kitchen. My kitchen has a sink below hanging open shelves facing the living room, no backsplash, if I turn the water on a little to much it goes shooting into the living room. Can't wait to fix it.

You are the best design advisor. You're just brilliant.

I look for ways to cut down on unnecessary work. Marble, open shelves, and mirrors in a kitchen create work.

You are so correct! My sister decided to remodel her kitchen, and I kept telling her not to use textured tile as her backsplash. So glad she listened. Cleaning greased up backsplash tiles are no bueno!

Love, love your videos! Classy and practical never goes out of style. 👍👍👍

This channel is form and function. Can we all just agree that GarrettLeChic is the MOST!!!

I completely agree with you on each of your points. I think the problem with most of these trends is that they are focused more on aesthetics than practicality, which is pretty sad. I wanna live in a home, not a showroom.

In Spain, the old houses have big ventahoods made of wood and brick covered with plaster (not quartz) They have a natural updraught.

Real life is messy, and kitchens are the messiest. Thanks for keeping it real, Garrett!

Hahahaha, "WHO IS DOING THIS TO THEIR HOME??" Love it! You are the BEST.

Omgosh..Albert! ❤️🐶 I’m in love.

Garrett..you are just the best. Such a joy to watch you. I love how you sneak your babies into your videos...too cute!

Omg! Thank you for calling out the texture in the kitchen! It is such a pet peeve of mine

We have four full grown German Shepherd‘s. I do keep clean house, but have opted for a darker base cabinets. I’m incested by dirt on my base cabinets from the dogs. This trend works very well for me!

I enjoyed the marble discussion…too funny!

Yes! Finely someone else mentions that upper cabinets should go to the ceiling. Thank you.

As someone that lived half her life in a house full of marble, let me tell you.... marble gets old really fast. Not the trend, but the marble itself. It just goes opaque. In the kitchen, it's boring to clean.

I asked the man at the consignment shop about an antique marble table. "All marble is antique," he told me with a straight face. I get it. But still. So every time Garrett says old marble, I can't help but remember that. Also, love that common sense approach to design. 👍👍

OMG Garrett, "crushed by quartz!" Babe, you clowninnnn! Too funny

I love your tips and recommendations, just because it looks nice it doesn’t mean it’s practical 👏👏👏👏

Love it! As a professional cleaner and home owner I totally get things need to be functional not just in terms of looks/space/storage but cleaning! I have so many clients that have said they hire us because they realize how much time and physical effort it takes just to maintain their home! A huge kitchen 3 bathrooms and 5 bedrooms. No thanks for me, but I'm happy to clean yours haha 😆

I’m in the planning process of designing my dream kitchen and this video really gave me tons to think about, I’m all about classic design for a kitchen, I just don’t have the money for trends. Everyone keeps telling me subway tile is so out but for me my classic white subway tile backsplash will be something I love looking at 10 years from now. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Tbh, marble counter tops are very rare here in good old Germany. I have never seen it in any place, neither have I seen it in France. Maybe in superfancy homes, but I didn't know any rich people except for our managers at work.^^ And at least one of them just had a simple Ikea kitchen in their big house with a wooden counter top. As I still am renovating my kitchen (oh, the disasters we had so far, I was on the verge of tears = never ever underestimate renovating an old house), I also checked out stone benches. Honestly, it is not affordable, except if you can splurge 10k on just the work benches here. Quartz isn't much cheaper and if it is, it doesn't look nice. I went ahead and bought a marble board for chocolate work, that's enough. In the end I went with a wood top and a white kitchen. Yeah, I know, but Europe is simply very different to the US when it comes to kitchen cabinets especially regarding colour and I don't think I could paint it nicely enough to have a navy blue or sage green kitchen. And my biggest crime: I did not go with ceiling high cabinets. They are 2,60m and I am 1,54m. I just felt it doesn't make sense, plus the ceiling edges are curved.

Love your analysis. I also adore your little dog.

It’s a larder! I live in UK now. But when I lived in US (Atlanta) my granny called my pantry a larder. I didn’t hear that again until I moved to London! Maybe it’s an older reference? But I love a larder💯

Thank you for calling out the bold marble. Its too much and should be used sparingly.

I'm so glad I found your channel! Ironically my partner and I were just talking about how our current kitchen is too small for countertop appliances, but we'll probably never be able to afford a house with a Butler pantry.... the countertop cabinets/hutch top is a PERFECT resolution!! (ie, the one at 7:54)... Keeps those frequently used appliances accessible and usable, but keeps the space so clean.... I'm mind blown. Thank you for that!

I agree with all your points, but im surprised you didnt mention the trend of tiling kitchen walls. Like a feature backsplash...tile up the walls is a commitment for many years, and will look dated, when the trend or owner wants to change the look. I may be simply a commitment phobe...but as you say...I just don"t get it. :)

“Its not for you, its not for me, its not for anyone” 😂 hahaha i love it!

Open shelves are great ONLY if you are gonna keep cohesive wares kept NEAT or else it turns out to look like clutter!

Wow thank you for your videos... my husband and i just saw your videos and agree with so much of what you have to say! We have a custom cabinetry business! You are spot on! Form and function!

I like the new trend of wooden kitchen cabinets - a washed-out, neutral wood tone (not the orangey oak tone). This is a nice natural, non-gray, non-white, option that looks really cool and long-lasting.

Thank you so much for sharing your insight!! I’ve been so overwhelmed by magazines, recent trends, and of course, friends likes and don’t like. I now know what NOT to do, before I start redoing my kitchen!

Garrett! So much truth telling in this video! 👏👏👏 I think it’s your best video yet. Your voice is both needed and appreciated. Also, my French Art Deco book arrived yesterday. Squee!

As usual, your remarks are spot on. Especially about the mirrors. One of those trends that you love for about five minutes...

I had a mirrored backsplash in my kitchen and loved it.

You give the best decorating advice. Thanks 😊

Informative, down to earth yet cute video, thank you! I laughed when I heard your comment about an army of house keepers!

It took me 8 months to plan my kitchen because of the very small space we have; and I wanted to be very functional and have everything I need. When finally it was built, it felt as if it was always there; it didn't feel as a strange body in the place ... This despite the fact that we have changed the location of the kitchen. Then I knew, we did the right thing ... plenty of storage space to the ceiling, all appliances and very functional ... easy to clean, enough space ... ...

You are not kidding about being careful with that bold marble. It can be overwhelming and dates a place very, very quickly. Personally, I LOVE marble but would avoid the “colorful” marble at all costs. And putting up as a back splash would not be good. It is not like paint where you can paint over it again in a new color. I suppose you could try to put tile over it but why spend the money on it in the first place

Agree whole-heartedly with hating those garish backsplashes. Dumbest backsplash I ever saw was a blackboard. Try cleaning a spot of grease off THAT.

If I get crushed by a slab of marble, I hope they use that slab for my headstone.

So good to hear some common scenes, especially in regards to the kitchen. Killed by quart - LMAO!!

You ask the same questions as me! 1) where’s the stuff? 2) is it easy to keep clean? As, like me, you have dogs open shelves in the kitchen is a no, no - eh fur gets everywhere - I don’t understand how it defies gravity but it does.

Love LOVE LOVE the timestamps!! great content! keep it up :)

Finally, someone who understands that cabinets can go all the way to the ceiling and who understands that shelving should not just be thrown up haphazardly. There is method to all of this

The cute doggie was the best part 💛

Timeless, timeless, timeless

I don’t have room for a hutch on my counter but I did a white bathroom cabinet that has double glass doors and a shelf at the bottom for a coffee station. It totally works. You can style the top of it…

Kitchen trends for high ceilings or help for those with high ceilings

Man, agree on about 90% of this video. And, top worst for me is the open kitchen shelves, (though the bold marble comes close to the top). To me, shelves filled with stuff in a kitchen (even artfully displayed) looks like a shopping experience at a store rather than a functioning kitchen.

Hahahaha! I love that you outed "no mirrors in the kitchen!" No way! What a mess to clean.

Excellent info. I love the idea of repurposing upper china cabinets in the kitchen

Good point about aligning shelf height with lower edge of cabinets or hood. I would never have thought of that.

Omg…. Crushed by the marble vent hood! How dreadful but too funny.

Oh! i didnt even know big-pattern marble was a trend! I ordered my BIG marble a year ago, and am waiting for the Amish guys to finish building my cabinets. But I am not putting it everywhere, just countertops. No wrapping. Mine is a rough finish, and is a typical white/grey color. I LOVE the movement in my marble slab. Also, this marble is in my condo where I will do very little cooking. My main house will have a countertop more practical.

🤣🤣 ❤️ just remodeled mine and didn’t do any of these trends.

I agree with you on all ur points on a practical and yet appealing kitchen. Thx 💐

I love watching your videos. You explain how very impractical so many trends are. I imagine how much money you have saved people by pointing these bad trends out. You are so knowledgeable about design. I just watched one of your other videos and asked you about whether or not I should paint my kitchen two toned. Guess I just got my answer! I just had to add another thing I love about your videos. You give us ideas that are affordable. You don’t suggest things that are crazy expensive.

Thank you for commenting on textured backsplashes. Currently renovating my kitchen and in the process of selecting one. Decided on a classic artisan subway tile which is glazed making it easy to clean.

Form should always follow function. Accessorise on trend, design for function. Thanks for another great vid!

I left a traditional home for a modern industrial home and the kitchen is stunning but the shiny surfaces are killing me!😳 no mirror thank God for that! So much great advice 👏

Loved this video . I have to agree with you on most of it. Trends come and go and some of the trends just don’t make functional or visual sense at all . I rented a beautiful a condo in Miami with ocean views and the floors and kitchen were all beautiful white marble . It was beautiful to the eye but an utter nightmare!!! Boy I am glad we rented this while we were looking to buy a another property. No marble floors or counter tops . Thanks Garrett. Another great video .

If you get crushed by a marble vent hood, you should use that vent as your headstone!