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How to Design a Timeless Kitchen

How to design a timeless kitchen

deVOL

Designing a kitchen is an expensive project that involves making important decisions about this central room in the home. All the more reason to choose a timeless design that will outlast fads and keep working for you for years to come. Whether you are remodeling or building a kitchen from scratch, here is everything you need to consider to design a kitchen that will stand the test of time.  

Meet the Expert

Helen Parker is creative director of deVOL Kitchens, the United Kingdom-based manufacturer of elevated timeless kitchens.

Forget Trends

It’s easy to get caught up in the urgency of trends, but designing a timeless kitchen is all about tuning out the fleeting style obsessions of the moment to focus on what will endure.

“Trends, I hate that word because it gives people the excuse to keep making rash, sometimes expensive changes to their homes, only to regret it or tire of it in a few years’ time,” says Helen Parker, creative director of deVOL Kitchens. “I think this way of decorating and styling your home is gradually becoming less of a thing as people become more sustainable and more aware of waste and providence. And most importantly, realizing that style is about longevity.”

Take Your Time

Home decor, like fashion, has moved beyond the era when any single style rules the day. The kitchens you will never tire of look assembled over time, like a classic wardrobe.

Parker says that she aims to create spaces “that inspire eclecticism and layers of interest. Spaces that are not so carefully curated that they feel like a hotel or a museum, but a slightly gung-ho attitude to mixing and matching and making a room with interest and character. It takes time and patience and isn’t instant but it’s definitely worth putting in the time.”

Parker believes that constantly updating decor “is such an old fashioned and ill-considered way to make a room that feels like home,” adding: “At deVOL, we have always loved the old and new mix and the essential art of buying good quality, lifelong items for your home.”

Check out the spaces below to help you learn how to design a timeless kitchen.

  • 01 of 14

    Neutral Tones

    timeless neutral kitchen color palettes

    Whittney Parkinson Design

    You can use neutral tones in any style space to create a more timeless feel. Stick with neutrals such white, taupe, gray, black, or black and white. Use bright or otherwise non-neutral colors as accents via wall paint, textiles, or accessories. 

  • 02 of 14

    Classic Color Palettes

    timeless kitchen design

    Velinda Hellen for Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

    If you want to add more color, blue-and-white is a classic pairing that will never go out of style. This simple palette can be used with an assortment of kitchen styles, from coastal to farmhouse, modern, or traditional. Use a light blue for an airy feel, a medium blue for a homey look, or navy and midnight blue for a moody ambiance.

  • 03 of 14

    Classic Accessories

    How to design a timeless kitchen

    Design by deVOL Kitchens / Photo by Our Food Stories

    One of the easiest ways to create a timeless aesthetic in your kitchen is by incorporating decor that is emblematic of kitchens throughout the centuries. This includes everyday accessories like wooden cutting boards, copper pots and pans, and classic dishware, glassware, and silverware that transcend time.

  • 04 of 14

    Mixed Styles and Periods

    how to design a timeless kitchen

    Brady Tolbert for Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Tessa Neustadt

    Mixing and balancing old and new elements will ensure that your kitchen design doesn’t look like either a vintage time capsule or a trendy space that will be dated by next year. Timeless kitchens look like they have always been there, but are functional and well maintained enough to feel perennially fresh and current. 

    Look to History

    One of the easiest ways to design a kitchen that will stand the test of time is to base your design on kitchens that have already stood the test of time. Look back over the last century and you can identify which kitchen styles, layouts, materials, appliances, and decorative elements seem to transcend time.

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  • 05 of 14

    Simple Cabinetry

    timeless kitchen cabinets

    Becca Interiors

    Choose kitchen cabinetry that won’t date, such as Shaker cabinets, a modern trend rooted in centuries of design history. Contemporary flat-front or traditional styles such as glass-front cabinetry can create a timeless feel. You can choose classic pulls or go hardware-free for a modern look that will outlast trends

    Beware of Too Much Wood

    While wood seems like it would be impervious to trends, in reality using too much of any single wood, such as the all maple or dark mahogany of kitchens past, can date your kitchen.

  • 06 of 14

    Natural Materials

    timeless kitchen design tips

    Desiree Burns Interiors

    Use durable, quality natural materials such as stone and wood and preserve original features like an exposed wood ceiling, hardwood flooring, brick or stone walls to add authenticity to your space. Choose time-tested natural materials like linen and cotton for window treatments, upholstery, dishtowels, and table settings.

  • 07 of 14

    Black, White, and Wood

    how to design a timeless black and white kitchen

    Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

    Confine yourself to black, white, and wood finishes and cabinetry for a crisp and classic feel that will never date. This simple combination makes decorating simple and allows you to add color with simple accessories like dishtowels, vases, and fresh flowers.

  • 08 of 14

    Decorative Finishes

    timeless kitchen color palettes

    Finding Lovely / Ruth Eileen Photography

    Patterned tile has been around for thousands of years and can feel timeless or old-fashioned depending on current trends. Pair a patterned tile backsplash with decorative patterned china in a modern kitchen to give it a timeless feel.

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  • 09 of 14

    Mixed Metals

    timeless kitchen with mixed metals

    Marie Flanigan Interiors

    Metal finishes can be used to modernize a dated kitchen, but using mixed metals on fixtures, hardware, appliances, lighting, and accents is an easy way to create a layered feel that feels assembled over time. This will help keep your space from being pegged to a certain era or trend.

  • 10 of 14

    Black Accents

    timeless kitchen with black accents

    Whittney Parkinson Design

    Black accents from paint to tile to countertops, light fixtures, cabinet hardware, and more will give your kitchen a timeless feel, whether it's modern, traditional, farmhouse, Scandi-style, and more. Use black accents to define a neutral kitchen or to balance out an all-white space.

    Choose Timeless Furniture

    Consider swapping a kitchen island with bar seating for a dining table and chairs for a timeless look. Try a farmhouse table for a rustic feel that transcends trends.

  • 11 of 14

    Hidden Refrigerator

    timeless kitchen with hidden refrigerator

    deVOL Kitchens

    While everyone wants updated appliances, brand new ovens, refrigerators, stovetops, and microwaves can date quickly, like those avocado green appliances from the 1970s. Consider hiding refrigerators behind custom cabinetry that will create a seamless look.

  • 12 of 14

    Layered Lighting

    timeless kitchen lighting design

    Emily Henderson Design / Photo By Kaitlin Green

    Install layered kitchen lighting that includes integrated task lighting for cooking and prep spaces and ambient lighting in the form of industrial pendants or vintage chandeliers to create a comfortable atmosphere. Vintage-style lighting fixtures can work in both traditional and modern interiors. Consider including real or LED candles in your lighting plan for a timeless feel.

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  • 13 of 14

    Functional Sink

    timeless kitchen sink design

    Marie Flanigan Interiors

    Opt for a kitchen sink that is simple and functional and reconsider matching all of your plumbing fixtures and fittings by mixing metals that will look great no matter what metal finish is currently in style.

  • 14 of 14

    Classic Layout

    timeless kitchen design layouts

    Mary Patton Design

    Follow a traditional kitchen layout that is adapted to your space. Whether your kitchen is galley-style, U-shaped, L-shaped, built along a single wall, or open-plan, try to ensure that it respects the classic kitchen triangle to determine the most functional relationship between the oven, sink, and refrigerator.

    Modernize With Accessories

    With a timeless, classic, functional layout and foundational pieces, you can update your kitchen as time passes by changing accessories, textiles, artwork, paint, wallpaper, and other decorative tweaks that require styling rather than renovation.

What color kitchen cabinets never go out of style? 

Neutral kitchen cabinets such as white, black, or natural wood will never truly go out of style. Kitchen cabinet color trends come and go, but you can feel safe that shades of blue and green will have plenty of longevity.

What kind of kitchen countertop is timeless? 

Timeless kitchen countertop materials include durable options such as marble and quartz as well as classic butcher block. For a more industrial look, choose stainless steel, a hard-wearing staple of restaurant kitchens.

What kind of backsplash will never go out of style? 

Solid slabs of stone such as marble, simple white subway tiles, and geometric tiles such as hexagon tiles of any size are kitchen backsplash go-to's that will never go out of style.

Should countertops be lighter or darker than cabinets? 

Countertops can either be lighter or darker than cabinets depending on the look that you want to achieve. White cabinets with black countertops have a classic look. Black cabinets with white countertops feel graphic and contemporary. You can make countertops and cabinets the same color for a modern tonal look.

Is quartz going to go out of style?

Quartz is an enormously popular alternative to marble that is less porous and easier to maintain while offering a similar look. This makes it unlikely that quartz will go out of style anytime soon.