These 3 Overdone Cabinet Trends Will Date Your Kitchen in 2026
Plus, the looks designers recommend replacing them with
If your cabinets look dated, no amount of refreshing or accessorizing will bring your kitchen back to life. It's such a large part of your design; something a little bit more impactful will be needed to fix it.
And which kitchen cabinet trends are feeling dated as we head towards 2026? According to interior designers, there are a few looks that go against the layered, softer approach we all require from our kitchens – and they don't want to see them in designs over the next year.
3 Dated Kitchen Cabinet Trends Designers Don't Want to See in 2026
There's been a gradual shift in the way we design our cooking spaces. Once a purely functional room, kitchens are becoming more considered and decorated much like the cozier rooms of our home. And these three dated kitchen cabinet trends no longer fit the mold.
1. Kitchens Filled with Tall Matching Cabinets
A freestanding island creates a more open and inviting feel in this design, while wall shelves replace the bulkiness of upper cabinets.
Imagine a kitchen filled with floor-to-ceiling cabinetry on every wall – sounds rather imposing, right? This once-popular cabinetry design, which maximized storage in nearly every corner of the kitchen, is now feeling dated.
'We’ll move away from kitchens dominated by tall, imposing cabinetry that lines every wall. It can feel heavy and boxy, especially in smaller spaces,' says Carina Raymond, interior designer and Studio Raymond founder.
'People are craving openness, softness, and the chance to let materials shine. Kitchens in 2026 will feel more like living spaces, layered, personal, and full of craftsmanship, not simply storage solutions,' she notes.
Instead of this totally built-in look, mixed styles of cabinetry and freestanding furniture are being embraced, creating a more collected, lived-in, and inviting room, rather than a purely utilitarian space.
'We’re seeing customers moving away from completely matching cabinetry towards a more mix and match style, with freestanding kitchen furniture like larders and islands alongside more traditional, fitted cabinetry,' agrees Fred Horlock, design director at Neptune.
'This gives the sense that the kitchen has evolved over time, evoking vintage kitchens of old, and helps to give the kitchen personality and warmth with the use of different colors, textures, and materials,' he explains.
If you want to add freestanding furniture to your kitchen, an island is the place to start. This wood and marble design adds storage and surface space while creating a less built-in look.
Upper cabinets can make a kitchen feel crowded and imposing, but swapping them out for shelving, like this wooden design with a brass gallery rail, will make a huge difference.
Something as simple as a freestanding pantry rather than a large, built-in cabinet will add personality to your design. This wood and rattan cabinet adds warmth and texture to any kitchen.
2. Handle-Free Designs
Classic Shaker cabinetry paired with simple brass hardware creates a timeless look in this kitchen.
Cast your mind back a few years, and you'll be reintroduced to the era of sleek style and minimalist design, during which time cabinets were slimline and hardware-free. There's a time and a place for this look, but in most kitchens, hardware-free cabinets just feel a little lackluster.
'They were once celebrated for their minimalism, but design is moving back toward pieces with personality. Handles, hinges, and small joinery details bring soul to a kitchen – without them, the space can feel flat. In 2026, it’s all about craftsmanship and character,' says Carina.
'Handleless cabinetry is losing momentum; the streamlined look now feels a little flat compared to the more detailed, crafted approach people are gravitating toward. Kitchens are increasingly integrated with living spaces, so designs that incorporate decorative elements feel far more relevant than the minimalist, monolithic styles we’re moving away from,' adds Sophie Pringle, founder of design studio Pringle & Pringle.
This doesn't mean you have to go for big, decorative hardware if you have a more simplistic taste. Classic forms in timeless finishes, as the brass cabinet pulls in this design, feel considered and refined while adding the subtlest hint of elegance.
If you prefer cabinet hardware that feels small and simple, the brass knobs are a chic choice. Offered in four finishes, they will age beautifully over time.
If you currently have handle-free kitchen cabinets, IKEA offers these handy clip-on handles that will instantly transform the look of your design.
For something a bit more decorative, these wood and brass pulls have an antique look to them, and they're sure to bring character to your cabinetry.
3. Glossy White Cabinetry
In this design, warm white cabinets in a matte finish pair seamlessly with a wooden island, creating a more inviting and practical scheme.
We all knew it was coming. White is the one color designers say you should avoid in your kitchen if you don't want to repaint in 2026, especially when it comes to your cabinetry. But it's specifically high gloss variations that they say feel truly dated.
'The all-white kitchen is definitely going out of style for 2026 – though I’ve been saying this for a few years now! It can often feel tired and lacking in personality. Thankfully, more designers are moving away from this look, embracing kitchens with more warmth, color, and character instead,' says interior designer Becky Shea.
It's a look that's considered dated not just for its aesthetic, but also for its slightly less practical qualities, too. 'High-gloss cabinetry, which is hard to maintain (keeping it fingerprint-free and scratch-free) is becoming less popular in favor of more forgiving, tactile materials,' says interior designer Laura Stephens.
Instead, designers are embracing matte finishes and tactile materials. Wooden cabinets, either in their natural form or stained in earthy colors, are considered more desirable and more timeless as we head into 2026. These materials and finishes also make it easier to create a less utilitarian feel.
All of these dated kitchen cabinet trends have one thing in common – they are the opposite of a soft, textured kitchen. In 2026, cooking spaces are more than utilitarian; they are spaces to host, gather, and enjoy. And these dated looks hinder that coveted approach.
