The 6 Kitchen Trends That Get The Most Hate Online

It's often said that the kitchen is the heart of the home, and it makes sense. It is, after all, where the food comes from, and, let's be honest, for many of us, snacks are what get us through the day. First and foremost, kitchens need to be practical, of course. But they can also look good, too.

If you're planning a kitchen remodel, you might be thinking about what sort of trends are on their way out. We scanned through social media to get an idea of what aspects of kitchen design are getting the most hate right now, and you can check out our findings below. It turns out, people are really, really sick of a certain type of shelving, for instance.

But before we dive in, one important note: The internet is not always right. If you love millennial gray or want to paint your whole kitchen green, we say live your life. Just don't ask the internet what it thinks if you don't want to get your feelings hurt.

In 2025, the iconic house used in the beloved holiday movie "Home Alone" (1990) went up for sale, and people were angry. The warm, colorful, busy aesthetic was gone, and in its place, everything was white — including the kitchen. The once eclectic mix of red, blue, and loud patterns had been covered in white paint, save for a few dark wooden cabinets. Several media users declared the new design depressing and expressed disappointment that all of the personality had been drained from the walls. Some accused the new aesthetic of being soulless, while others said that they wanted to cry at the images.

But the former owners of the "Home Alone" house (it has since been sold, and is being restored to its former glory) weren't alone with their design choices. The all-white home aesthetic has actually been around for decades. In fact, even in the 1920s, people were opting for all-white kitchens.

Many designers say the all-white look is classic and timeless, but online, as we saw with the "Home Alone" house, this kitchen trend is always getting hate. On Reddit, for example, people are frequently asking for advice on how to add more personality to all-white kitchens. Many have claimed they look sterile, while others say they remind them of a science lab. "Friends don't let friends have white on white kitchens," said one Redditor. Another added: "Not sure how the generic 'modern' chain hotel/shared office space look became something people thought suited a home."

Okay, so all-white is divisive. So, instead, why not paint your kitchen a nice dark blue or a dark green? Well, if you were looking for the internet's approval on that decision, we're sorry to say this kitchen trend also gets a lot of hate online.

Dark blue kitchens have been trendy for much of the 2020s so far, while green started to creep in around early 2024. But social media commenters are already getting bored with these colors. Many Redditors, for example, believe that dark blue kitchens will probably start to look dated very soon. On Facebook, one user declared that sage green, in particular, will be the "grey of 2028." (We'll dive into how people feel about gray very shortly.)

That said, plenty of designers feel the opposite. In fact, many experts maintain that the dark blue look is ageless, classic, and versatile. Others say that dark green has a nice, natural, rich vibe to it. Whether you listen to the social media school of opinion or the experts is entirely up to you. It is your kitchen, after all.

As promised, it's time to talk about gray. Specifically, millennial gray. At some point in the early 2010s, millennials decided that everything in the home needed to be different hues of gray. And we do mean everything — from the couch to the rug to the kitchen cabinets — gray, gray, gray. 

Now, though, this color scheme looks dated, and it gets plenty of hate online. One X user, for example, posted in 2023 that they hoped that anyone who flipped a "beautiful charming home" into a "soulless gray blob" deserved to "stub their toe, never find parking, or have another good hair day again." Sounds extreme, but the sentiment is widely shared. On Reddit, several threads are devoted to helping people add some personality back into their millennial gray kitchens. 

But despite all the contempt shown for millennial gray online, some people still love it. So if you're a proud member of the millennial gray club, you're not alone. In fact, in 2025, paint company Benjamin Moore declared Paris Rain, a soft, neutral gray color, and Sea Salt, a very light gray verging on beige, as two of its most popular shades of the year.

When we were researching for this article, we came across another trend that, surprisingly, seemed to gather even more hate and controversy than millennial gray. It turns out, many people are seriously against open shelving. And, unlike some of the other trends we've discussed, designers seem to be in agreement on this one.

However, open shelving hate is also a little more nuanced. Most people don't dislike it because it looks bad, but because of how difficult it is to maintain. Several say that if you keep practical items on open shelves, like plates and mugs, for example, they'll gather layers of grease and dust that are unhygienic and difficult to clean. The problem is even worse if you store things you never use on the open shelves, as all they do is sit and gather even more dust, adding further chores to your to-do list.

Many people are also of the opinion that for open shelving to look good, it has to be tidy and uncluttered. And in most people's busy lives, that's not always achievable. Some say that looking at messy shelves simply makes them feel more stressed, so that's reason enough to get rid of them. Who needs a shelf causing extra stress in this day and age?

Zellige tiles, popular in many kitchens and bathrooms, originated in Morocco, and most agree that when they're done well, they look stylish, classic, and unique. They were particularly trendy in 2019 — back then, people fell in love with their rustic, quirky charm. When you buy traditional zellige tiles, each one is handmade, meaning no two tiles are the same.

The problem many people have with zellige tiles is how difficult they are for the average person to install. Heck, even some professionals struggle with them. On Reddit in 2025, one tiler named zellige tiles as one of the worst interior trends of the year. They complained that, because they are handmade, each tile has a different thickness and size, which makes them hard to lay on the wall. There are some who just don't like the way they look, of course. Other Redditors have called them ugly or outright hideous.

Other issues people have with zellige tiles are that they're harder to clean due to the uneven surfaces, which can trap dust. They also tend to be more expensive, as each set is so unique that you'll need to buy more to cover any future breakages. The higher cost is also another drawback for some people. You can't buy zellige tiles on the cheap, as they must be handmade to be authentic.

Induction cookers were first shown to the world in 1933, at the Chicago World Fair, but it would take decades for them to become mainstream and popular. In fact, they didn't really become widespread until the late 2000s, which is when they became more affordable for average households. Induction stoves, which cook food quickly and efficiently using electromagnetism, still have plenty of fans. But many are also vehemently against them.

Some say that because many induction stoves come with touchscreen controls, this makes them very difficult to operate when you're in the middle of cooking a meal. Hands can get wet and sticky when you're handling food, and wet and sticky is the nemesis of touchscreen technology. Others have complained about the heat distribution in lower-cost induction stoves, which tend to have smaller magnets. Some have also complained about the lack of heat control an induction stove gives. This is why some chefs prefer to use gas, for example.

Another reason why some people don't like induction stoves is that you can't use them in a power outage. Many gas stovetops, however, will still operate efficiently and give you a source of heat without any electricity (you may just need to manually light the pilot light).