Deserving Separation in Design: 10 Powerful Trends That Must Be Eliminated
Separation in Design: Eliminating Outdated Kitchen Trends for Good!
For over a decade, certain kitchen designs have been undeniably flawed, yet they remain in almost every home. When questioned, the usual response is: “Everyone does it this way.” Fortunately, with the rise of home lifestyle media, more people are challenging these so-called “mainstream” choices. Their obsolescence is inevitable. As homeowners, our mission is clear—during renovations, we must separate from and discard these outdated kitchen designs once and for all!
1. A flat light
Lighting Upgrade: Enhancing Kitchen Countertop Visibility
While the overall kitchen may be well-lit, the countertop often suffers from poor lighting or backlighting, leaving the most critical areas in shadow. This makes tasks like chopping and washing vegetables difficult, increasing the risk of unclean food preparation and accidental injuries.
To address this issue, consider the following lighting upgrades:
- Under-cabinet lighting: Install rechargeable motion-sensor lights for a simple, wire-free solution—perfect for kitchens where built-in lighting was overlooked during renovation.
- Countertop lighting upgrades: If there’s a power source on the kitchen countertop, consider adding surface-mounted light strips, recessed light strips, or even LED light tubes based on your budget to provide direct illumination.
- Enhanced ambient lighting: To improve both functionality and aesthetics, replace traditional flat panel lights with spotlights. This can be achieved by installing recessed fixtures in aluminum ceiling panels or gypsum board ceilings, creating a more inviting and well-lit kitchen environment.
With these upgrades, your kitchen will not only be brighter and more functional but also safer and more visually appealing.
2.Optimized Storage Design Solutions:
To enhance storage functionality and solve accessibility issues, consider these two upgrades:
For existing cabinets with sliding doors, integrate smart storage solutions such as roller storage boxes, sliding track drawers, or other pull-out organizers to improve convenience.
For new cabinet installations, opt for drawer-style cabinets instead of flat-door designs (except under the sink). This design significantly improves accessibility, making it effortless to organize and retrieve items while maximizing storage efficiency.
3.Separation in Design: Rethinking the Cabinet Handle for a Cleaner, Sleeker Look
A cabinet handle makes it easy to open doors and drawers, but it comes with multiple drawbacks. Handles accumulate dust, grease, and grime, creating cleaning challenges due to hygiene dead corners. Over time, they may loosen or fall off, affecting both functionality and aesthetics.
Storage & Design Upgrade: Handle-Free Alternatives
To enhance both practicality and aesthetics, opting for a handle-free design is the best solution. Here are four highly effective alternatives that ensure seamless cabinet access:
1️⃣ Bottom Edge Door Panel – The simplest and most practical option, ideal for hanging cabinets.
2️⃣ One-Line Gap Handle-Free Design – Uses L-shaped or U-shaped materials to create a finger gap for easy opening. This low-cost option is highly recommended.
3️⃣ 45-Degree Angle Door Panel – A moderate-cost solution that balances design and functionality, making it a solid choice.
4️⃣ Machined Groove Handle – Features a built-in handle groove, offering a seamless look with more design possibilities. Though slightly pricier, it enhances cabinet integrity.
Other options, such as spring-loaded mechanisms and G-type handles, are not recommended due to high costs, durability issues, and poor texture. By embracing Separation in Design, a handle-free cabinet achieves a cleaner, more modern aesthetic while improving usability.
4.Separation in Design: Optimizing the Double Sink for Better Functionality
A double sink may seem practical, but in a small kitchen, it often causes more inconvenience than benefits. The divided compartments make it difficult to wash large pots, limiting efficiency. Moreover, the concept of separating tasks with two small sinks doesn’t always add significant value.
Storage & Design Upgrade: Smarter Sink Solutions
To improve usability and embrace Separation in Design, consider these upgraded sink choices:
1️⃣ For spacious kitchens, a large double sink is ideal, providing enough room for washing pots while maintaining separate cleaning zones.
2️⃣ For compact kitchens, a large single sink is the better choice. To maintain separation for different cleaning tasks, simply add a removable vegetable washing bowl.
Regardless of the option chosen, an under-cabinet sink is highly recommended. This installation method allows for reinforcement or bracket support, preventing sagging while eliminating hygiene dead corners commonly found in above-cabinet or in-cabinet sinks. By integrating Separation in Design, these sink solutions enhance both cleanliness and functionality in modern kitchens.
5.Separation in Design: Eliminating the Hassle of Low-Height Trash Bins
A low-height trash can in the kitchen creates multiple inconveniences—you have to bend over to dispose of waste, clean up spills, and replace garbage bags. Despite this effort, debris often accumulates around the bin, making the space look untidy and inefficient.
Storage & Design Upgrade: Smarter Trash Management
To enhance convenience and apply Separation in Design, consider these improved solutions:
1️⃣ For existing low-height trash bins, adding a countertop trash can significantly improves usability. A trash can stand is highly recommended, as it allows for easy disposal, hassle-free cleanup, and quick bag replacement without requiring a specific type of garbage bag—saving both time and cost.
2️⃣ For new kitchen renovations, opt for a double-layer trash bin that stands at a comfortable height, eliminating the need to bend over. Additionally, if space allows, reserve a dedicated trash storage area inside the cabinets, keeping the kitchen cleaner and more organized.
By incorporating Separation in Design, these upgrades ensure a more efficient, hygienic, and user-friendly kitchen waste management system.
6.Separation in Design: Streamlining Countertop Kitchen Appliances
Leaving designated countertop space for kitchen appliances seems practical, but it introduces three major pain points:
1️⃣ It clutters the kitchen, making the space feel messy.
2️⃣ Cleaning the countertop becomes troublesome, as appliances must be lifted and moved.
3️⃣ It reduces workspace, especially in small kitchens, where an appliance area takes away from essential food preparation space.
Storage & Design Upgrade: Vertical Appliance Organization
To optimize kitchen space while maintaining functionality, Separation in Design focuses on storing appliances vertically with these three solutions:
1️⃣ Built-in Appliances – Choose built-in models like dishwashers and ovens instead of countertop versions. Installing them within cabinets enhances aesthetics and simplifies maintenance.
2️⃣ Appliance Tower – Create a tall storage cabinet specifically for housing kitchen appliances, keeping the countertop clear.
3️⃣ Storage Shelves for Existing Appliances – For homes with pre-installed countertop appliances, multi-tier storage shelves offer a structured way to keep them organized without sacrificing workspace.
By integrating Separation in Design, these solutions help create a cleaner, more efficient kitchen layout, maximizing both storage and usability.
7.Kitchen threshold stone
It doesn’t look good and doesn’t look imposing, especially for families with small 户型. The reason it was popular before was for the convenience of the tile setter to finish the edges. Upgrade design: Now that the technology has upgraded, a skilled tile setter can do a good job with the full 铺设, so there is no need for this threshold stone.
8.Separation in Design: Eliminating the Ineffective Waterstop Bar
The waterstop bar may seem functional, but in reality, it does little to block water. Much like a threshold stone, its primary role is to compensate for installation gaps between the countertop and the wall. However, instead of adding value, it creates unnecessary sanitation dead corners, making cleaning more difficult.
Storage & Design Upgrade: A Seamless, Clean Countertop Solution
To enhance both functionality and aesthetics, the best approach is to eliminate the waterstop bar entirely. Here’s how:
1️⃣ Proper Wall Preparation – Instead of relying on a waterstop bar to cover gaps, require the mason to level the wall before laying tiles. This ensures a flush fit for the countertop.
2️⃣ Direct Countertop Installation – With a properly leveled wall, the countertop can be installed directly, sealed with glass glue for a seamless and elegant finish. This not only looks more refined but also eliminates an extra gap, reducing hygiene issues.
3️⃣ Avoid Curved Waterstop Bars – While trendy, they are impractical. High-quality quartz stone cannot be shaped into curved bars, and low-grade artificial stone alternatives offer no real benefit—only increasing costs and installation complexity.
By applying Separation in Design, removing the waterstop bar simplifies kitchen maintenance, improves hygiene, and enhances the overall modern, seamless aesthetic.
9.Separation in Design: Why Small-Sized Tiles Are a Maintenance Nightmare
Small-sized tiles may look stylish at first, but their attractiveness fades quickly. Over time, the grout lines accumulate dirt, making them harder to clean and diminishing their appeal. Additionally, small tiles often lack durability, and the labor costs for installation are significantly higher.
Storage & Design Upgrade: Reducing Tile Gaps for a Seamless Look
To enhance both aesthetics and maintenance efficiency, the key is to minimize tile gaps. Here are three superior alternatives:
1️⃣ Optimize Tile Sizing – Carefully calculate the exposed height between the cabinet and countertop, then choose larger-sized tiles to eliminate horizontal gaps.
2️⃣ Use Large Slabs – Opting for large-format slabs removes grout lines entirely, though it comes at a slightly higher cost. This is a premium solution for a seamless, modern finish.
3️⃣ Enamel Board – This alternative eliminates seams, offers magnetic absorption, and is highly recommended for second-hand home renovations or those with flexible budgets. Since it requires precise leveling and adhesive application, its cost is comparable to large slabs but offers added functionality.
By implementing Separation in Design, choosing gap-free materials ensures a sleeker, cleaner, and more durable kitchen space with minimal maintenance hassle.
10.Closed Kitchen
The last one, and also the most difficult. The most crucial one. The biggest problem with Chinese-style kitchens is that they are too closed, trapping the role of the mother in the kitchen. Upgrade Design To solve this problem, we should make the kitchen as “open” as possible during renovation, which can enhance family feelings in a big way, and in a small way, it allows children to do their homework while the mother can also keep an eye on the child in the kitchen. There are three specific implementation plans:
① Start with the door, replace the swing door with a sliding glass door, and replace the sliding door with a barn door, three-panel door, etc., to open the door as wide as possible;
② Start with the wall, as long as it is not a load-bearing wall, you can open a window in the kitchen;
③ Start with the layout, suitable for large houses, do both Chinese and Western kitchens, the cooking section can be relatively closed, while the rest can be open.
