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Business Insider
14 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Business Insider
3 mistakes you're making in your open-concept home, according to interior designers
It's no secret that open-concept homes are becoming less popular. There are many reasons people are closing up their open-concept spaces — one of the biggest being that people don't know how to make these floor plans work for them. Business Insider spoke to two interior designers about the common mistakes people make with their open-concept homes. Think about your life before you embrace an open concept Charlotte Eustace, a UK-based interior designer who founded Eustace Studio, said she thinks one of the biggest issues people face with open-concept homes is that they don't think of how they will work in their lives. "Because it has been such a trend, people go for it without really thinking about how they're using the space," Eustace said. For instance, Eustace said that open floor plans aren't ideal for people working from home in a dining area, especially those with kids or a partner sharing the space. Likewise, working or relaxing in the same area where you cook can be distracting if you have made something with a strong odor. Juliana Ghani, an interior designer from Minneapolis, agreed, saying that seeing your kitchen constantly can also make a home feel less welcoming. "I think the open-concept kitchen is drawn out at this point," Ghani said. "I have one in my condo right now, and I'm not a fan." "When you're hosting, your guests see everything that's going on, which some may like, but they can see your dirty dishes. They can see the pots and pans that you use to cook," Ghani said, which isn't relaxing and doesn't create a party vibe. She said the same can be true of seeing your dishes or just the look of a kitchen when you're having downtime at home. Ghani told BI that many of her clients are turning toward a "cozy Nancy Meyers aesthetic" over an open concept. Still, Eustace said you can make your open floor plan work for you by not decorating it solely based on trends. "It's just about tailoring things that you see that you're inspired by and using them to fit your personal needs and lifestyle," she said. For example, Eustace doesn't have open shelving in her kitchen because she has trouble keeping them organized, while Ghani said she loves her open shelves and that they help her keep her glassware minimalist. Don't forget about zoning Eustace told BI that improper zoning is a "huge issue" in open-concept homes. "I think what people tend to do because it's open concept is think of the whole space as one huge room when the best design thinks about each space as an individual area," Eustace said, aka zoning. Likewise, some people think zoning means putting up a bookcase or other divider between areas, but Eustace said it's better to just decorate each space individually. "You should think about a lighting plan for each specific area rather than just a lighting plan for the whole kitchen," she said. Eustace advised using specific lighting over different areas, like a chandelier over your dining table. She also said it's important to get creative with your kitchen lighting if possible, as recessed lighting doesn't do much to make it feel like its own area. In addition, Eustace said she likes to use rugs for zoning, placing them under the dining and living areas to separate the spaces. Your home needs to feel cohesive Ghani said she often sees people decorating their kitchens in a style that doesn't match the other spaces visible in their open-concept homes, making them look out of place or "sterile." That isn't ideal for a well-functioning open-concept home. "Let's say you have a very cozy, layered living room," she said. "You should be able to carry that into your kitchen, maybe mix some materials and tones and have an interesting backsplash or have an interesting, unexpected countertop with a deep color." "I think the thing with open-concept kitchens is they've just gotten so the same, so sterile, there's not really a lot of depth in the finishes that people are choosing," she added. Ghani advised being intentional in the decor in your kitchen, in particular, as it will make the whole space feel welcoming.
Business Insider
22-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Business Insider
3 ways you're making your kitchen look cheap, according to interior designers
It can be easy to miss the mark when trying to make your kitchen look luxurious. Interior designers said dull color schemes and the wrong lighting can make your kitchen look cheap. It's also important to pay attention to details like cabinet handles. If you've ever watched a home improvement show, you know kitchens can make or break the luxury feel of a house. It can be easy to miss the mark when trying to create a luxury kitchen, so Business Insider spoke to a couple of interior designers about common ways people make their kitchens look cheap. Here's what they had to say. Dull colors and lighting The neutral colors many people gravitate toward for modern kitchens can look cheap, according to experts. Charlotte Eustace, an interior designer based in the UK and the founder of Eustace Studio, told BI she especially dislikes millennial gray kitchens. "It just looks so cheap," she said, as gray can look "cold" in a kitchen. Harsh lighting can create the same impact. "If your lighting is very cold or if you're doing all neutral but everything feels very cold and has a cold undertone, I think that can really cheapen it," she said. "Generally, the spaces that feel the most luxurious and welcoming are warmer spaces." Juliana Ghani, an interior designer from Minneapolis, tries to avoid too much gray, black, white, or "anything that looks sterile" in kitchens. She said LED light bulbs are a huge no-no for her in particular. "It looks like an operating room when you have those blue LED lights on your island," she said, adding that warm lighting is "the easiest way to make your kitchen look richer and homey." If you want to bring more color into your kitchen, Ghani said darker tones, like aubergine, olive green, and burgundy, are trending for 2025. The design is in the details As Ghani told BI, luxury kitchens are designed to be aesthetically pleasing, whereas a more basic kitchen makes the appliances the focal point of the room. "I think a mistake people make when designing a kitchen, especially an open-concept kitchen, is that they let the appliances dominate the space," Ghani said. "In a luxury kitchen, we would have paneled appliances, integrated hardware, or even different finishes on the actual appliances that kind of hide them in a way." "A row of stainless steel appliances, pretty much, is not giving luxury," she said. Eustace agreed, saying that the details of a kitchen can make a big difference to how your eye perceives the overall space. For instance, the handles you choose for your cabinets, the stone you select for your countertops, or even the outlet panels you use can make the space feel less luxurious. "A kitchen can be really nice, and then if I see cup handles or something, immediately I'm just like, 'Oh gosh, that really just cheapens the whole feel of it,'" Eustace said, referring to curved handles that don't look high-end. Upgrading your hardware is an easy way to give your kitchen a luxurious feel, though. Ghani recommends brushed chrome, brushed nickel, or lacquered brass. Too much on the counters Ghani said that too many items on your counters can look "messy" or "cluttered." On the flip side, cookbooks or appliances you use daily on your countertops can help a space look lived in. Eustace agreed, saying you don't want your kitchen to look uninviting. "I think there's an obsession these days with having everything hidden, as if it's like a showroom the whole time and no one lives there," Eustace said. "I don't think people should be afraid to have things out or, you know, have a little bit of mess or clutter." "Things that you're actually using every day, and just signs of life, don't make it look cheap," she added, though she said microwaves sitting on a counter aren't aesthetically pleasing in her opinion. "It has to make sense for you," Ghani agreed about what sits on your countertops. "It would be obnoxious if you eat toast every day and you have to take out your toaster." "If you're doing a custom kitchen or you're remodeling, a lot of times we try to fit in a butler's pantry or a walk-in pantry where you can put in a lot of those countertop appliances, your sugar, and your salt and pepper," Ghani added. Most importantly, both designers advised people not to be afraid to bring their own personality to their spaces, as a homey kitchen is the best kitchen.
