6 Vintage Kitchen Trends Making a Major Comeback in 2025, According to Designers
From Lucy Ricardo’s perfect mid-century 1950s kitchen to The Brady Bunch’s groovy 1970s kitchen, fictitious cook spaces have captured people’s imaginations over the years and inspired current decor and design decisions. If you’re reading this, perhaps you don’t gravitate toward the austere white kitchens that have prevailed among contemporary trends — instead, you’d rather put the kitsch in kitchen, and have a space that looks as if it was pulled straight from a 1967 issue of Better Homes & Gardens. Staples, accents, colors, and patterns — you want it all, and with a retro flair.
And when it comes to aesthetics of decades past, there are things that roar back years after their first surge in popularity. In 2025, many of these vintage details will be coming back in a major way — and I love the fact that these kitchens stand out from the crowd! I spoke to a handful of designers who agreed these are the “vintage” design trends coming back in 2025 (plus the ones they hope never will).
6 Vintage Kitchen Design Trends Coming Back in 2025
1. Retro-Inspired Appliances
Jennifer Fisher, owner and design director of J.Fisher Interiors, says that she and her team have been spotting lots of colorful appliances with vintage silhouettes for kitchens. “Think: rounded refrigerators or vibrant ranges, offered from many manufacturers,” she says. “These whimsical additions offer a touch of playfulness while maintaining functionality.”
2. Bold Touches
Picture those multihued kitchens from the 1960s and 1970s. It’s a vintage-inspired look that will prevail in 2025, as people embrace more “color and pattern,” according to Elin Walters, owner and principal designer of Exactly Designs. “Wallpapers and more bold tile choices seem to be more accepted and used,” she adds.
3. Vintage Glass Lighting Fixtures
Sarah Archer, author of The Midcentury Kitchen, points out that there’s a current-day trend that’s partnering up with one from back in the day. “With homeowners seeking greener, more sustainable, and more cost-effective solutions, I think vintage glass lighting fixtures are poised for a big year in 2025,” she says. “Vintage lights can be rewired so the ‘guts’ are up-to-date, and when you use them, you’re keeping a lovely piece of design out of a landfill.”
4. Curtains Under the Sink
You know those little curtains under sinks that were swapped in for cabinet doors? Often showcased in sweet florals and stripes, the curtain was a cost-effective alternative to handmade doors, and they were seen as easy to clean as well. It’s a look that’ll be making a comeback next year for sure.
“A little curtain under the sink in lieu of cabinet doors is the biggest vintage kitchen trend I’ve spotted for 2025,” Bethany Sundman Adams, principal of her namesake interior design firm, says. “If that sounds a little cottage-y for your taste, know that I’ve seen it done in some really cool, modern fabric with boldly-painted millwork, and the look is anything but fusty.”
5. Reimagined Checkerboard Floors
“This classic pattern is going to be reinterpreted in more neutral palettes on a smaller scale,” Fisher says. Specifically, she says that smaller 4 x 4 or 5 x 5 tiles will take the place of traditional 12 x 12 or 16 x 16 tiles, and now they’ll be seen in luxurious materials like white marble and travertine, “adding depth and character without feeling dated.”
6. Colorful Kitchen Sinks
Kaleidoscopic kitchen sinks are making their way into the mainstream once again. For inspiration, Adams is partial to the colorful collection that Kohler released with Flamingo Estate. “There is nothing more retro than a green kitchen sink, but somehow, the collection is incredibly fresh and chic,” Adams notes.
4 Outdated Kitchen Trends That Should Never Make a Comeback
1. Popcorn Ceilings
Fisher says that these were impractical and dated from the beginning. “I don’t understand why this was ever a thing, but buy any house built in 1970 and you’re getting popcorn in your hair, and not the good kind!” she says. “I don’t imagine this will ever come back, but if it does — I think I’m out of the game.”
2. Honey-Tone Cabinets
While not exactly retro and actually originating not too long ago, Walters says that she cringes when she walks into a home and sees Colonial-style, honey-tone oak cabinets from the 1990s. Here are some smart ways to modernize them.
3. Matchy Appliances
There was a time when it was in good taste to have matching appliances in your kitchen, but that time has passed. “I don’t think we need to relive the period where all of your appliances match one another,” Adams says. “This really doesn’t make sense, as they are spread around the kitchen. I don’t think that was ever a good idea.”
4. Plastic Anything
Archer hopes to see less plastic and more timelessness in kitchens moving forward. “Mid-century design gave us great aesthetics, but it came at the high cost of introducing a lot of materials that can’t be recycled or reused, and the idea that appliances should be replaced without much thought,” she says. “We need to keep the creativity and optimism inherent in mid-century design and combine it with smart stewardship of materials.”
What “vintage” kitchen design trend do you hope makes a comeback? Let us know in the comments below!
Further Reading
The “Beautiful” $3 Flower Tumblers at Walmart People Are Buying 2 at a Time
The One Cookware Brand That Gordon Ramsay Can’t Stop Talking About
