I spent last week going through boxes and boxes of random things in the sunroom to make room for the items I needed to move out of our home gym so that our gym-to-bedroom conversion can begin. And while I was going through those boxes, I came across lots of old decorating magazines.
I love to flip through old magazines to revisit old trends. I still find myself being inspired by things I see in those old magazines. But one of them really caught my eye. Since we’re going to be doing a kitchen addition in the near future, this special edition Kitchen & Bath publication was especially interesting to me. I was so curious to see if any of these kitchens would still look “current” today.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-1-900x1200.jpg)
This magazine was from 2007, so it’s seventeen years old.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-2-900x1200.jpg)
Probably the most interesting thing about it is that it cost $4.99.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-3-900x1200.jpg)
I bought a similar magazine just last week. It’s has about the same number of pages, same number of features.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-12-900x1200.jpg)
But this one cost $14.99. How depressing.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-13-900x1200.jpg)
But anyway, back to the 2007 publication. What really struck me was all of the dark cabinets. Almost every ad in the whole magazine featured dark stained wood cabinets. And I was never a fan of those tiny square mosaic tile backsplashes even back in 2007.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-22-900x1200.jpg)
But the ads featuring dark stained wood cabinets were numerous.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-20-900x1200.jpg)
In fact, in the whole magazine, I don’t think I saw an ad that had anything other than dark stained wood cabinets. And the travertine. My goodness, so much travertine!
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-19-1200x900.jpg)
This was during the time I had my interior decorating business, and I remember these trends. Everyone wanted dark stained cabinets with a travertine backsplash, and they wanted their homes decorated to look like a page out of a Pottery Barn catalog.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-17-900x1200.jpg)
All I wanted to do was decorate with color, and yet, I was stuck in this never ending dark wood, travertine, Pottery Barn hell with a side of “Texas Tuscan”. I couldn’t escape it.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-16-900x1200.jpg)
I mean, these ads with the dark wood cabinets just seemed unending! Every ad!
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-15-900x1200.jpg)
And even when they tried something different, like this more contemporary look, it was still dark.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-14-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-5-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-8-900x1200.jpg)
Then I got to the features. This is the kitchen from the cover.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-25-900x1200.jpg)
At least it’s white and bright. It’s definitely the closest to “timeless” that there is in the whole magazine.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-26-961x1200.jpg)
Here’s another before and after feature. I mean, you can tell me what you think. Is this timeless? I don’t think it is. The after picture looks like a before picture today.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-24-1200x900.jpg)
I was also surprised to see just how many black and white kitchens there were in this one publication. The one from the cover is white cabinets with a black countertop. The one above is the same. And here’s another one below.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-23-1200x900.jpg)
I remember this look all too well. Even though the cabinets are a light color, the room has a heaviness to it.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-21-1200x900.jpg)
Even this kitchen that is much whiter and brighter has a heaviness to it. I think kitchens back then were a bit overdone. Things seem lighter, brighter, and simpler today.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-18-950x1200.jpg)
This one was probably the closest I found to being able to pass as a timeless design, although I think a new coat of white paint would go a long way in this kitchen.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-11-1200x900.jpg)
This one is just a no from me.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-10-1200x900.jpg)
I think this one probably looked contemporary in 2007, but not today.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-9-900x1200.jpg)
And I don’t even remember this being popular back in 2007.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-7-900x1200.jpg)
This one could still be nice today with a just a few updates, like the ceiling. And I’d also remove those heavy corbels. I remember those being so popular back then, but I just don’t see them being used anymore.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/does-timeless-kitchen-design-exist-4-1200x900.jpg)
So you can tell me what you think. Do any of these pass as “timeless design” to you? I personally don’t think there’s any such thing.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.