This Kitchen Countertop Style Is So 2010s

There’s a lot of talk about kitchen countertop materials (we’re looking at you, laminate) and colors that are seen as dated versus in vogue, but it turns out that even a countertop edge style can trap a kitchen in a bygone decade, too.

Ornate details and curves aplenty were once welcomed in the kitchen, but they’re no longer seen as stylish or welcome. The general consensus among the pros with whom we spoke is that today, clean lines are the name of the game when it comes to kitchen countertop design.

Below, three interior design experts share specific countertop edge styles that they consider to be stuck in the past and highlight their preferred looks for today’s homes. If you’ll soon be taking on a kitchen remodel, take notes!

Why Ornate Styles Are Seen As Dated

Generally speaking, ornate design has fallen out of favor when it comes to any room of the home—for example, living room drapery is less layered, most pieces of furniture are more streamlined, and built-in details are pared back.

As such, gone are the days of incorporating countertop edges with detail galore, notes Mary Gordon, the cofounder of InSite Builders & Remodeling.

Countertop Styles to Avoid

Things can skew overly ornate when it comes to both countertop edges and corner shapes.

As Mary Gordon says, overly ornate styles “draw attention to the edge itself rather than allowing the countertop material to stand on its own.”

Bullnose Edges

Denny Lewis, senior project manager at TriVistaUSA Design + Build, says bullnose countertop edges, curved along the bottom and top, have fallen out of style.

Sarah Scales, the founder of Sarah Scales Design Studio, says rounded or bullnose edges remind her especially of laminate countertops.

“We are not going back there,” she says.

And Gordon adds that the overall look is thick and clunky.

Ogee and Double Ogee Edges

“Highly ornate edges such as ogee, double ogee, and certain bullnose profiles look heavy because they add visual weight and decoration to surfaces that are now intended to feel uncluttered, streamlined, and architectural,” Gordon says.

Ogee style countertop edges have also proved to be not all that practical anyway, Lewis adds. “It leaves a thin lower lip that is vulnerable to breaking if you drop something on the edge,” he says. “The multi-faceted profile also doesn’t fit with the clean, streamlined look that has become popular in modern design.”

Large Radius Curves

As it pertains to corner silhouettes that are now seen as dated, be mindful to avoid exaggerated rounded corners, such as large radius curves, according to Gordon. ”

They were once popular for their smooth, soft appearance and the perception of being safer than sharper edges, but today they make a space feel fussy and less precise,” she says. “They also interrupt clean cabinet lines and the more linear layouts that define current design.”

What Countertop Styles to Use Instead

Given how many different kitchen countertop edge styles seem to be out of fashion, you might be wondering what designers consider to be in style these days. The answer?

“A simple eased edge—clean, quiet, and timeless,” Scales says. “I especially love stacking the edge to create the illusion of a thicker slab, often mitered to achieve a 2-inch profile.”

Gordon has a similar answer.

“Current preferences in countertop edge style favor simpler edges with minimal profiling and tighter corner silhouettes,” she says. “These feel more refined, allow the material to take center stage rather than the detailing, and align with contemporary design.”

Sometimes, it turns out, less is truly more!