timeless finishes like chrome<\/a>, nickel, or brass. These not only age more gracefully, Hospod says, but they are also easier to maintain\u2014and far more likely to stand the test of time, both functionally and aesthetically.<\/p>\nBoucl\u00e9![\"Credit:](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/7cc9032787c85afa2995a81f90af5567.jpeg\"\/)
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Credit: Shae M \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
It\u2019s cozy, it\u2019s textured, and it\u2019s all over your Instagram feed\u2014but according to interior designers, boucl\u00e9 might be better admired from afar than lived with up close.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoucl\u00e9 is one fabric I often caution clients about,\u201d Hospod says. \u201cWhile it photographs beautifully and adds great texture, in everyday use, it tends to disappoint.”<\/p>\n
Crumbs and dust can settle deep into its loops, she explains, making it difficult to clean, and the fabric wears unevenly\u2014lighter tones show wear quickly, while darker ones highlight every speck.<\/p>\n
If you love the textural look of boucl\u00e9, but want something more practical, consider similarly textured fabrics with tighter weaves or performance-grade durability.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s all about finding that sweet spot between style and sustainability\u2014for your furniture and your sanity,” says Hospod.<\/p>\n
Lower Cabinets With No Pull-Out Shelving<\/p>\n
Traditional lower cabinets may look timeless, but when it comes to everyday function, they often fall short. In fact, if you\u2019ve ever had to crouch down and dig through a dark corner to find the blender, you already know the struggle.<\/p>\n
Many people choose traditional lower cabinets with shelves, which look classic but make you bend down and dig the back for heavy pots, pans, and small appliances, Kerry O’Duibhir, the chief executive officer at New Wave Design & Contracting, says.<\/p>\n
After using their kitchen for a time, she says clients often realize deep drawers or pull-outs are far more functional\u2014you can see everything at a glance and reach it easily.<\/p>\n
O’Duibhir recommends rethinking lower cabinet storage early in your planning process. Opt for full-extension drawers or pull-out shelves to make every inch usable, and your kitchen routine a whole lot easier.<\/p>\n
Marble Countertops![\"Credit:](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ed3e8c5c2c93839f4cf60991b3fb3c33.jpeg\"\/)
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Credit: brizmaker \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no denying it\u2014marble countertops are stunning. Elegant, timeless, and oh-so-photogenic. But ask anyone who\u2019s lived with them for more than a week, and the love affair starts to wane fast.<\/p>\n
Alex Thies, the owner and creative director at Adelyn Charles Interiors, explains how marble isn’t a practical solution in the kitchen because it requires regular maintenance since it’s super soft and porous.<\/p>\n
“It is prone to chipping, scratching, and staining, and if you live in a home with a kitchen that actually gets used, it will never hold up,” Thies says.<\/p>\n
Even a splash of lemon juice or a ring from a wine glass can leave a permanent mark, and keeping marble pristine often requires a level of caution that most busy households realistically don\u2019t have time for.<\/p>\n
Thies recommends quartzite as a savvy alternative.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a natural stone that has similar movement and coloring to marble, but with more durability,\u201d she explains. “You\u2019ll still get that soft, organic look\u2014but without worrying every time someone puts down a coffee cup.”
<\/strong><\/p>\nLuxury Laminate![\"Credit:](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/81be6ef345cf7dd75a9eae27025819fb.jpeg\"\/)
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Credit: Kseniya Ovchinnikova \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
Luxury vinyl or laminate wood-look flooring is another thing that Thies highly recommends clients stay away from. Although it may be appealing at first for its resilience and appearance of a wood floor, it will never beat the real thing, Thies explains.<\/p>\n
Among clients’ biggest complaints? That unmistakable \u201cclicky\u201d sound underfoot, a synthetic feel that doesn\u2019t age gracefully, and a lack of the warmth and character that natural wood brings to a space. It might hold up against spills, but it falls short on soul.<\/p>\n
Instead, Thies recommends engineered wood flooring in a hearty species like white oak.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing beats the warmth of a real wood floor underfoot,\u201d she says. \u201cChoose a character-grade option if you want something more forgiving.”<\/p>\n
The harder wood species can be surprisingly easy to maintain and clean, she says.<\/p>\n
Read the original article on The Spruce<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Key Points Designers say that corner sinks and lower cabinets without pull-outs are usually regretted because they aren\u2019t…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":396327,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[267],"tags":[180349,180347,365,362,363,364,180345,180348,366,18,180344,117,2445,19,41003,17,180342,180346,180343,180350],"class_list":{"0":"post-396326","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-adelyn-charles-interiors","9":"tag-alex-thies","10":"tag-arts","11":"tag-arts-and-design","12":"tag-artsanddesign","13":"tag-artsdesign","14":"tag-boucle-fabric","15":"tag-corner-sinks","16":"tag-design","17":"tag-eire","18":"tag-engineered-wood","19":"tag-entertainment","20":"tag-getty-images","21":"tag-ie","22":"tag-interior-designers","23":"tag-ireland","24":"tag-marble-countertops","25":"tag-paulina-hospod","26":"tag-plumbing-fixtures","27":"tag-vinyl-flooring"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116266244986005429","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=396326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/396327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=396326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=396326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=396326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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