By Anna Skovby Hansen

March 7, 2025

They say all good parties end in the kitchen, and the Danes’ kitchen party is far from over. We are replacing our kitchens at a fast rate – often more for aesthetic reasons than functional ones.

Kitchen Party: Everyone Deserves a Cool Kitchen. For years, this was the slogan of a well-known kitchen company. “Cool” was mostly associated with “new” – but perhaps it’s time to connect “cool” with “reused.” At least, if we want to put a stop to the endless cycle of kitchen renovations. According to a study by the Danish Building Research Institute Bolius, the average Danish kitchen lasts only 11 years before being replaced.

Maybe we should start treating our kitchens with the same care as our sourdough starters – nurturing, feeding, and passing them down – rather than tearing them down and replacing them long before they’re worn out. It seems paradoxical that in an era where we cook less and less, we still change our kitchens so frequently. Often, it’s about aesthetics and new interior trends rather than cabinets falling apart. The kitchen has become the home’s equivalent of a fashion accessory – one season, everything is sleek and white; the next, bold colors take center stage.

A Move Toward Thoughtful Kitchen Design

Marie Fenger Ehlers, an architect, has spent years renovating her family’s nearly-demolished summer house in Djursland, focusing on reusing existing materials. This process opened her eyes to the beauty of older materials and the importance of working with a house’s original character. For example, the kitchen was built using the home’s old, solid wood floorboards, repurposed as cabinetry.

»We’ve become accustomed to aesthetics with straight, sharp lines, but in our summer house, we preserved the uneven walls and corners,« says Marie Fenger Ehlers.

Photo: Kam Idris – unsplash​

The Kitchen as a Symbol of Prestige and Success

Show me your kitchen, and I’ll tell you who you are. The kitchen is not just a place where we chop and dice – it is a marker of identity and status, explains Malene Breunig, an associate professor at the University of Southern Denmark, specializing in Danish cultural history, design, visual arts, and architecture.

»As the welfare state grew and more people had disposable income, we developed a consumer culture where identity and status were expressed through our purchases,« she elaborates.

This trend accelerated in the ‘90s and 2000s when the kitchen became the most prestigious room in the home. We invited guests into the kitchen, keeping an eye on the roast while sipping chilled Chardonnay from the wine fridge and chatting over the kitchen island – all while the kids played in the living room.

»The more expensive the furniture and the more frequent the upgrades, the more successful one appeared,« says Malene Breunig. However, in recent years, there has been a counterreaction to the throwaway culture, with more people choosing to preserve rather than replace.

»This shift is tied to increased awareness of sustainable consumption. Today, it’s seen as prestigious and culturally sophisticated to maintain and renovate, putting your own touch on a kitchen rather than just buying something new,« Breunig explains.

The Kitchen Transformed: From Workroom to Heart of the Home

Once, the kitchen had nothing to do with prestige or success. It was often hidden in the basement or placed far from the main living spaces to keep the noise and smells away from the upper class. Over time, the kitchen became more integrated into the home, focusing on functionality with built-in elements, smart storage solutions, and efficient layouts. Eventually, dining areas moved in, making the kitchen a space for the whole family, where cooking and socializing intertwined. It’s been over 25 years since the Danish word for “conversation kitchen” was officially recognized.

»Especially in the 2000s, the kitchen became the ultimate status symbol. The belief that everyone deserves a cool kitchen became widespread. It resonated deeply with the times—Danes felt they had earned it through hard work and income, and therefore, they had the right to a big, stylish kitchen,« says Malene Breunig.

Today, the kitchen isn’t just for cooking – it’s a social hub where we work, talk, host parties, and, in some cases, simply unpack a takeout bag.

A New Aesthetic: From High-Gloss and Stainless Steel to Minimalism and Patina

For years, the high-gloss white kitchen was the epitome of modernity, but its shiny, reflective surfaces have long been replaced in many homes. A new aesthetic now dominates, featuring fluid lines, minimalist designs, and natural materials. Colors and personal touches are also gaining ground. At the same time, sustainability has become a priority, with a growing preference for materials like wood.

Wood is at the heart of architect Marie Fenger Ehlers’ summer house, where old floorboards have been repurposed for kitchen cabinets, and the countertop is also wooden. Her inspiration comes from The Old Town Museum in Aarhus, where she admired the organic, natural materials of historic kitchens that have stood the test of time.

»Our goal was to build the kitchen more like a workshop rather than a sterile space where everything is hidden away in cabinets. There’s beauty in old materials and the interplay between new and used. The imperfections add personality to the house,« she explains.

She emphasizes that choosing the right materials is key to sustainable building – for example, wood, which develops a beautiful patina and has a long lifespan.

»Cheap laminate countertops don’t last. They’re practical for five years, but they’re neither sustainable nor aesthetically pleasing in the long run – they are lifeless materials. A wooden countertop, on the other hand, only gets better with time – if you take care of it,« says Marie Fenger Ehlers.

Photo: Andreas Mikkel Hansen

Reusing and Renovating as a Cultural Statement

The new kitchen aesthetic is no longer about high-gloss and stainless steel but about soul, history, and environmental consciousness. The question is no longer how quickly we can replace our kitchens, but how long we can make them last.

»Influencers and home magazines increasingly showcase how preservation and renovation can be just as exclusive as buying new. At the same time, it’s a way to appreciate past styles and craftsmanship – perhaps even drawing inspiration from the brown kitchens and tiles of the ‘70s,« says Malene Breunig.

And climate concerns are a major reason to think twice before tearing down and rebuilding. It’s estimated that 35 percent of the country’s waste comes from the construction industry, according to data from the Danish Building Research Institute.

Researcher Malene Breunig sees a new trend where sustainability is no longer just about climate awareness – it has become a cultural statement. Moving forward, we will likely see more kitchens being preserved, reused, and upcycled, rather than replaced as if they were seasonal fashion items.