What Home Influencer Kitchens have that Yours is Missing

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Seriously, now, there’s a very specific kind of emotional damage that happens after watching a home influencer make coffee in a kitchen that looks like it’s never once dealt with crumbs, bills, sticky counters, pets, or children. Well, a kitchen that’s dealt with anything really. But really, think about it, the counters are perfect. The lighting is perfect. The wooden boards are leaning at the exact angle. There’s always a tiny lamp somewhere, because apparently kitchens now need mood lighting. Oh, and they’re trendy, and there’s constantly this rotation of trendy decor, too. And yeah, of course, every single item is linked. 

The mug is linked. The spoon is linked. The tray is linked. The vase is linked. The oil bottle is linked. The lemon would probably be linked to if lemons had a commission rate. You get the idea, it’s always from Amazon, Anthropologie, or some sponsorship that they have. But buying the same pieces doesn’t always create the same result, which feels honestly terrible since these people are always pushing that whole “get the look” thing.

But you absolutely have to keep in mind here that influencer kitchens usually aren’t special because of one item. They work because everything has been styled, edited, layered, and lit properly. Honestly, it’s that straightforward here. 

The Counters are Styled, Not Just Cleared

Home influencer kitchens love a clean counter, but okay, there’s a difference between “clean” and empty. For starters, here, their counters usually have a few useful pieces grouped together: a tray near the coffee machine, a bowl of fruit, a cutting board against the backsplash, maybe a candle, maybe a little plant in an urn vase. Basically, just go on Pinterest or even just scroll for a few minutes on TikTok or Instagram, and you’re going to see a pretty similar pattern. 

They Heavily Focus on Texture 

Well, a lot of influencer kitchens don’t actually have that much decor. They have texture. They try to have a lot of it too, like wood, stone, ceramic, linen, aged metal, handmade-looking tile, woven baskets, thicker glass, all those little material choices that make a room feel layered without stuffing it with objects. But yes, sometimes it’s still stuffed with objects, though. 

It’s the Quality too

Usually, that doesn’t stay with the builder-grade fixtures and fittings either, same for the cabinets and counters. Very rarely will they go for the big box flat packs (you know the Swedish brand) . It’s honestly not too surprising to them them geared towards moody kitchen aesthetics done by kitchen designers rather than painting over cabinets themselves. Plus, the more bespoke options look much more pulled together than DIYs do.

The Secret is Editing

Yep, maybe this was a given, but it doesn’t matter because this is the part nobody wants to hear, because it’s less fun than shopping. Influencer kitchens look good because they’re edited. Well, that, and not every cute thing gets displayed, usually, not every appliance sits out, and of course, not every corner needs a plant, a book, a candle, and a tiny decorative object that serves no purpose except looking expensive and being moved every time someone wipes the counter. And theres stains, there’s spots, theres still nooks and crannies that have residue.