Winter, summer, fall and spring all have one thing in common: they come with an onslaught of fashion trends; some of them good and some of them bad. And we’re not just talking about the yellow polka-dotted culottes you bought in the Spring of 2017 that died at the back of your closet, thankfully with the tags still on. Fashion trends appear for your home, too, and especially in the kitchen. But a $30 pants faux pas is a lot different than implementing thousands of dollars in changes to your kitchen cabinets, hardware and accessories just to impress your neighbors. More importantly, there’s a difference between important trends that last and being “trendy.” Before you commit to any kitchen trend, ask yourself these important questions.

How will you use your kitchen?

Every kitchen is used differently, and yours should reflect the way you live, cook and eat. If you’re a foodie that believes in prepping gourmet meals from scratch, your kitchen cabinets and countertops need to make room for your tools, prep stations, and masterpiece dishes. But if it’s a hangout space where the most-used appliances are the Instant Pot and the air fryer, deep and tall kitchen cabinets with space for your quick-fix solutions are in order. And the color? Well, the color of your cabinets won’t determine whether your appliances will in them or you’ll have enough space to make a cake on top of them, now will it? Go ahead and reface or stain your kitchen cabinets however you’d like.

What’s your time commitment to your kitchen?

Open shelving is trendy, and the Instagram photos prove it. But if you’re the “shove clean dishes in and walk away” type (guilty as charged) because you’re always short on time, refacing kitchen cabinets might be a better plan to update your space and to spruce things up. And while wood countertops might be all the rage, if you’re not prepared to refinish and resurface in the event of an accidental knife gouge, quartz will always be the better way to go.

Who else is using your kitchen?

Chefs around the world silently lament (probably, we don’t know) that their kitchens “would be so nice” if it weren’t for all the people that use it. If you have small children, soft stone or hardwood floors, easily damaged countertops and soft wood kitchen cabinets may not be the right trend for you.

Trends come and trends go. But the staples of solid kitchen cabinets, long-lasting counters and floors, and easily upgradeable and updatable appliances and hardware will outlast any “trendy” fashion statement you can make, including your yellow culottes.