Watch the full video here: 4 Kitchen Upgrades NOT Worth Your Money (and 3 that are)
Quick Answer
Backlit onyx countertops, dedicated nugget ice makers, built-in coffee machines, and workstation sinks loaded with accessories all look impressive in a showroom, but they tend to disappoint homeowners once they’re living with them day to day — they’re fragile, high-maintenance, or simply not used as often as expected. Full-extension drawers, a properly ducted range hood, and hardwired under-cabinet lighting on a dimmer cost far less and make a kitchen work better every single day.
Key Takeaways
- Backlit onyx countertops are stunning but soft, fragile, and prone to staining and chipping — better suited to a bar front or powder room than a busy kitchen island.
- Dedicated nugget ice makers are among the highest-maintenance kitchen appliances, with frequent descaling and some of the highest repair rates.
- Built-in coffee machines can cost thousands before installation and often get abandoned once they break or the coffee doesn’t impress.
- Workstation sinks with every accessory can feel crowded in daily use, even though they look efficient in a showroom display.
- Full-extension drawers, a ducted range hood, and dimmable under-cabinet lighting are lower-cost upgrades that make the biggest daily difference.
If you’re planning a kitchen remodel, it’s easy to get talked into upgrades that look incredible in a showroom and then quietly waste thousands of dollars once they’re installed in a real, busy family kitchen. Carrie Gonzalez of Penny Modern has spent over a decade remodeling kitchens on a budget, and in her video 4 Kitchen Upgrades NOT Worth Your Money (and 3 that are), she breaks down four upgrades that consistently disappoint homeowners — and three lower-cost upgrades that make a kitchen feel more expensive every single day.
Is a Backlit Onyx Countertop Worth It in a Kitchen?
A backlit onyx countertop or island is one of the most dramatic materials you can put in a kitchen — the stone glows from within and shows every dramatic vein, the kind of look you’d expect in a five-star hotel bar. But that drama comes with real trade-offs for a working kitchen.
Onyx is naturally translucent, which is exactly why it looks so incredible backlit — and exactly why it’s soft, fragile, and prone to chips and scratches. According to Angi, onyx needs regular sealing every six to twelve months, spills need to be wiped up immediately to avoid staining, and rare colors can run up to $355 per square foot for the stone alone, before installation.
Once it’s installed, a backlit onyx island can turn into a piece of art everyone is afraid to touch — no dropped backpacks, no cutting boards set directly on the surface, a trivet required for every hot pan. Carrie’s take: if you love the look, use it somewhere it can be appreciated without being abused, like a small bar front, a dramatic backsplash, or a powder-room vanity — not the main island where your family cooks, eats, and unloads their day.
Are Nugget Ice Makers Worth the Money?
Dedicated under-cabinet nugget ice makers show up constantly in dream-kitchen inspiration because that soft, chewable ice is genuinely fun and useful for entertaining. The problem is what it costs you day to day rather than what it costs to buy.
A homeowner discussion on Houzz found that these built-in ice makers are among the highest-maintenance kitchen appliances, with some of the highest repair rates — they run continuously to keep ice cold, can be noisy when ice drops, and need regular descaling and upkeep. They also take up an entire lower cabinet bay that could otherwise hold a pull-out trash and recycling system or deep storage drawers you’ll use every day.
Carrie’s recommendation: only add a dedicated ice maker if you have a true separate beverage bar, entertain often, and are willing to keep up with the maintenance. Otherwise, a refrigerator with a built-in dual ice maker (she uses an LG with an Ice Plus feature) covers what most families need without sacrificing a full cabinet.
Are Built-In Coffee Machines Worth the Splurge?
A built-in coffee machine tucked seamlessly into a tall cabinet looks like something out of a European hotel — press a button, no cords, no clutter. It’s easy to see the appeal. It’s also, according to Carrie, one of the worst places to spend money in a kitchen remodel.
A good built-in system can cost thousands of dollars before you’ve paid for the tall cabinet, electrical, plumbing, and installation. In a discussion in the Coffee community on Reddit, one homeowner said flatly that “nobody uses them” once the novelty wears off, and another described a similar machine as messy and a pain to clean once it clogged with old coffee oil and grounds.
If the machine breaks or you don’t like the coffee it makes, you’re left with an expensive hole in your cabinetry built to fit exactly one appliance. Carrie’s alternative: a dedicated coffee niche with an outlet (and a filtered water line if your remodel allows it), paired with a great countertop machine you can swap out in five years without touching the cabinetry — she uses a Ninja Pods & Grounds Coffee Maker that handles both grounds and Nespresso-style pods.
Are Workstation Sinks with All the Accessories Worth It?
Workstation sinks with built-in ledges for a cutting board, colander, and drying rack look like they’re doing five jobs at once in a showroom display. In real life, your sink is a spot you use a hundred times a day, and all those accessories have to live somewhere when they’re not in use.
One homeowner considering a workstation sink put it this way on Houzz: “I go to my sink 100 times a day. I don’t want to have to shove a bunch of stuff out of the way just to use the sink, and I don’t want to feel cramped.” Carrie’s recommendation is the biggest, simplest single-basin sink that fits your cabinet, saving the workstation accessories for a genuinely small kitchen or apartment where counter space is the real constraint.
What Kitchen Upgrades Are Actually Worth the Money?
After going through the splurges to skip, Carrie shares three upgrades she considers genuinely worth it — not the flashy things people show off on Instagram, but the ones that make a kitchen work better every single day.
Full-Extension Drawers in Your Main Work Zone
Choosing wide, full-extension drawers over standard cabinet doors means you can see everything — pots, pans, food containers, spices — in one pull, instead of digging around on your hands and knees in a dark cabinet. You don’t need custom cabinetry to get this: standard lines from IKEA or Home Depot offer large lower drawers, and you can customize them later with dividers or a pegboard insert as your needs change.
A Properly Ducted Range Hood That Vents Outside
A fully ducted range hood that vents to the outside — rather than a recirculating hood or an over-the-range microwave with weak ventilation — keeps grease and smoke from collecting on your cabinetry and keeps cooking smells from lingering. The Washington State Department of Health notes that cooking creates indoor particles, and that hoods venting outdoors are generally far more effective at removing them than recirculating hoods. Carrie uses a Vissani range hood with an integrated light for a secondary light source over the range.
Hardwired Under-Cabinet Lighting on a Dimmer
Under-cabinet lighting is one of the least expensive items on this list, but it changes how a kitchen feels more than almost anything else. Overhead lighting creates shadows exactly where you chop and read recipes; under-cabinet lighting puts light where you actually work, and a dimmer lets you soften the whole room at night. Lowe’s calls it task lighting at its best, since it brightens the prep area while adding ambience. Plan for it while walls are open so an electrician can hardwire it and hide the fixtures behind the cabinet face.
Splurge or Skip: A Quick Comparison
| Upgrade | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Backlit onyx countertop | Skip (for the main island) | Soft, fragile, needs sealing every 6–12 months, up to $355/sq ft |
| Nugget ice maker | Skip (unless dedicated bar) | High maintenance, high repair rates, takes a full cabinet bay |
| Built-in coffee machine | Skip (unless daily coffee enthusiast) | Thousands in cost, hard to repair or replace, single-purpose cabinetry |
| Workstation sink with accessories | Skip (unless very small kitchen) | Feels crowded in daily use; accessories need storage |
| Full-extension drawers | Worth it | Everyday visibility and access at a modest cost |
| Ducted range hood | Worth it | Removes smoke and grease effectively; protects cabinetry and air quality |
| Under-cabinet lighting on a dimmer | Worth it | Low cost, high daily impact on function and ambience |
Frequently Asked Questions
Are backlit onyx countertops durable enough for everyday use?
Not for a busy main island. Onyx is naturally soft and translucent, which is what allows it to glow when backlit, but that same quality makes it prone to chipping, scratching, and staining. It needs resealing every six to twelve months and immediate cleanup of spills like wine or pasta sauce. It works better in lower-traffic spots like a bar front or powder-room vanity.
How much does a backlit onyx countertop cost?
Rare onyx colors can cost up to $355 per square foot for the stone alone, according to Angi, and that figure doesn’t include installation, backlighting, or labor. Costs vary widely by slab rarity and fabricator.
Are dedicated nugget ice makers worth installing in a kitchen?
Only if you have a separate beverage bar, entertain often, and are willing to keep up with maintenance. Homeowner discussions on Houzz describe these units as some of the highest-maintenance, highest-repair-rate appliances in a kitchen, since they run continuously and need regular descaling. A refrigerator with a built-in dual ice maker covers most everyday needs without giving up a full cabinet bay.
Is a built-in coffee machine worth the money in a remodel?
Only for a genuine daily coffee enthusiast who understands the maintenance involved. A built-in system can cost thousands before installation, plumbing, and electrical, and homeowners on Reddit’s coffee community describe these machines as messy to maintain and easy to stop using once the novelty fades. A flexible coffee niche with a quality countertop machine offers similar polish with far less risk.
What’s the difference between a workstation sink and a regular sink?
A workstation sink includes built-in ledges that hold accessories like a cutting board, colander, or drying rack directly over the basin. A standard single-basin sink skips the accessories in favor of maximum open space for everyday tasks like washing pots and pans. Workstation sinks can be worth it in a very small kitchen where counter space is limited, but many homeowners find the accessories crowd a sink they use constantly.
Is a ducted range hood better than a recirculating one?
Yes. The Washington State Department of Health notes that range hoods ducted to the outside are generally far more effective at removing cooking particles and emissions than recirculating hoods, which filter and return air to the room. If your home’s layout allows it, venting outside is worth prioritizing over a decorative hood shell.
Should I get custom cabinet inserts or just deep drawers?
Start with sturdy, full-extension drawer hardware rather than assuming every cabinet needs a fancy custom insert. Adjustable dividers can be added later and adapt as your needs change, while good hardware is what actually determines whether the drawers hold up over time.
What’s the best low-cost kitchen upgrade that looks expensive?
Hardwired under-cabinet lighting on a dimmer. It’s one of the least expensive items on a remodel budget, but it changes how a kitchen looks and feels at night more than most higher-cost upgrades, especially in kitchens with $30,000–$50,000 cabinet budgets.
Resources Mentioned in This Video
Kitchen Designer Secret Sources — the sources and ideas Carrie uses to help create a kitchen that looks beautiful and works for real life.
100 Money-Saving Hacks to Save THOUSANDS On Your Kitchen Remodel
Vissani Range Hoods (Home Depot)
Ninja Pods & Grounds Coffee Maker
Related video: LG Refrigerator Review (Dual Ice Maker)
Watch the full video again here: 4 Kitchen Upgrades NOT Worth Your Money (and 3 that are)
Carrie Gonzalez is the self-taught interior designer and founder of Penny Modern. For more than a decade, she has helped everyday homeowners decorate and remodel kitchens and bathrooms with designer-level ideas on a realistic budget.
Last Updated: August 2026