10 Kitchen Design Mistakes To Avoid

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Renovating your kitchen can be a big and costly project. So, you really don’t want to get it wrong. There are a few mistakes that are easy to make if you aren’t aware of them. So, when you plan your kitchen design, make sure you consider these ten aspects that many people forget about.

Poor Lighting

Getting the lighting right in your kitchen takes planning. You need to think about the level of light you want in the room. What will make it a comfortable room to be in, while also ensuring you have enough light to cook safely. It can help to consider spotlighting to illuminate your working areas. 

Exceeding The Budget

With something like a kitchen, it is so easy to go overbudget. There are so many great little gadgets and exciting storage solutions. You need to decide on your budget. Then prioritise on what you must have in your kitchen. Try to plan to come in under budget because you will almost certainly find something you want to spend the excess on.

Forgetting About Ventilation

The least exciting but most important part of any kitchen design is the ventilation. If you don’t include some form of ventilation over your hob, you can end up with an unpleasant cooking environment. Or a dangerous one. If you don’t want a large ventilation hood, you can get under-counter ventilation solutions. They do take up space inside a cabinet and need to be connected to the outer wall. However, they can add a feeling of sophistication to a kitchen.

Cluttering The Kitchen Triangle – Sink, Stove, and Fridge

Wooden kitchen

When it comes to kitchen design, the most important thing to consider is the route between the sink, the stove and the fridge. This is the route that you walk the most when you are cooking. If you have any obstacles in your path, it will quickly become an irritant when you are cooking. You want these things to all to be in easy proximity. The placement of the sink will often limit your area of work. So this should be the starting point of your design.

Awkward Storage

Getting the storage right in your kitchen is a tricky balance; you need to make sure you have enough storage for all your cooking equipment. However, you don’t want rows and rows of drawers and cabinets everywhere. It can end up looking cluttered. If you have large storage needs, you should investigate integrated storage solutions.

Skimping On Counter Tops

Countertops are the most important part of a kitchen. However, it is an easy thing to fail to incorporate enough into your design. There is nothing more frustrating when you’re cooking than running out of counter space. A good way to make sure that you will have enough space to think about the biggest meal you can cook in your kitchen. Think about how much space you will need to do that comfortably, then use that as your guide.

Neglecting The Backsplash

The backsplash on your kitchen is something that is easy to forget about. Not having one can cause you to get stains and splash marks on your kitchen walls. You may end up needing to redecorate sooner than you planned. There are some great designs for backsplashes. So they can easily be a feature piece in your kitchen, rather than detracting from your stylish space.

Forgetting To Plan For Recycling

When you’re planning your kitchen, you will probably automatically think about where you’re going to put the bin. However, refurbishing your kitchen is a great opportunity to build in facilities for recycling too. If you have an easy recycling system and the necessary space, then you are much more likely to get it done and tidied away quickly to avoid mess and clutter.

Following A Trend

Different kitchen designs come in and out of fashion. It’s really easy to see something in a magazine and decide to put that in your home. However, if the trend you fell in love with goes out of fashion, it can cause problems down the road. You might fall out of love with your kitchen once it’s no longer in style. It could even make it harder to sell your house. Your best bet is to stick with timeless styling and use easily changeable pieces to give you a kitchen character.

Not Using A Kitchen Designer

When it comes to finding out your new kitchen, it would be a huge mistake not to use the services of a kitchen designer. The experience will help you avoid problems you never even thought of. Most have access to fantastic 3D modelling programs which will allow you to see your kitchen before it’s fitted. A kitchen designer can also offer suggestions because they will have the most up-to-date and broad knowledge when it comes to things like integrated storage, recycling facilities and planning for the flow of the room.