The more information you have about the mistakes to avoid, the higher your choices are in renovating your kitchen. Doesn’t it make more sense for you to be aware of some possible mistakes before doing your kitchen renovations instead of after? In kitchen design, this translates into results that meet your preferences and respect your budget. Here are 14 kitchen design mistakes that you should avoid.
Why You Should Be Careful About Kitchen Design Mistakes
The kitchen is the place in your home where many activities take place such as cooking, eating, drinking, cleaning, doing homework and socializing.
This is why your kitchen should be both beautiful and functional. Regardless of your kitchen design style, organization and layout are the essentials.
1. A beautiful kitchen, but not very functional
Far too many homeowners don’t put too much thought into their kitchen design. The end result is often a kitchen that looks great, but lacks functionality. This is the number one mistake when it comes to kitchen design mistakes.
The layout design of your new kitchen is one of the most important parts to consider before starting work.
You need to make the space in your kitchen as practical and welcoming as possible because the time you spend in your kitchen will be much more enjoyable.
2. Forgetting about your interests with too much information
The more information you have, the more you can forget what really matters to you in your kitchen design.
With so much information available on the internet, people tend to decorate or fill their space with too many ideas, too many materials, and too many accessories. Your kitchen looks more like a showroom than a room in your home.
3. Installing the wrong kitchen island
When it comes to kitchen islands, generally we have in mind to have more storage, more space to cook. However, kitchen islands can waste a lot of space.
Picking the wrong island or placing it in the wrong place can be a disaster, especially in a location that may be too cluttered.
An island can create a restriction of movement if it is placed or makes obstacles to go to the sink, the refrigerator, the stove and the work counter.
An island should have a dimension of at least 4 x 2 feet, and also have room for people to move around. If your kitchen is less than 12 x 8 feet, you shouldn’t even consider having an island.
4. Difficult movement in the workspace
There is a work triangle in the kitchen which refers to the sink, the stove and the refrigerator. This is where the most activity happens and requires careful planning and free access.
Of the three, the sink is usually where the action is most, and you should also have easy access to the stove and refrigerator, as well as the kitchen counter.
Regardless of the size or configuration of your kitchen, the sum of the three lines in the triangle should not be less than 10 feet or more than 25 feet. If the work triangle is too small, people will have difficulty moving around. If it is too large, food preparation could be a tiring task.
5. Forgetting to install a kitchen backsplash
In budgeting or designing a new kitchen, the backsplash often comes at the end of the list. It may save you money in the short term, but in the long run it will cost you a lot more time and effort.
Think of the steam, water and grease in the kitchen, and you’ll see why installing a backsplash above the cooktop and counters is a smart idea.
It’s much easier to clean grease off a backsplash than it is on paint or wallpaper.
6. Choose appliances that are too big
Appliances that are way too big in a space can create the appearance of having a smaller kitchen. People often compromise movement space in order to get more storage, which makes it very difficult for two people to work side by side.
7. Have a closed kitchen
Traditionally, kitchens were spaces, separate rooms with the dining room and the living room. Kitchens have evolved to be the focal point in a home, and these traditional dividers are sometimes mistakenly retained in new kitchen designs.
8. Put a sink in an island
A kitchen sink in an island will never look good no matter how good your sink looks. Plus, this sink’s location is great for finding keys, bills, and junk mail. Do not use this accessory to pile dirty dishes on it.
9. Have poor ventilation
The best kitchen design withers in the presence of noxious odors. Have you ever walked into someone’s house and smelled the lingering smell of cooked fish the day before? You understand the importance of good ventilation!
Inexpensive range hoods simply circulate dirty, stale air, while a good ventilation system improves air quality and helps you keep your kitchen clean.
Although it can be a significant investment, a good ventilation system will make life easier and more pleasant, especially if your kitchen opens onto a living room or dining room. Not having is one of the most impactful kitchen design mistakes.
10. Full height cabinets on each side
There is no right answer in kitchen design. Often the choices depend on available space, budget and preference. Having a work counter with full-height cabinets on either side leaves no space to easily move hot, heavy pans, making it difficult to use them.
11. Inadequate counter space
One of the biggest complaints in kitchen remodeling is the lack of counter space. With all of the activities that require the use of a counter, as well as appliances located nearby, you want to have as much horizontal surface area as possible in a kitchen. This can be achieved by adding an island or a breakfast bar.
12. Having poor lighting
The kitchen is a room where you can’t afford to have bad lighting. This is not only a question of design and ambiance, but also a question of safety. Also, the more light you have in your kitchen, the better you can show off your design elements.
Kitchens generally need three types of lighting:
- General lighting;
- Task lighting;
- Accent lighting.
Use pendant lights or mini-pendants to enhance the beauty of the kitchen. Pendants look great above kitchen sinks, while a series of mini-pendants work well over breakfast nooks and islands.
Install under-cabinet lighting to ensure countertops have sufficient lighting for common kitchen tasks.
13. Losing Valuable Storage Space
Kitchens usually contain a lot of stuff. Often there are some hidden behind cabinets and have irregular shapes that require a lot of space. Finding storage space for your devices or accessories while keeping them accessible is difficult. But you can manage it and avoid a kitchen design mistake easily.
If your kitchen is small, install extra-long cabinets to have more storage space. Do not forget to install cabinets on top of the refrigerator. Finally, installing shelves in the back of the lower cabinets could add up to 4 square feet of storage space.
14. Follow fashionable trends too much
While that’s not necessarily one of the kitchen design mistakes, the latest hot trends for kitchens may not always be the best picks.
Color trends and designs have a very short life, and you may never get a return on your investment. Look for kitchen innovations and appliances that are timeless. Your dream kitchen is not in magazines but in you!
