Kitchens need great design more-so than many other parts of the home, largely because they are very functional, often cluttered and are used numerous times throughout the day for a whole variety of purposes. Here at Kitchen Warehouse, we have seen many kitchens be plagued by simple design mistakes over the years.

A well-designed kitchen is a beautiful thing and a badly designed one will mean you will need to pay the costs for a long time to come. Knowing and understanding the design faux pas’ that a lot of kitchen designers make, makes it easier for you to decide on a good one, what you want from your kitchen and also how you want it to act and look.

Counter Space

One of the most common oversights in the kitchen is counter space. Yes, you want a beautiful kitchen, but one with a lack of counter space is never going to work for those that require room for cooking. Needless to say, there are all sorts of innovative ways to create more worktop space in even the smallest of kitchens and you should try to ensure your design does this. There will always be limitations, but a smart design will overcome these.

The materials should also be chosen carefully, for example, laminates are quite low in price, but very practical and can be quite rugged. Wood and stone on the other hand often require a lot of care and love and this is something that costs money, time and effort and should be considered beforehand.

Design of the Island

kitchen island with seating

Islands are a great addition to some kitchens but not necessarily all kitchens. Yes, they can potentially offer plenty of room in the kitchen for storage and work as an additional work area. However, you should also evaluate your kitchen and where you intend on placing the island to ensure that it doesn’t get in the way of the traffic in the space. It’s very important the island is positioned in a manner that allows for plenty of room around it and doesn’t impede foot traffic. Ideally, you want between 4-5 feet between an island and a workspace to ensure there is room. Single wall and L-shape kitchens look good and are functional for islands and offer the best option for work and also play in the kitchen.

Not Enough Light

A kitchen should be light to suit the specific task at hand. Kitchens tend to have general spotlights overhead, however, there is much more to kitchen lighting that these basic ones. From task lighting to ambient or window lighting, kitchen lights vary dramatically and you should spend time with your designer to plan the lighting in the kitchen beforehand. Good lighting can really help a kitchen look great, provide numerous functions and also show off some of the amazing elements that you’ve added to your home. The more light you have and the more suitable it is the better and more enjoyment you’ll get from your kitchen.

Ventilation

Without lots of ventilation a kitchen can end up smelling and that can be a really off-putting issue. Good ventilation is pivotal with a kitchen – nobody wants to have to smell the fish that you cooked a few days ago. Additionally, stale air isn’t great for a number of other reasons. Improving the quality of air indoors will help get rid of airborne grease particles and in doing so keeps the work surfaces clean? It will also extend the life of your appliances as old, stale air tends to generate heat and this heat causes problems for fridges for example. Good ventilation will remove fans to route air out of the home and leave clean air behind making for a more enjoyable and cleaner home that everyone can enjoy.

Rubbish Disposal

Magic Corners or Le-mans Corners Better

Having a suitable way of dealing with your rubbish can make a big difference for a kitchen. A lot of us just throw our rubbish into a bin inside or outside the back door. However, introducing a garbage disposal unit and suitable space for recycling can also make things a lot better. Recycling isn’t going to disappear and ensuring you have the appropriate space to ensure that it is dealt with efficiently and cleanly will make your life a lot easier and your kitchen a lot tidier.

Budgets

The budget can often be thrown out the window when creating a new project and that’s understandable, people get excited. However, try and make sure to watch your budget to prevent such occurrences from happening. Kitchen investments do improve the price of a home, however, going over budget can cause problems. Always purchase the essentials first before going for the glitzier elements of the kitchen. This will ensure that you have what you need at the end and not what you want.

Trendy

We all like to be on trend, however, try and avoid getting too trendy with a kitchen as this will often result in a lack of longevity. Trendy kitchens may look amazing now but might not do so further down the line and because of this you should always be conservative. Unless you’re planning on changing your kitchen again in a few years that is.

These are some of the most common kitchen mistakes that we see. Of course, we’re always happy to guide you in the correct direction – so get in touch with us and we’ll help you out.