It’s easy to get into the excitement of designing or renovating a kitchen and overlooking the details that really matter. Before spending your hard earned cash on features you will regret, consider these six common kitchen design mistakes that could make your kitchen difficult to use, clean, and enjoy. When the functionality of your kitchen is compromised, you will simply end up ordering a lot more takeaway – and then what’s the point of putting so much time and effort into it?
Lack of adequate storage
Open kitchen shelves are a great solution to overcrowded countertops.
Image about home therapy
Open shelves are all the rage right now and it’s easy to see why. Wall cabinets can dominate the space, especially if they are dark in color, while simple shelves add to a more airy feel. However, keep in mind the basic rule of a well-organized interior: there should always be a home for everything. Otherwise, you’ll just end up with all of those extra dishes, glasses, cooking utensils, and baking ingredients cluttering your countertops. If you take away storage from the wall, add it back in a different location.
Neglecting a good workflow
A good kitchen layout takes the flow into account – take this layout from Cooksmarts for example.
Image via Cooksmarts
Notice how you actually move around your kitchen during use. Is there a place next to the stove to put hot things? Is there a free path from the stove to the sink to the refrigerator? Can people get through without bumping into an open door, oversized island, or other obstacle? It’s harder to develop a good workflow when your kitchen is small, but there are always workarounds like pull-out surfaces, pocket doors, and shallow appliances.
Selection of difficult-to-clean materials
Tiles look great in kitchens, but they’re not exactly the easiest material to clean.
Image via Fantastic Frank
Sure, tile counters can be beautiful. But have you ever had to remove greasy sludge from grout? The same applies to real wood floors and untreated wooden cabinets, which can quickly become discolored by oily splashes and spills. Think about how (and how often) you will clean the surfaces before choosing porous countertops or stainless appliances that will display every single fingerprint. You may find that alternative materials suddenly seem more appealing.
The story goes on
Indulge in many trends
Mismatched kitchen cabinets may have been all the rage at one point, but today they just feel dated.
Image via HGTV
Two-tone lacquered cabinets, mix-and-match hardware, and mottled granite are three trends that were hugely popular just a few years ago, but are all on their way out now. Sorry Joanna Gaines, but shiplap is likely next. When designing your kitchen, avoid including too many things that you would see on a reality TV home makeover show as there is a good chance they will look out of date in the near future. If you love a particular trend too much to pass on, use it for something that can easily be swapped out when you feel like making another change.
Tackle amateur projects hard
DIY kitchen renovation projects can produce beautiful results – all you need to do is take the time to follow the directions and get everything right.
Image via Lovely Etc
You have seen all of the YouTube videos. You have memorized every second of this TikTok tutorial. Great. You can probably do a lot of DIY projects and save money in the process. Just make sure you really know what you are doing and don’t skip any steps. Proper planning and preparation is crucial. For example, if you want to paint your cabinets, don’t forget to degrease, sand, and prime them first or they’ll start bubbly and peeling within a few months.
Overspending on the wrong thing
Top-end ovens like this one are great, but if you don’t cook a lot, it probably isn’t something to overpay.
Image via Vikings
It can be tempting to design for other people’s impressions and imagine what they will think when they enter. But your kitchen is for you and should suit your lifestyle. If you really don’t need a top notch gas stove, those thousands could be used on items that actually make your life easier, such as: B. Cabinet shelves sliding out so you don’t have to crawl inside a muffin tin.
Comments are closed.