Top Ten Practical Kitchen Design Mistakes
(and how to avoid them!)
We all want a glorious looking kitchen that suits our personal style. But what good is a fashionable style without the practicality of a workspace that flows with ease? There are hundreds of pitfalls to avoid when designing the most used room in the house. Get it right from the start and the build process will be smooth, and its everyday use will be a dream. Get it wrong and you’ll soon realise that you’ve made a very expensive mistake that you’ll have to live with for a while.
This article aims to highlight the major pitfalls that you can avoid with careful planning.
10. Cramming too much stuff in
There are more options to a kitchen design than flavours of crisps. It can be so hard to choose the best features to suit your needs, that you make the mistake of trying to have everything.
You’ve got to work with the room that you’ve got, which is often too small or with funky features like pillars and slopes. Sometimes that means not having everything on your wish list.
Everybody would love an Island or a huge American style fridge/freezer, but have you actually got comfortable room for it? Sure, more storage space is usually an advantage, but if you cram the walls with cupboards the room could suddenly feel oppressive and you might feel inclined to excessively hoard items you just don’t use anymore.
Is the kitchen a thoroughfare for the rest of the house? Include too many features into the design and you may well have a line of kids waiting to get past by just opening a dishwasher or cupboard door.
Appliance selection can help, as if you are short on space there are slimline options available which might even mean you fit in that desired dishwasher.
Make yourself a priority list of must haves and fit them in one by one from the top down. If it’s realistic then you’re in luck and you get everything you want. If not then you’ll need to shave off a ‘luxury’ item to retain the comfort and flow of the space.
Failing that you can always extend and create the room of your dreams!
9. Not planning where to put all your stuff
Unless you are a new homeowner, chances are you already have lots of kitchen equipment, spices and tableware to store. Investing in a new kitchen is an opportunity for a new plan for how you use the space to suit your needs.
If you blindly add countertops, cupboards, drawers and shelves to the design without first thinking about what those will contain, you’ll likely end up with a kitchen that makes cooking any meal just feel like hard work.
Carefully plan where the utensils and tableware will go. Draw on paper where you will put the toaster and kettle and just make sure you’ve got enough room to operate without being constantly obstructed.
A good idea early on is to create an inventory list of what you have now, add to that the items you wish to add, and place it all within the new design. Any problems will soon arise which will tell you what alterations need to be made.
8. Ignoring the work flow (not putting stuff in the right place)
When you’re dreaming the best look for your new kitchen, such an easy mistake to make is completely ignoring the workflow. This should be your number one priority, no question.
Put too much distance between the stove and the sink and you’ll end up with daily dangerous journeys carrying pots of boiling water. Placing the tableware cupboard close to the dishwasher is a huge effort saver and might even lead to less broken crockery! Keeping snacks close to the food prep area will soon become annoying when the kids get hungry.
Try to imagine yourself and your family in this new room and apply everyday scenarios. Work through the cooking and serving processes from start to finish to predict potential conflicts in the flow. You want the joy of cooking to be as seamless as possible.
Idea: If you are someone struggling to visualise the issues (you’re not alone!), consider writing down a cooking-for-dummies style step by step guide as if you were teaching a child the best way to do it.
Asking yourself these questions should help:
- Where to you get the ingredients, how far do you need to travel?
- Where do you prep and chop the food?
- How far do you need to carry the pots and pans to the stove?
- How safe is the journey to empty boiling water?
- Where will you set the hot pots and trays down?
- Is the snack cupboard far enough away from the cooking area that the kids won’t be in the way!?
- Where is the waste disposal and sink in relation to the prep area?
7. Choosing appliances after designing the kitchen
With so much choice between manufacturer, colour, function, style, type and price, it can be tempting to leave the decision of exactly which appliances go into the kitchen for another day. Put simply - Don’t do it!
It’s absolutely essential to pick your fridge, freezer, dishwasher, oven, hob and hood - all at the planning & design stage.
Firstly, you should want the colour and style to compliment the cabinets and decor, rather than stick out like a sore thumb. Some people like to pick one manufacturer/range for most of their appliances, which accomplishes a similar look throughout the kitchen.
Secondly, kitchens are super expensive and the appliances are no different. You won’t know the full cost of until it’s settled.
Most crucial for the design is knowing the size of the unit so that the cabinets and workflow space can be planned around them. Even units that have identical dimensions can have different requirements in terms of space or airflow clearance.
The design measurements will be very specific in relation to your walls, doorways and space between countertops. Adding an appliance of an unexpected size can really throw a spanner in the works, and you may need to review the entire design. Back to the drawing board!
Our advice - to save on time and hassle, you should choose the the appliances right at the start or you’ll risk either having to alter the design or end with a finished kitchen that’s just not right.
6. Ignoring the lighting
Lighting is the great finisher to a good design. Using a mixture of both sunlight and smartly placed lighting fixtures you’ll be able to introduce the modern wow factor.
Firstly you should be sure to include ’Task Lighting’ - that is your under cabinet downlights that let you work safely without unwanted shadows. These are also a great aesthetic contribution.
Carefully consider your downlights from the ceiling. Don’t fill the ceiling with a busy lighting grid unless you want the canteen feel. Instead, think more about where the lighting is required and create features, for your island for instance. The variation in light levels around the room can cleverly compliment your design.
Nice looking pendant and feature lights make a great statement, but won't always deliver the right lighting effect.
Consider using directional lights aimed at the cupboard doors to not only highlight them but even provide you with inside cupboard light when the door is open.
If the cupboards won’t reach the full height of the room then a great idea is to use the top of the units to uplight the walls, creating an ambiance and reducing the need for as many downlights.
Lighting control
One switch for all the lighting simply won’t work for you. Consider having as many switches as there are features. And why not include some colour changing units to change the mood - just keep it classy!
5. Insisting on an island
There are numerous advantages to having an island if you have the room for one. Extra counter space is an advantage for food preparation, and having the opportunity to add additional storage space or a social eating area is alluring.
But this is only true only if you comfortably have the space. Having an island crammed into a room, that limits the number of people who can use it simultaneously, will be completely counter productive. Also, do you want to feel claustrophobic in a working area with sharp objects?!
The additional units, countertop and lighting to create an island could break the budget so you’ve got to be sure its right for you.
Aside from additional cost, there are plenty of practical problems to consider.
An island that is badly placed or squeezed into the space will only achieve a disfunction of the work flow and enjoyment of the room.
Remember that you’ll need plenty of walking space around each edge of the unit and sometimes this just isn’t achievable.
If you are desperate for the island and space is limited, perhaps consider a different shape.
Curved ends could definitely help with moving around the space.
4. Not respecting the countertop
The countertop is to be revered and properly considered in all its beauty and functionally. The shine of a granite or rustic appeal of an Oak board will finish your kitchen to perfection. Aesthetically, it needs to tie the cupboards in with the walls and floor. The reflection from its surface can reflect light from fixtures and the sun, creating the illusion of more space, just like a mirror.
Practically, it’s the most used and abused part of the kitchen where all items hot and sharp are placed, scraped or flung upon its surface. So it is crucial to pick the right material so it will last and stay looking shiny for years to come. Expect to see blemishes within no time at all if you choose a laminate work surface, whereas spending the extra money on durable surfaces like quartz or granite is a total investment and such a joy to behold when clean!
Choice of material aside, how much workspace do you need? As much as you can afford within the space is our advice. Having counter space on either side of the stove or oven is obvious and leaving space between the stove and sink is advisable.
Plan, plan, plan from the start of the design process. Once you’ve placed your toaster, kettle, slow cooker, kitchen aid, bread bin, coffee maker and what ever else you like to have in your home, how much space do you have left to prepare & serve the food? Try to create enough space to give you options in case you get busy cooking a huge Christmas dinner with many elements.
Remember, cooking and entertaining in your new kitchen should be a pleasurable experience, give yourself plenty of space!
3. In with the new and keep some of the old?
Kitchen prices can be astronomical and of course you should always stay within the range you can afford. However, it can be a false economy to keep some of the old aspects of the house when installing the fancy new features.
Consider changing old doors and windows as part of the project. You could make them bigger to let in more light, or swap out the bog standard white PVC doors with coloured aluminium to tie the design together.
Now is the best time to replace wall coving, lighting and flooring or your design may only be a half measure. And of course you have the opportunity to add those extra electric sockets that you’ll need for counter top appliances.
Amending these features after the installation will be more expensive and time consuming, and your expensive kitchen could be at risk of damage.
2. Not thinking about the maintenance
Cooking and entertaining in your new fandangled kitchen is sure to positively change the way you use your home, but you should also avoid all the possible negative aspects.
Who wants to spend all their time cleaning and making sure the kitchen stays like new? Probably not you! How much time do you actually have spare to clean and maintain? There are practical choices to make your life sooooo much easier in the future.
For instance, when choosing wall cabinets, consider a stud walling above or choose units that reach the ceiling. This will eliminate the gathering of dust in high, out-of-reach places.
Depending on which countertop material you use, periodical aplications of oils might be neccessary to keep it looking ship shape so be prepared to commit extra time and energy!
A gas hob might fit your rustic country feel, but if you were to choose an induction hob then the cleaning is so much quicker - just a quick wipe!!
Spending the extra cash on a self cleaning oven will save you many hours of scrubbing, it's really a no-brainer. And what is the Pro to Con ratio of having a coffee machine when you consider the weekly clean out, ongoing cost and upkeep?
These are just a few things to consider. Talk to your Kitchen Designer about the many other choices you could think about to make your life that much simpler.
1. Entension then kitchen
In our view, the biggest mistakes in practical kitchen design occur when the design happens as an afterthought to the layout design of the room.
Too often the building work to extensions and conversions is the inital primary focus, when actually, the perfect kitchen layout should be an equal focus from the get-go.
If you:
- Keep the same kitchen layout
- Stick to the existing architecture, electrics, windows and plumbing, or
- Plan and design your new extension or renovation and bung in the kitchen as an afterthought;
…..then there is only one outcome - The workflow and possibilities will be limited, as the kitchen design inevitably becomes a slave to the room constraints.
Normally, kitchen designers won’t have an opinion on decor or architectural features. Even if they did their views would arrive too late, as the plans for the room would have already been finalised. Many can give you ideas on basic 2D plans to suggest how they would fit their kitchens into your space, but they'll only work with the walls that you've already got.
An Architectural Designer wouldn't normally offer to specify your complete kitchen design when planning your home renovation work. They will specify the room available to install the units and then the rest of the work is up to you. You'll need to talk to the kitchen designer. Never the two shall speak.
At Expression Design and Planning, we like to work very differently and fill the void between the two services by offering both. We testify that any new extension/renovation and new kitchen should always be jointly designed and planned. By designing the extension/conversion with your kitchen design aspirations already in mind, you will avoid later disappointments or costly redesigns. Rather than separate elements, they should flow into and compliment each other.
