There’s a lot to consider when designing a new kitchen, so it makes sense that mistakes happen. But if you want a kitchen that truly deserves the title ‘heart of the home’, it’s important to stay engaged throughout the kitchen design process.
Here are 10 of the most common mistakes people make when renovating, updating and reconfiguring their kitchens.
1. The placement of your major kitchen items
It's about the placement of your key appliances. Your cooktop, fridge, your sink and dishwasher. One of the things that people get wrong is having those things too far away from each other, so you are constantly walking around your kitchen. The aim is to create a working triangle. So having your sink and dishwasher beside each other, so when you rinse dishes you don't drip anything on the floor, Your cooktop close by so when you need to take pots/pans etc to the sink you can easily and the fridge doesn't have to be on top of them but it is nice to have the fridge close to bench space.
2. Not enough free space for kitchen cupboards
When designing a new kitchen, it’s important to allow enough room between drawers, doors and appliances to cater to handles and knobs, as well as how much space you need to open a fridge or dishwasher drawer.
Ideally, you want enough space that every drawer and door could be open without any one hitting the other.
3. Choosing a bench top
When choosing a bench top it's important to not only consider the look and design but also the functionality of the bench top.
Marble and natural stone are luxurious and gorgeous options, but they are harder to maintain and they are very expensive. Marble bench tops can stain and chip/crack very easily so extra care needs to be taken. On top of that, natural stone will quickly show signs of wear and tear if it often has bowls, plates, pots and pans sitting on top of it.
Some cheaper and more durable options are; laminate, granite or engineered stone bench tops instead.
4. Too much open shelving
Open shelving can look really nice however installing too much open shelving might not be the best idea as it can reduce your storage space. Open shelving looks it's best when it has minimal items on the shelving, this reduces your storage space a lot and can make a kitchen look or feel 'messy'.
Having cupboards with doors can hide the mess behind them while still keeping your kitchen looking and feeling clean!
5. Poor lighting
Kitchens need good lighting for cooking and cleaning, so don’t skimp on it. If you’re going for a pendant light, bigger is better.
If your kitchen doesn’t have a window (like some apartments) or is poorly lit, invest in some bright LED downlights or strip task lighting.