It is important to strike a balance between style and function when designing a kitchen. To ensure your kitchen looks beautiful and functions efficiently you must avoid common mistakes that can ruin the whole purpose of what you intend to achieve.
In this article, we’d share some of the most common mistakes to avoid when planning your new kitchen design. This will help you create a space that is aesthetically satisfying and also practical.
1. Prioritize Style Over Function
This is one of the most common mistakes people make when designing their kitchen focusing mainly on aesthetics over the functionality of their kitchen. Although you may want a stylish kitchen that is social media worthy but it’s important to ensure it serves its purpose.
2. Overlooking Proper Extraction and Ventilation
Do not make the mistake of neglecting proper extraction and ventilation if you want a clean and healthy kitchen environment. This is crucial, these elements add aesthetic impact to your kitchen.
To minimize cooking odour, condensation, and greasy particles, consider options like hobs with integrated downdraft systems.
3. Neglecting Sufficient Storage
Although it’s trendy to have open shelving nowadays, it doesn’t have the storage capacity required for a functional kitchen and it makes it difficult to keep clean. Rather than relying on open shelving, it’s better you go for a combination of cupboards and shelving so as to maintain an organized space and clutter-free
4. Oversized Pantry Cupboard in a Small Kitchen
While it’s visually attractive to have a tall, full-height pantry cupboard, it also takes too much space thereby making the kitchen smaller. Do not make the mistake of having oversized pantry cupboard instead consider the available cooking surface area and go for a more space-efficient storage solutions
5. Not Enough Plug Socket
Do not forget your kitchen appliances and make sure that your kitchen design adds enough plug sockets and dedicated a specific place for charging your mobile phones away from the food preparation area. This will make your countertop clutter-free and the kitchen organized.
6. Insufficient Space Around the Island
Make sure there’s at least one meter of space if you decide to incorporate an island in your kitchen design. This will make movements around the kitchen to be easy and prevent the kitchen from feeling congested
7. Interfering with the Working Triangle
This is very significant because the working triangle formed by the sink, cooking appliances and refrigerator is a very important concept in kitchen design. Ensure you avoid placing an island or other obstacles that interferes with the flow and movement these important elements. Do not make the mistake of putting a major appliance like a refrigerator in another room.
8. Forgetting the Water Bin and Recycling
Do not neglect designing a dedicated space for waste bin and recycling, make sure to integrate them into your cabinetry or you can as well allocate a specific area for a freestanding room to keep your kitchen well organized and neat all the time.
9. Insufficient Task Lighting
When designing your kitchen, do not make the mistake of neglecting the importance of task lighting. Make sure to have pendant lights over the food preparation area, as well as light under-cabinet so you can have focused illumination for specific tasks, thereby improving visibility and safety.
10. Overlooking Ambient Lighting
If you want to create a charming atmosphere in your kitchen, do not neglect ambient lighting. To have a general room lighting that complements other lighting fixtures, add LED ceiling lights.
A well-designed kitchen is a combination of style and functionality which results in a pleasant cooking and dining experience.