The kitchen is one of the most important parts of the house and ensuring that it retains its function and warmth when you consider an upgrade can be quite a challenge. A kitchen makeover is supposed to add value to your kitchen and ensure that you enjoy any single moment spent in the kitchen. There are many reasons why people consider kitchen makeovers. But whatever the reason you are doing your kitchen renovation for, you have to avoid common kitchen design mistakes so that your kitchen makeover will be a success:
Lack of countertops
One of the biggest kitchen design mistakes is the lack of room to work. When you consider upgrading your kitchen, ensure that there is enough work space depending on how you plan to use your kitchen. Be aware of all the activities that need the use of kitchen countertops and evaluate if the activities will overlap if more than one person is using the kitchen.
The materials that will be used for the countertops also vary and some materials need more maintenance care than others. Some appliances are normally permanently placed on countertops, for instance toasters, food processors and so on. When considering the size of the countertops, you need to consider these appliances so that they are allocated a working space.
Obstruction of the golden triangle
The kitchen’s golden triangle tends to link the stove, refrigerator and the sink. There should be no obstruction between these three locations. These are locations that tend to be used frequently and you therefore require easy access to each one of them. Another secondary area that may require easy access is the trash bin, you may need to have the trash bin positioned in a location that you directly access it.
The lack of a storage room
Kitchens tend to have so much stuff than any other room in the house. It would be a big kitchen design mistake to lack a storage room. Storage rooms help to keep away all those items, that when placed just anywhere in the kitchen, could cause crowding and clutter. Items like bags of potatoes and other fresh produce and some appliances that you rarely need can be stored in the storage room to increase working space for your kitchen surfaces.
Wrongly placed island design
Having a kitchen island is a really good idea as it increases storage space and can double up as a serving area. The main problem arises when the kitchen island is wrongly placed. If the kitchen island gets in your way then that is a kitchen design mistake. The island should be placed somewhere so that it does not get in the way of traffic flow in the kitchen. There is a necessary movement path from the primary working stations, sink, stove and refrigerator. If you already have a kitchen island that get in your way, then you can solve this problem by adding a sink to the island so that it can also be part of the most used kitchen triangle.
Poor lighting
Poor lighting in the kitchen means that there are areas that tend to be a bit darker or when you are working, you cast a shadow in front of you as a result of the lights being placed behind you. You need to ensure that every spot in your kitchen has adequate lighting.
Poor ventilation
This is another major kitchen design mistake. Your kitchen needs to have adequate ventilation. You do not want your kitchen smelling the stale air of last night’s meal. Good ventilation in the kitchen not only ensures that the kitchen retains a good air quality level, but the entire house can benefit as well.
Not managing your budget
It is advisable that if you want to renovate your kitchen, the cost should not be more than twenty percent of the total value of your house. Anything more than that is considered to be a risky mistake. Never make the mistake of paying for services before they are done too. This is important since if you need to change anything as the renovation is in progress, you are able negotiate with your contractor.
Following mob trends
Most people tend to make the mistake of going with the current design trends only for them to be outdated in a short while. This can be an issue when you want to sell the house and no one wants buy your house because they do not agree with the outdated kitchen design when those trends have long gone. As a good idea, it is good to keep the kitchen design simple but classy.
Changing the design plan
This is also a kitchen design mistake you must avoid. Changing the original plan after work has already begun is not only costly, but also results in many other frustrating quirks. It is advisable you hire an experienced kitchen designer to avoid any frustrations for your kitchen makeover.
Custom kitchen designers in Newmarket from Pay Less Kitchens come highly recommended for all types of kitchen renovations as we have the skill and expertise to ensure that you can achieve your dream kitchen. We will also help you avoid any kitchen design mistake that can turn out to be costly for you later on.