Giving your kitchen a makeover is expensive and time-consuming, so you don’t want to make any mistakes. For a lot of people, it’s the heart of the home and it’s where they spend a lot of their time cooking and eating meals or socialising. It’s also one of the most important rooms when it comes to the value of the home. All sorts of things affect the price that you can get for your house, but most buyers will be put off by an outdated or poorly designed kitchen. Even if you’re not planning to sell up any-time soon, you should always consider your home an asset, and that means that you need a well-designed kitchen.

When you’re designing a kitchen, there are so many choices to make. You have the big decisions like the layout, the materials and the flooring. However, you also have a lot of smaller details to consider like which toaster and kettle you want and where to fit plug sockets. There’s a lot more to think about than any other room in the house, and that means that your chances of making a mistake are higher, and that happens quite a lot. People often make big mistakes with their kitchen design and then they’re stuck with it because they can’t afford to make the changes. If you’re planning a kitchen renovation soon, make sure that you avoid these common mistakes.

Style over functionality

Even though the kitchen has evolved into a multifunctional space that’s used for more than just cooking, it’s important to remember that it’s still primarily a functional space. It doesn’t matter whether your kitchen is ideal for hosting parties, it’s still not a good kitchen if it isn’t set up for cooking. If you eat out every day, you don’t need to worry about this as much but, for most people, it’s important that you have a kitchen that’s geared to food preparation. Unfortunately, people sometimes forget this when they’re designing their kitchen. They get caught up with the stylistic elements and they create a layout that looks great but isn’t very practical at all.

In the past, kitchen layouts were all based around the kitchen work triangle concept. The stove, refrigerator and sink all need to be arranged in a triangle so there’s a reasonable distance between them all, with no obstructions in between. That means that it’s convenient to cook without anybody getting in the way, and if you have a few people cooking at once, you’re not right on top of each other. If you want to guarantee a functional kitchen, this is still one of the best ways to do it. However, there are alternative ways to zone your kitchen beyond the work triangle. The triangle concept is limited because it only takes 3 appliances into account and most modern kitchens have more. Kitchens that are an unusual shape are not always suited to this layout either. So, it’s fine to think outside the box, but make sure that you always design the layout with functionality in mind and think about style second.

Buying standard unit sizes

When you start shopping around for the units, you’ll probably find that it’s cheaper to buy standard, off-the-shelf sizes and then call somebody in to fit them for you. However, price isn’t the only thing that you need to consider here. If your kitchen is a perfect square, you can probably get away with doing this, but in most kitchens, it’s far better to go for a custom design. If you buy the standard sizes, they may not fit exactly into the shape of your kitchen, which means that you’ll have small gaps that don’t get used. It might not seem like it makes a big difference, but you’re losing valuable storage or workspace, which is vital in a kitchen. However, if you get a custom made kitchen that’s designed specifically to fit the shape of your kitchen, you can make good use of every bit of space that you have. It will also give you a more interesting, functional design because small gaps can be fitted with things like a pull-out larder for storing canned and dry goods. If you want a kitchen that fits your home, always pay the extra and go for a custom one if you can.

Cutting corners with kitchen installation

Most people assume that the installation doesn’t matter too much as long as the cabinets go in straight, and it’s the cabinets themselves that make all the difference. But in reality, that’s not the case and good installation is vital. A bad installer can make a very expensive kitchen look absolutely awful, while a good installer can make the budget range look amazing. Small details like uneven gaps between units or a door that sticks a little can really ruin the kitchen, so don’t try to cut corners with the installation.

Many kitchen showrooms will offer package deals that cover the cost of the kitchen and the installation. In some cases, it may be a little more expensive than sourcing your own installer, but it’s often the best choice. These installers are putting in kitchens from this company day in, day out. That means that they know the product well and they’ll have a lot of experience working with those particular units, so you know they’ll do a good job. Buying the units and worktops and then finding your own installer is a perfectly fine option as well. Just make sure that you do your research and find somebody reliable. If you go for the cheapest option, your new kitchen will reflect that. You could also fit your own kitchen, but you should only do this if you’re absolutely sure that you know what you’re doing.

Choosing the wrong counter-top material

Choosing the wrong counter-top material is the perfect example of style over functionality. People think about what looks good, but they don’t think about their lifestyle and how they’ll use a kitchen. For example, a wooden counter-top looks nice, but it’s not very durable at all. If you only cook every now and again and you don’t have a big family, that’s fine. But for a busy kitchen that sees a lot of wear and tear, wood really isn’t ideal. You’d be much better off with something hard-wearing like granite. When you’re in the planning stages, you should visit a kitchen showroom and look at all of your different worktop options. It’s important that you think about how the kitchen will be used when making your decision because you don’t want to be replacing the worktop in just a few years. Make sure to ask about ongoing care as well, because certain materials do require a lot of upkeep if you want them to stay in good condition and a lot of people don’t want to take that on.

Following trends

Interior design trends change a lot, and when you’re designing your kitchen, it’s best to ignore them. A kitchen is expensive and when you renovate it, you want it to last for a long while before you need to redo it again. But so many people make the mistake of buying into the latest trends and fitting their kitchen out with brightly coloured appliances or filling it with brass fixtures. Then, a couple of years down the line when that style has gone out of fashion, they regret their choice and they wish they could change it. That’s why it’s always best to stick to timeless designs and materials like wood-clad kitchens or brushed chrome. If you do want to try out some of the latest trends and go for something more interesting, you should do this with the smaller fixtures and appliances. A bright red toaster is a lot easier to replace than a bright red cooker, so limit your experimentation to the small things.

Lack of storage

Lack of storage is by far the biggest mistake that you can make when designing your kitchen. We use more kitchen gadgets and appliances than ever, and if you don’t have a place for all of your equipment, your kitchen will soon become cluttered and frustrating to use. Buying custom units to maximize on space is one of the best ways to improve your storage, and when you’re designing the layout of the kitchen, you need to think about where things will go. For example, you need a large drawer or cupboard to store pots and pans near the stove. It’s also best to have a smaller cupboard above the cooking area to store things like salt and pepper.

As well as the main units, you should think about clever storage tricks that can help you to boost the amount of space that you have. Some simple shelves can go a long way and you should consider putting up some wall and ceiling hooks to hang pans & utensils from if you have limited unit space.

Getting your kitchen design right can be tough, but you can’t really afford to get it wrong, so make sure to avoid these common mistakes.

[disclosure*]