When you start designing your kitchen, there are multiple very important things to have in mind. Accidentally choosing the wrong fixtures won’t affect the usability of your kitchen, but if the workflow is wrong, making your dinner can easily turn into a nightmare. Here are some mistakes that many DIY designers make in their kitchens and how to fix them without a lot of hassle.
1. Not thinking about circulation
Giving yourself and your guests too little room to walk around through your kitchen is the worst thing you can do if you care about superior interior design. Proper circulation in the kitchen, no matter how large or small it is, should be a top concern in your design.
Having too many people in the kitchen at once may make the space seem claustrophobic. A small kitchen and poor circulation design may also limit how many people can spend time in the kitchen at once. Spacing between counters should be no less than 120cm for proper circulation. If the kitchen is tiny, you should provide at least a meter of room.
2. Having horrible workflow
Though it may sound similar, kitchen circulation and workflow aren’t the same things. Having a well-oiled kitchen machine is critical. A lack of a kitchen island might cause you to rush back and forth between the various portions of your kitchen whenever you cook, wash, or prep.
It is important to think about how you utilize your kitchen in all the design phases. Add some storage for spices and oils near the cooking area and put cutlery and dishes near the dishwasher in order to make the kitchen more efficient. In addition to large drawers and custom inserts, you should strive to make your kitchen the most functional possible.
3. Not measuring the worktop heights
Having the worktops of a kitchen installed at the incorrect height might compromise the overall functionality of the kitchen. How do you know what the ideal height of your kitchen worktops is? A kitchen countertop may be anywhere from 89 to 94 centimeters in height on average. This is the ideal height for doing everyday culinary duties for most people. Of course, if your household is smaller than average in height, or even taller, make sure to install properly measured worktops for your best convenience.
Countertop thicknesses and plinth heights dictate the ideal height of a worktop, so there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Both of these elements are subject to change based on your provider or personal choice. Plus, if the height of your worktop is ideal, your gas burner will be much safer to use. If your cooking equipment is at an inappropriate height you risk burning yourself!
4. Having too deep cabinets
This is one of the most common errors that people make – having cabinets that are too deep. Even if having a lot of space is a blessing, it’s possible that the appliances towards the rear may go unused for some time. These deep cabinets simply can’t be used to their full potential.
If you want to have even space for displaying items, install roll-out trays in your base cabinets. You may easily locate things that have been lost at the back of the cabinet with this simple solution.
5. Inadequate lighting
The lighting in the kitchen has a huge influence on the space and how it’s used. Even if you create the most beautiful kitchen in the world, if the lighting isn’t enough, your customer won’t be able to accomplish their jobs as easily as they should.
The kitchen has to be well-lit at all times. Above the kitchen island, work lighting pendant lights are an excellent accent, they can also look really cool! Especially if you make them a nice, fun color! Color switching lights are also an option. Under-cabinet lighting and recessed lighting may also be used to enhance visibility. As a general rule, going for warm lighting rather than fluorescent lighting is preferable since it is less harsh.
6. Forgetting about vertical space
Not utilizing vertical space in a tiny kitchen is another kitchen design faux pas that may be avoided with ease. If you don’t use the vertical space available to you, you’re creating an unusable kitchen.
You can make more space by installing open shelves or overhead cabinets. Instead of leaving unused space at the top of cupboards and shelves, make sure they extend all the way to the ceiling to make the space even more inviting. Open shelves and closed cabinets may also be used in conjunction to give your kitchen a more dynamic appearance.
Designing your kitchen can be very hard, but it’s very important to be extremely thoughtful when at it since there are so many tiny mistakes you can unknowingly make which can affect the design’s functionality. With our list in mind, we hope you’ll be able to make the most of your kitchen. After all, this is the room in which you’ll be spending a considerable amount of time every day!
