Top Kitchen Design Mistakes

Updated on: August 01, 2022

Kitchens are one of the most expensive spaces in your room to design and takes just as much planning as it does money! Avoid major mistakes and wasted dollars by reading these tips!

Mistake #1: Being Boring in Your Design

It's important to add an element of creativity and visual interest into your kitchen. It's that little something extra that takes a nice space to an incredible space. When designing your kitchen layout, think outside the box and mix up your cabinets. Lining up the upper and base cabinets in symmetrical order is too blah. Change it up by adding large drawers for your pots and pans, narrow cabinets for your spices, and decorative fillers. Add glass inserts in a few spots with lighting. You also need to think beyond the cabinets and countertops. Extra details like a unique backsplash or one of a kind pendants will also take your kitchen to the next level.

Mistake #2: Bad Planning When it Comes to Appliance Placement

No matter how beautiful a kitchen is, if it doesn't function, it will be the least favorite place in your home! There are many factors to take into account when planning out the placement of all your appliances. It's important to have a decent amount of counter space near the stove, wall ovens (if that's what you have), and microwave. There has to be a place where you can put down whatever you're cooking. Another important factor to take into account is clearances needed for appliance doors. Placing your refrigerator in the corner right up against a wall seems like it makes sense until you go to open the door and it hits the wall and won't fully open. That will be something you are annoyed about E.V.E.R.Y.T.I.M.E. you open the refrigerator.

Mistake #3: All Cabinets, Everywhere

It's important to break up your kitchen with spaces of open space. It gives interest and also can make your space feel bigger. Leave room for crown molding at the top; even if your cabinets go all the way to the ceiling, it's important to have that detail at the top. As the blog post last week talked about moving the microwave from above the stove, if you replace it with a custom hood, it opens up a larger amount of wall space to be visible. A few areas of open shelving are also a great way to incorporate a more open feeling

Mistake #4: Stainless Steel Overload

Stainless steel appliances remain to be one of the biggest "must-haves" in any new kitchen these days. They make a space look instantly sleeker and more "chef worthy", but it may be time to change it up a little. Most high-end residential kitchens have one thing in common… some of the major kitchen appliances are not stainless steel. They are instead covered with panels that match the surrounding cabinetry. The refrigerator is a very popular appliance to have that look. It is still a great refrigerator but instead of the cold, metal look, it has a warm, more upscale look to it with the matching cabinet panels.