7 common kitchen design mistakes to avoid
As the undisputed heart of the home, the kitchen is one of the most important spaces we use. But when it comes to kitchen renovations, there are many kitchen design mistakes people can make when renovating this space, which can dramatically affect how we use and enjoy the kitchen. We’re going to do a deep-dive into seven of these mistakes, with advice on how to avoid them, so your dream kitchen design and layout doesn’t turn into a nightmare.
1. Forgetting the golden triangle
The three most important fixtures of any kitchen are the sink, cooktop and refrigerator. It’s best practice to design your kitchen with these three fixtures in a triangular shape (the golden triangle). This can help make it easier to move between them, speed up meal preparation and have better use of the kitchen space in the kitchen – you might even fit more than one cook!
There are no hard and fast rules depicting the perfect kitchen work triangle. As a general guideline, the distance between these areas should be no less than 1 metre and no larger than 3 metres. If the distance is too small, it can make a kitchen feel cramped and blocked. If it’s too large, it makes cooking a hassle.
2. Not selecting your appliances before you start your design
Appliances can dictate the overall design of your kitchen, so it’s important that you choose them at the start of the process. If you don’t, you may be restricted to a certain sized oven or two ovens, but if you choose them first, you’ll know the exact dimensions to design the best possible kitchen to fit around them.
Here are a few important questions to get you thinking:
- How many ovens do you need and where would you like them placed? Can you stack two ovens on top of each other or would you rather have them side by side?
- What type of cooking do you do? Do you do a lot of steam-based cooking and need an oven with Full Steam, Added Steam or Steam Inject? Or do you need easy access to your cooking with the Slide & Hide®? Perhaps a combination of the two?
- What type of cooktop do you want? Gas? Induction? Or maybe a vented cooktop which doesn’t require a rangehood above?
From a style perspective, your appliance’s trimmings and handles could influence the overall aesthetic of the kitchen. NEFF’s new Flex Design range has four distinctive colours – deep black, anthracite grey, metallic silver or brushed bronze – for your oven, cooktop, coffee machine and rangehood trimmings and handles. You can mix and match the colours to create a unique contrast or opt for a single shade for a holistic look – endless combinations for you to explore.
3. Not carefully planning cabinets and drawers
It might seem like a no brainer but, if you don’t put enough thought into the placement of your cabinets and drawers, they can end up hitting walls, surfaces or even your kitchen island if you’re not careful.
To avoid this issue, be intentional with your planning – think hard about how and where your cabinetry and drawers will open. Consider your fridge and dishwasher locations too. For example, try and avoid placing your fridge or cabinets in a location that blocks an entryway if the door is open, and make sure you can fully open your fridge door without it butting up against a cabinet handle.
4. Lack of bench space around the cooktop
With so much space allocated to appliances and storage, one aspect that often gets overlooked is bench space, especially on either side of the cooktop. Large pots and pans need adequate space and the best spot for chopping up veggies and other ingredients is also right next to the cooktop.
Obviously, there’s varying opinion around how much bench space is ideal, and this will also be dependent on how large your kitchen is to begin with, but generally speaking, two metres of clear bench space is ideal especially if there are two cooks in the kitchen at the same time.
5. Inadequate lighting
Not choosing enough lighting or choosing lighting that overwhelms the space is a common mistake many homeowners tend to make. A kitchen generally needs three forms of lighting: general lighting for overall illumination, task lighting and accent lighting.
To determine what you need where, look at all your work areas and think about the lighting required for each – having lighting directly above each work area is important. You can enhance the design of your kitchen with pendant lights, while under-cabinet lighting will give you a better view for all your common tasks.
6. Forgetting about power points
If you’re a kitchen gadget junkie, then you’ll need to include multiple power point outlets in various spaces across the kitchen. You won’t want to be unplugging the kettle and toaster every time you want to use another appliance!
It’s also a good idea to give the island its own independent power – it can be particularly useful to charge devices away from the bangs, scrapes, and spills of a working kitchen.
7. Choosing the wrong benchtop
One of the most common mistakes when it comes to choosing a kitchen benchtop is not understanding how much care certain materials need.
Natural stone, such as marble or limestone may look beautiful, but they can stain easily and require regular upkeep to ensure they look pristine. Laminate is resistant to staining but not scratching, stainless steel is both heat resistant and durable, as is granite.
Every material has its own strength and weaknesses – the key is to compare all of them with the kind of lifestyle you lead and the amount you are willing to spend for renovating your kitchen.
If you’re ready to discover the finer details about your kitchen plans or appliances, then book in a free product demonstration. Our NEFF kitchen experts can show you how to elevate your kitchen’s look with the new Flex Design range, as well as highlighting how easy it is to cook up a storm with a NEFF oven.
About NEFF
NEFF is a German-engineered kitchen appliance brand, with a product range that includes ovens, cooktops, rangehoods, coffee machines and dishwashers designed to make life in the kitchen a daily pleasure. For people who love to cook, NEFF gives you the tools to create meaningful connections, express your creativity and make memories. Because real life happens in the kitchen.
