Mistakes to Avoid When Designing Your New Kitchen

When renovating your home's kitchen, or when having a new home built, you want to ensure you don't overlook any detail in this space, as a home's kitchen needs to have enough space for comfortable food prep and storage, and it should be very attractive and welcoming as well. To ensure your new kitchen is one you'll love using for many years to come, note a few mistakes you'll want to avoid when designing this space, and remember that it might be good to actually work with a kitchen designer to ensure you don't overlook any detail in this room.

Lighting

As you determine your renovation budget, you may overlook the cost of upgraded lighting, or you may not realize the importance of having a good lighting fixture in the kitchen. Poor lighting can make a kitchen look dingy and even a bit dirty, and it can also lead to mistakes or injuries when cooking; if you cannot see a knife blade when chopping food, it becomes very easy to accidentally chop your own finger in the process! Consider the lighting fixture you'll choose and note if track lighting that reaches the far ends of the kitchen will be needed, or if you might want spotlights and other additional lighting that will properly illuminate food prep areas, cabinets that show off your fancy dishes and so on.

Traffic

When designing your new kitchen, you may think you want a large island in the middle of the space so you can use it for food prep, eating breakfast, and so on. However, note if that island will get in the way of easy access to the refrigerator or other appliances or if it would make the kitchen too crowded when the family is cooking.

Note, too, that you want to avoid having appliances set too far apart from each other; if the refrigerator is too far from the stove, you would need to carry food items all the way across the kitchen when cooking, as an example. Consider how the layout would affect everyday foot traffic in the kitchen when creating your design so the space is comfortable and convenient.

Outlets

Don't forget to add lots of outlets to your kitchen design so you can easily manage all your small appliances without having to carry them to the only space on the benchtop that has a plug! You may also want a dedicated set of outlets for your phone and other such devices so you can keep them organized and at your fingertips while they're charging.