5 COMMON KITCHEN DESIGN MISTAKES YOU'LL WANT TO AVOID

By Corrie Forcet, Realtor® | The Forcet Group | KW Suburban Tampa

If you are building a custom home, you’re able to draft the kitchen of your dreams - which can be both liberating and tricky. And when house hunting, the kitchen with the modern backsplash and recessed lighting, while picturesque, may have serious design flaws that rear their ugly head once you're settled in. Some of the kitchen mistakes we encounter will make your kitchen less functional overall, which can affect your home’s value and your day-to-day life. Here are the most common kitchen design mistakes to avoid whether you are building or buying:

Overlooking the Work Triangle

One basic principle of kitchen design is the work triangle, which refers to your fridge, sink, and stove. You should be able to get to any part of the work triangle and move between these components with no obstruction. This helps ensure you can easily prepare meals, wash dishes or handle other kitchen tasks. Naturally then, the components of your work triangle should also be close in proximity for easy access. When selecting your kitchen, keep in mind that the work triangle should be separate from the main foot traffic area. This helps prevent others from getting in your way while you’re trying to care for important kitchen tasks.

Ignoring Vertical Space

Kitchen design focuses on horizontal spaces, such as rows of cabinets and cupboards, but you shouldn’t ignore vertical space. Making use of vertical space can provide you with additional storage, which can come in handy in smaller kitchens. You can have cabinets and cupboards reach the ceiling instead of leaving space above them. You might also add open shelves to the walls for extra storage space. If you have enough room, you can combine open shelves and closed cabinets to maximize storage space.

Creating a Crowded Kitchen

Your kitchen should offer plenty of space for you and your family to move around easily. For example, avoid designs that place an island in the middle of a smaller kitchen. Even in larger kitchens, you’ll still need to make sure there is enough room on either side of the island for people to walk around. If you want to offer seating in a kitchen with limited space, consider extending one end of the counter and placing a couple of stools by it.

Neglecting Balance

Kitchens often have more features than other rooms because of cabinets and cupboards, so it’s important to make certain these features are properly sized and balanced. Having cabinets that are too small can throw off the look of your kitchen and reduce storage space. Having ones that are too big means they’ll be taking up more wall space than needed. Keep in mind appliances and their size. While a large capacity side-by-side refrigerator may be your dream, if your cupboards and cabinets are on the smaller end, the refrigerator will be the main attraction of your kitchen and not the beautiful design and decor.

Not Having Enough Light

Kitchens need more light than other areas in homes. When planning your kitchen design, include windows for natural light, overhead lights for added brightness, and task lighting to illuminate specific areas, such as sinks, stovetops, or counters. Keep in mind that you can add more lighting later on if needed.

We're here to remind you that "Pinterest Worthy" may not be resale worthy. Keep these practical tips in mind and you will always have a functional and efficient kitchen that maintains excellent resale value.