Common sins of kitchen design

Designing a new kitchen is one of the most overwhelming tasks of home renovation and the pressure is on to get it right. Kitchens are not just required to be an area for food prep and cooking, but multifunctional social spaces with interior design needs that need to be met. While the kitchen is the heart of the home, it’s surprisingly easy to make kitchen design mistakes that can make the space feel like it doesn’t quite work how you want it to. 

The most common reasons for the lack of harmony in a kitchen design include:

1.   Failing to budget properly

Cost is the biggest influence on kitchen design. It’s important to be clear about your budget and tell your kitchen designer. Christchurch’s Finesse Joinery’s kitchen design service advise clients on how to get the best kitchen within their target price range without any hidden costs. Benchtops, appliances and accessories vary greatly in price, but you do not have to sacrifice style and quality for an affordable new kitchen.

2.   Failing to provide enough benchtop space

People often fail to include adequate benchtop space in their kitchen designs. There needs to be enough room for meal preparation and appliance use, but also somewhere for all the items you find on a countertop in daily life: a fruit bowl, coffee and tea storage, letters, keys etc. If there’s not enough workspace, your new kitchen will feel cluttered and cumbersome to use.

3.   Wasting storage space

There is no such thing as too much kitchen storage, but too little and you’ll feel it. Even awkward spaces can be taken advantage of through custom kitchen cupboards to optimise the storage capacity and keep items organised and accessible. 



4.   Rigidly sticking to the kitchen triangle

The flow of a kitchen layout is crucial to a kitchen renovation’s success. Positioning the sink, cooker and fridge to create a kitchen triangle is the classic rule of kitchen design. However, kitchens are now multipurpose and have additional appliances that need to be considered too, such as the dishwasher. Adapting the traditional kitchen design to contemporary kitchens and living, whether your kitchen is small or large, is best practice.

5.   Forgetting about lighting

Task lighting for food preparation areas is a given, but people often fail to make the most of the natural light available and forget about ambient lighting for when the kitchen is being used for general use.

6.   Not installing a splashback

Kitchen walls need all the help they can get to keep them looking their best. The areas of wall behind the cooker and sink need additional protection against everyday use. A durable and easy-to-clean splashback prevents watermarks, spills and stains from becoming a permanent feature and is a valuable opportunity to inject some colour, texture and style.

7.   Lacking adequate ventilation

Ventilation is often omitted from a kitchen design for several reasons:

a)   Creates a visual obstruction to the kitchen interior design.

b)   Restricts kitchen layout options.

c)    An open-plan kitchen design is a large space so ventilation is not needed.

However, ventilation is a kitchen design essential. Aside from improving the air quality and combatting kitchen odours, it prevents mould inducing condensation from forming so your home stays fresh, healthy and safe.

Avoiding kitchen design errors starts at the beginning of the redesign process. Understanding how you are going to realistically use the space is the first step. Finesse Joinery’s experienced team of kitchen designers are on hand to help you explore budget friendly kitchen design options. We’ll collaborate with you to create a kitchen that is efficient and visually appealing, optimising your kitchen layout for maximum space efficiency and streamlined flow to enhance your cooking and dining experience.

Not sure where to start? Come and visit our kitchen showroom in Christchurch (423 Main North Rd, Redwood) Call 03 352 3457 to book an appointment with one of our kitchen designers.