Designing the perfect kitchen for your home is an incredibly exciting time, as well as one that can raise some challenges. Whilst planning your perfect colour scheme (and accessories to match) might seem top of the agenda, it is important to also prioritise design elements that will ensure maximum functionality from your kitchen, for both the way you live today and in years to come. Here, we look at the kitchen design mistakes that you don’t want to make and how to avoid them.  

1. Leaving lighting until last

Lighting is often one of the most hard-working, yet overlooked kitchen design elements. Considering lighting at the start of the kitchen design process ensures both practical illumination, as well as desired atmosphere. With living spaces becoming increasingly multifunctional, it is more important than ever to have a lighting plan that can adapt quickly to the needs of the room. For example, you may require if you targeted illumination in work areas when preparing food but then prefer a more atmospheric glow when it comes to eating or relaxing. Consider lighting at the start of the design process in order to maximise lighting in your kitchen.  

2. Ignoring the working triangle

Considering how you use your living space is one of the most important aspects of kitchen design, and designing your kitchen around this will ensure maximum convenience and functionality. Consider the path that is most frequently tread in your kitchen – the journey between consumables zone, cleaning zone and cooking zone – this creates your working triangle. The working triangle will be determined to an extent by the size or shape of your living space – find out how to optimise the working triangle for your kitchen space here, this will provide you with the most efficient kitchen layout.  

3. Waste-ing space

Imagine stepping into your newly-finished kitchen which is perfect in every way, and then thinking “oh, where will we put the bin?!”. No matter how hard your efforts are to avoid it, the majority of kitchens will create waste on a daily basis, and with recycling becoming increasingly prevalent in homeowner’s lives, it’s more important than ever to think about this at the design stage. Consider built-in waste solutions that keep your waste solutions behind closed doors. The Waste Boss Duo Pull Out Bin has two separate large capacity bins, making waste separation easy. This innovative solution has been designed to fit into a minimum 400mm width cabinet, making it ideal for kitchen design in smaller living spaces. Speak to your local Studio Partner about integrating this into your kitchen design.

4. Lack of storage

From small appliances to utensils and everything in between, kitchens are one of the most functional areas of the home and therefore require maximum storage. Don’t make the mistake of wasting space that could be utilised for storage, as this could result in cluttered worktops and disruption to the overall aesthetic. If you’re restricted in floor space, consider maximising vertical space. Solutions such as the Häfele Swing Out Larder Units bring clever storage to your kitchen, meaning you can have full access to the items you need quickly, then keep them behind closed doors when you’re finished.            

5. Not going with a professional

Kitchen studios guarantee peace of mind when it comes to kitchen design, using their experience, skills and knowledge to design the perfect kitchen for you and your lifestyle. Our Studio Partners are an elite group of British kitchen studios who are dedicated to providing homeowners with their dream kitchen; maximising all of the design elements that will make your kitchen efficient, functional and designed around you. Find your local Studio Partner.

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Our Studio Partner network is made up of over 250 hand-picked British kitchen Studios who can transform your kitchen dream into a reality. These kitchen studios not only offer stunning finishes but also great kitchen design that is built around lifestyle. Your local Studio Partner might be closer than you think, use our Studio Partner locator to find yours now.