Last updated on September 27th, 2021
A kitchen is the heart of a home, and quite rightfully so. Not only does it get used to cook healthy meals for the inhabitants of the house, but is also a hub of all socializing that happens in it.
While it’s important for this special space to look elegant and beautiful, it is also important to keep certain practical aspects in mind when designing this oft-busy space, so that not only is every meal cooked in it scrumptious, but also a pleasure for the people cooking it!
Read on to know the 5 design mistakes to avoid, when planning this important space in your house.
1. Blindly following design trends
Most trends are just that – trends. And they keep changing. Making large investments to keep up with the latest trends, without checking their efficacy and fitment in the overall scheme of things, is a big design mistake. Once the novelty of your trendy design or appliance wears off, you’ll just end up with a white elephant on hand that you can do nothing much about.
So, think before embracing a trend that requires a rather large commitment of money and time. And might change even before the season does.
2. Cutting corners on lighting
While they might get the most elaborate sconces and pendants for the living room and the bedrooms, most people hardly give a second thought to lighting in the kitchen, when in fact, this is the one place in the house that requires the most carefully thought-out lighting.
Apart from ambient lighting, the main work areas in a kitchen need proper task lighting, like under-the-cabinet lights, for instance, or lights inside cabinets to ensure accessing things inside them is effortless. Breakfast counters and islands on the other hand need pendant lights. Remember, the right kind of lights don’t just highlight your kitchen design and add to its appeal but are also important for the safety of those working in it.
3. Blocking access to the work triangle
Most activity in a kitchen happens between the hob, sink, and the refrigerator, and these form what is known in design-speak as the kitchen work triangle.
No matter what the size of your kitchen or the layout, the sum of all three parts of an ideal kitchen work triangle shouldn’t be less than 10 feet or more than 25 feet, for cooking and other tasks in the kitchen to happen without much effort or inconvenience. Ignoring this important aspect will leave your kitchen feeling less than ideal when you start to cook in it every day, making activities seem harder than they need to be. You wouldn’t really want that, will you?
4. Treating ventilation as an after-thought
Even the most elegantly designed kitchens can’t stand the test of time when exposed to constant smoke, grease, and dirt, that haven’t been given a way to escape, because of a seemingly small oversight of not planning an outlet for them. Not to mention the relentless odor that lingers after every meal, becoming more unpleasant each day.
What’s more, a good quality ventilation system around the hob doesn’t just keep the kitchen free from odor and smoke, but also impacts the life of the appliances and cabinets in it. A rather important thing to plan ahead then, don’t you think?
5. Not planning for waste disposal
With proper waste management and segregation, a mandate in most cities, it is important to keep this important aspect in mind before you set out executing your kitchen design. Forgetting this is a big design flaw.
Incorporating trash-sorting bins under the kitchen sink for different kinds of waste ensures that it is handled responsibly and that its management remains convenient and hassle-free.
