Kitchen design is about choosing the layout, materials, finishes, and other elements. It’s the first major step of kitchen remodeling. But if done wrong, it will result in a kitchen that is neither practical nor efficient. This is the reason kitchen remodeling contractors are need for remodels and renovations. Below are some ways you can avoid a bad kitchen design.

Tips For Avoiding A Bad Kitchen Design

Ensure Sufficient Counter Space

Inefficient counter space is one of the most common kitchen design problems. Counter space is the area where most of the action happens, so if it’s limited, the workflow will be affected. You will spend more time moving items from the countertop surface than cooking, which can make the entire experience stressful. Moreover, two or more people working together in the kitchen will become impossible.

So, there should be enough space for cutting food and setting hot pans. And if multiple people will work in the kitchen, there should be space for that.

Commonly, limited counter space is due to design issues like choosing the wrong placement, the wrong size of the sink and stove, inefficient layout, etc. Discuss with your contractor to avoid these mistakes to increase the counter space.

Take Care Of Lighting

Poor lighting bothers many people in the kitchen and it can affect food preparation as well. It makes the kitchen look ugly with shadows and dark spots. However, the bigger issue is safety. Working with stoves, knives, and other related items requires clear visibility to avoid accidents. Even when bad lighting doesn’t cause accidents, it can affect food preparation and ultimately the taste of the food.

Usually, poor lighting is due to using only overhead lights without incorporating individual lighting for the stove, island, sink, and other important areas. Another reason is the bad positioning of the lighting fixtures and not using accent lights.

So, create a lighting plan, use the right types of lighting fixtures, and the right placement for lighting to ensure sufficient and appealing kitchen lighting.

Don’t Restrict The Floor Space

You want to include many things in the kitchen. When doing that, you may end up with a limited floor space where you bump into things when fetching something from the refrigerator or going towards the sink.

Restricted floor space can be due to going for an oversize island or countertop, too huge cabinets, a huge oven, stove, or refrigerator or wrong placement of these appliances, wrong layout, etc.

For enough floor space, ensure that there is at least 36 inches of space for walkways and 42-48 inches for work aisles, and 48 inches or more for seating areas. Plus, use appropriately sized appliances, countertops, and sinks. Even after designing, avoid placing anything on the floors because it will create the same problem, but it is easily fixable. Discuss your requirements with a kitchen remodeler Bowie to maximize the floor space.

Fridge Placement Is Crucial

A refrigerator is a key appliance, but its bad placement can make it an annoyance. The worst placement for a refrigerator is near a stove or cooktop because positioning a heat source and a refrigerator together is a bad idea. It leads to cooling problems in the refrigerator and also reduces its lifespan.

Another placement issue is that the door, when opened, blocks the kitchen in some way, like it blocks the cabinets, appliances, or a kitchen walkway. So, whenever someone opens the fridge while someone else is working in the kitchen, it becomes a nuisance.

This is why you should plan carefully before choosing the placement of your refrigerator. You can place it at the end of the cabinets or at the entrance of the kitchen to keep it away from the work areas like the countertop, sink, and stoves.

It will make things easier because anyone coming to the kitchen for snacks won’t have to disturb the person working in the kitchen. They will just grab some items from the fridge at the entrance and leave.

However, if you don’t want to change the kitchen design, you can get a counter-depth refrigerator. Its depth is countertop-level and protrudes only 1-2 inches. Or you can buy a French door refrigerator as its doors require only half the space compared to bottom freezer and top freezer refrigerators.

Don’t Place The Dishwasher In A Corner

Another common appliance placement oversight is related to dishwashers. You need to be careful about two things. The dishwasher should allow enough space for loading and unloading dishes, and there should be clear access to the sink when working with the dishwasher.

So, don’t place it in a corner where you can’t fully open the dishwasher. This also makes loading and unloading dishes difficult, and you will have to bend for this every time. So, keep at least 18 inches between the dishwasher and the inner corner of the kitchen while keeping it closer to the sink for direct access, as this will ensure a smooth workflow.

Proper Ventilation Is Non-Negotiable

When you’re focused on which kitchen countertops, cabinets, and finishes to get, ventilation may be overlooked. This won’t appear as a problem until you spend some days cooking in the kitchen. There will be lingering odors, smoke, and moisture. There will also be more grease that will not only ruin the finishes but also create an unhealthy space for breathing.

In the long term, this will also invite mold and reduce the lifespan of wooden structures like cabinets, floors, shelves, etc.

For better ventilation, you should never skip the installation of a range hood. There are two types of it. Ducted and ductless. Ducted range hoods take the air that has grease and smoke, and expel it outside as it’s connected to a chimney. They are more effective, but also more costly and difficult to install. On the other hand, ductless hoods only filter the air of grease, smoke, etc., and supply it back to the kitchen. They are less costly and easier to install, but less effective than ducted range hoods.

Moreover, the kitchen design should include windows and an exhaust or extractor fan. Plus, clean the filters of the range hood and of your home’s HVAC system regularly.

Avoid Storage Problems

A kitchen design should have seamless storage everywhere. If it doesn’t, you will have a crowded countertop space all the time, the cabinets and drawers will be stuffed with more items than they can handle, and finding or placing something in the kitchen will become a separate chore.

Things to keep in mind during the kitchen design when it comes to storage:

There should be enough storage near and around the cooktop so you don’t have to place everything on the nearest counter space or have to move around too much for fetching commonly used items.

Never skimp on storage for the prep zone. There should be cabinets and drawers for knives, trivets, cutting boards, and everything you need for preparing food without having to access other zones (cooking zone or wet zone). Similarly, consider wet zone storage for keeping detergents, towels, and related items.

Another thing that many people miss is the best use of cabinet measurements. The cabinets should be deep, but if they are too deep, things get lost in them. Moreover, if the cabinets are tall but there are no or few shelves, it may not be the most efficient use of tall cabinets.

Conclusion

A good kitchen design will ensure a smooth workflow and appealing aesthetics. Follow these tips and hire kitchen remodeling companies Silver Spring to avoid a bad kitchen design.