Designing the perfect kitchen starts with a thought and a blueprint. With countless designs you can mix and match with, there’s no telling whether your plan works out in reality, or becomes a visual vomit that makes your kitchen less attractive.
Today we will be enumerating specific points to avoid when designing your kitchen from its architectural standpoint and designs that could ruin the whole theme rather than compliment it. Here are some common and not-so-common kitchen design flaws an inexperienced designer would most likely commit.
Bad Workflow and Substandard Layout
Before getting into the specifics, there must be a general understanding of designing or constructing interior layouts. All layouts and blueprints that failed to consider the fundamentals would always fail its purpose when brought to reality.
To put it simply, before making any layouts, a designer must inquire about your lifestyle and how you operate in a kitchen. This follows your kitchen requirements, who operate more often in the kitchen and the number of people living in the house.
These critical questions must be answered for designers and architects to think of a layout that suits your personality and needs. While most designers plan on having a traditional kitchen template, these factors would affect where you place your cabinets and features and designate each area for a specific function.
Overall, this would lead to a perfect layout that is both efficient and matches the homeowner’s personality. Now with that in mind, check out some specific guidelines you have to stay away from.
Forcing a Kitchen Island in Your Space
A kitchen island is one of the sought after features in most home kitchens, so forcing to install one even if you have limited space is not often the best choice.
To avoid this, map out your kitchen layout and measure if it has adequate clearance for the island itself. When you place a kitchen island, the layout area should be spacious enough for you to walk comfortably and for the kitchen island to function correctly.
Additionally, tight spaces can be a hazard when cooking, as this limits your movement and increases the risk of accidents. A good alternative for a kitchen island is a kitchen peninsula that works like a kitchen island but allows you to maximize your limited space.’
Crown Moldings
Crown moldings are decorative elements of your home that cover up irregularities in the ceiling and polishes your overall design.
In interior designing, all of the design templates. Layouts and themes would more than likely include crown moldings as the finishing touch, omitting this, would disrupt the aesthetic of the whole design due to rugged ceiling surfaces. Should you insist on removing crown moldings, look for smaller, decorative alternatives to cover the ceilings without much attraction.
Remember that kitchen designs would be affected significantly from crown moldings, make sure to take ample considerations on your layout.
Asymmetrical Wall Cabinets
Symmetry is everything when it comes to constructing a kitchen layout, especially in usa kitchen cabinets, where they emphasize functionality and its ability to complement the surroundings.
It is essential when laying out cabinets remember that the eye tracks horizontal lines more than vertical. Avoid getting an unbalanced and annoying look by keeping cabinets symmetrical with width and orientation.
Inadequate Circulation
Not all kitchens have large open spaces to walk around with, so it is crucial to make use to every nook and cranny to make it feel fluid rather than cramped and restricting.
An easy solution for this one is to distribute space evenly for others to walk around. Placing at least 4 feet of space between kitchen countertops is a good start, and you can also adjust for more walking space if there is a thoroughfare leading through the kitchen.
When it comes to managing your space, fluidity must be prioritized more than functionality, and there’s no use to have extensive, functional features if you can’t move as much as needed.
Lighting Placement
Building a layout involves analyzing the natural lights around the kitchen. Like most architects, it is better to maximize natural light whenever possible so you can save electricity during the daytime and have more pleasant kitchen experience.
The idea goes the same with lighting fixtures, dark and overbearing lights in the kitchen could lose the functionality, and practicality lighting fixtures provide. To fix this, position your lights slightly in front of the cook rather than setting it up behind. Placing downlights, pendant lights on hard to reach areas improves the atmosphere.
Bear in mind the essential thing to do first is to make sure that the lighting provides ample light to the owner, especially cooking and chopping tasks.
Takeaway
Building a kitchen is one of the best investments a homeowner could make. And with a plethora of kitchen designs available for your disposal, it is best to create your theme while following the fundamentals of architecture and interior designing to create a functional yet attractive kitchen space.
