Avoid Common Kitchen Design Mistakes – Countertops and Workspace

One thing can be noticed at almost any party or family gathering: no matter how comfortable the rest of the house is, guests and family members tend to congregate in the kitchen. Whether it is because of tasty aromas or bright lights, people tend to head for the hardest working spot in any home. Kids like working on their school projects or tell parents about their first heart aches right here, while sitting at the kitchen counter. The best part of home is apparently the kitchen, so one of the challenges of the interior design when it comes to kitchens is to update the look, function and feel, while preserving its warmth. Kitchen makeover should be done from time to time, since it’s the best way to make cooking time more enjoyable and efficient. However, before updating your kitchen, you should be aware of some design pitfalls. Let’s take a look at common kitchen design mistakes while offering suggestion on how to avoid them. Right now we will focus on countertops and the workspace.

The lack of kitchen countertops is the most common complaint when it comes to the kitchen design. Not only that they have to be decorative, countertops have to be functional, too. Before renovating the kitchen, evaluate your use of countertops at the moment and think about your plans and future needs. The amount of needed space depends on the circumstances, budget and the size limitation of the kitchen. Also, understand how traffic will flow through your kitchen. This will help you organize counter space to be comfortable and efficient. Think of the specific countertop areas you need for some activities. Will they overlap when the kitchen is used by more than one person?

Even though you might not be a “material girl”, materials used for countertops do matter. Laminates are heavy-duty and rugged, but stone, metallic, natural wood and concrete countertops require special handling and appropriate maintenance. Think about that when renovating your kitchen. Also, what about toaster oven, coffeemaker, a can opener and other appliances that are probably permanently located on your kitchen countertops. Have outlets where required and choose locations for placing specific appliances when planning your kitchen space. This is important for controlling the “appliance creep”, or their tendency to accumulate on countertops, since that would take up your precious workspace. Almost every kitchen contains lots of stuff. You might wonder how to organize everything and still to have enough workspace for your cooking activities. Does everything has to be in your kitchen cabinets? Do you have a room for the kitchen storage? One of the biggest mistakes is not including enough storage and you should definitely avoid it.