10 common mistakes in kitchen design: how to avoid repeating them

Buying a kitchen set is an important step. And choosing a model that is suitable in every sense is necessary after some preparation. You cannot focus solely on your own sense of beauty and eye, which can fail. After all, the kitchen performs several important functions at once, and ease of use is not the least important thing. The slightest mistake is fraught with dire consequences, to the point that the new thing will have to be exchanged or something completely redone. That is why experts strongly recommend taking measurements of the room before visiting a store or choosing furniture on an online site. Moreover, the matter is not limited to the standard “width, height and length” alone!

How to take measurements correctly? Which parameters are vital and which can be ignored? Our specialists in measuring and installing kitchen units will tell you about this.

What does a modern kitchen consist of?

Frame

The furniture frame to which the facades and tabletop are attached. Cabinets are almost always made from chipboard. This is a fairly wear-resistant and durable material at an affordable price.

Facades

Doors set. A decorative part of furniture that determines its primary color. Materials: wood, chipboard, MDF. The latter are coated with plastic, Alvic Luxe, film, enamel.

Tabletop

The working surface of the tables into which the sink and hob cut into. Made from plastic, artificial or natural stone. Much less often - made of wood, tiles, stainless steel.

Apron

A decorative element of a set that covers the wall between the work surface and wall cabinets (shelves). It can be made of ceramic tiles, glass, countertop material (plastic, stone).

Accessories

Handles, legs, hinges, latches, fastening / lifting mechanisms for furniture from different manufacturers are presented in a wide range, it is very important to make the right choice. The functionality and service life of the entire furniture set depends on the quality of the fittings.

Appliances

It is divided into built-in and conventional, free-standing (the first option fits harmoniously into any design, the latter is more economical). The list of the most common household appliances for the kitchen includes a stove (hob), oven, microwave, refrigerator, extractor hood, and washing machine.

Washing

A must-have component in any kitchen. Can be overhead or integrated into the countertop. Made from stainless steel, plastic, artificial stone.

Our experts will tell you how to choose the right kitchen and what to pay special attention to when selecting the above elements. This article will give answers to many questions regarding the arrangement of a kitchen space and will reveal the main aspects of choosing the right furniture.

In order to choose the right kitchen, without later regretting the decision, it is important to pay attention to the following aspects: manufacturer, material used to make each element, color, style, layout, equipment, cost of the kitchen.

Inconvenient location of equipment

To put it bluntly, working in the kitchen means countless repetitions of the same procedures. If the equipment involved in these procedures is located inconveniently, then the work as a whole will become inconvenient.

Popular mistakes:

Mistake No. 13. Line up all the equipment in one long line. This desire especially often arises in long and narrow kitchens. It takes too much extra time to walk from the refrigerator to the sink, and then to the stove.

Mistake No. 14. When opening the doors, they get in the way or even hit each other.

Mistake No. 15. Insufficient number of sockets or their inconvenient location . If you have to unplug another device to plug it into a socket, that’s bad. Very often during repairs they forget to make an outlet for the hood - it is better to check its presence further.

Mistake #16: The refrigerator door opens in the “wrong” direction. For example, to a window sill or side wall. In such cases, it is inconvenient to go to the refrigerator and take out large items, such as a saucepan. Looking inside is also problematic.

Mistake No. 17. Refusal of the hood or its incorrect location.

Mistake No. 18. Using old equipment.

Mistake No. 19. Incorrect height of appliances or countertops.

How to prevent it?

• When arranging a kitchen, you must be guided by the principle “everything is at hand.”
• Before purchasing a headset, you need to try it out. To do this, you should find a similar option, for example, in a furniture store. It is worth checking the opening of doors and the location of drawers.

• It's better to plan for more outlets than seems necessary at first glance.
• If the refrigerator door faces the wrong direction, it is advisable to order it to be oversized.
• Hang the hood strictly above the stove - not on the side.
• Use modern technologies.
• When arranging equipment, you should focus only on your height, and not on the standards invented by companies. The equipment should be at waist level, the table top 15–20 centimeters below the elbow.

• It is important to take into account the wishes of the refrigerator regarding its location. For example, it should not stand near a window or next to heating devices such as a refrigerator or stove.

The total cooking time of the product depends on how conveniently the kitchen appliances are located.

How to choose a kitchen color

One of the most important aspects of kitchen interior design is the choice of color of kitchen furniture. It should be done based not only on personal preferences, but also on the style of the interior, lighting, size of the room, and the color scheme of its decoration. If you are at a loss as to what color to choose for your kitchen, pay attention to the most popular color shades of kitchen sets:

Black

A fairly common choice for creating many modern interiors in classic, high-tech, minimalism, and modern styles. Combines well with white and red colors, metal, glass. Requires a competent lighting device with indispensable illumination of the work area.

White

The white color of kitchen surfaces will expand the space of a small kitchen and make it lighter. But at the same time it will look boring, even sterile, if it is not diversified with bright accessories, color accents, and contrasting elements.

Brown (wood color)

The most common color when decorating this room. Kitchen facades made of wood or wood look make it feel homely and conducive to relaxed communication. A universal, almost win-win option.

Red

A spectacular, exciting, very aggressive color, which is often chosen by people who do not bother with daily cooking and do not spend a lot of time in this room. Keep in mind that the rich red color will stimulate your appetite!

Blue

Depending on the chosen shade, a blue kitchen can be made calm and cozy or fashionable and dynamic. Too dark a blue is not recommended for use in rooms suffering from a lack of sunlight.

Green

A calm, relaxing color of furniture after a busy day will restore your peace of mind and set you in the mood for cooking and a pleasant evening at home. Light green facades will help expand the space.

When choosing the color of the facades, keep in mind: too bright, contrasting or dark colors can negatively affect the psychological state of household members, quickly tire the eyes and visually reduce the area of ​​the room. Therefore, if you have a small / poorly lit kitchen, or you spend a lot of time in it, light pastel shades will be more appropriate, visually expanding the space and guaranteeing psychological comfort to people - peach, beige, cream, pink, blue, pistachio. You can diversify this color scheme with bright accessories and decorative elements.

1. Be sure to consider the level of natural light in the room. If its windows face the shady side, choose light or bright cheerful colors. Otherwise, the lack of light will be felt even when the lights are on.

2. Remember that light-colored surfaces of cabinets and facades (especially white) will not only visually expand the space, but will also require particularly thorough cleaning, carried out with high frequency. And on dark glossy surfaces fingerprints are clearly visible.

Lack of lighting

Mistake #1. The biggest problem is insufficient lighting of the workspace and the room as a whole. The kitchen is a place of dangerous work, every day here:

• products are cut with sharp knives;
• food is cooked at high temperatures;
• a large number of kitchen utensils are used, which are located in different, often remote, places.

Even for a small kitchen, just one chandelier is not enough, since it will not provide enough light. When preparing food, a situation often arises when the housewife blocks the light from the chandelier, creating a shadow. This can lead to cuts, burns and other problems.

Modern trends suggest a large number of light sources. The following lighting zones are distinguished:

• work area - countertop, stove, sink;
• dinner Zone;
• lighting of individual drawers and cabinets.

Only in a well-lit kitchen will cooking and eating be the safest and most comfortable.

How to choose a style for the kitchen?

If ready-made sets are presented mainly in common styles, then custom interior design solutions cover literally the entire variety of existing styles: high-tech, classic, modern, country, minimalism, Provence, loft, techno, art deco, etc. To choose from There is only one of them, it is important to decide on your preferences. Let's look at a few of the most popular options:

Classic

A style that remains relevant at all times. A kitchen made of solid wood or its imitation, designed in a classic style, is ideal for people seeking stability and comfort. Due to its massiveness, it looks best in spacious rooms with large windows and high ceilings. Distinctive features are the color of the wood, carved elements, and stained glass.

Modern

The most common style in modern kitchens. It is distinguished by maximum functionality and thoughtfulness of details. It offers a wide field for design creativity and experimentation due to the huge variety of shapes, colors, and materials.

High tech

The most avant-garde style, based on the use of complex shapes, designs, contrasting colors, synthetic materials (glass, metals, plastic). It is imperative to have the most modern built-in equipment and the absence of small things cluttering up the space. Minimalist solutions are welcome.

Country

This cozy and democratic design style, often called rustic, is characterized by natural colors and materials (stone, wood). Wicker, wooden, metal furniture, wooden facades with elements of artistic forging, hidden or decorated with brass household appliances, etc.

There are many styles used to decorate a kitchen interior, so first of all you should decide which one will make you most comfortable. Remember that the more avant-garde the design solutions, the more likely the created interior will quickly go out of fashion.

How to plan a kitchen?

When deciding which kitchen to choose and planning the placement of furniture, it is important to consider the following points:

Existing furniture arrangement options

when planning the kitchen space: corner (L-shaped, L-shaped), linear/two-linear, U-shaped, island, peninsula. The choice between them depends on the shape, size of the room and the preferences of the owners.

You can find solutions for standard layouts here:

When contacting a specialized company to make a custom-made kitchen, the designer will take this data into account and offer the optimal solution for furniture placement, based on your budget and existing conditions. If you decide to plan the kitchen yourself, placing the furniture at your own discretion, we recommend adhering to the following order:

fridge

working surface

plate

working surface

sink (under the sink there is a trash container)

table

This sequence of workstations optimally corresponds to the sequence of actions of the housewife, allows for fewer unnecessary movements, and speeds up the cooking process. Ideally, the distance between food storage, preparation and washing areas should be no more than two arms' lengths. The most convenient location for the microwave and oven is at chest level. The dishwasher and washing machine are built under the countertop.

When planning on your own: even if you have thought through everything carefully, it would not be a bad idea to consult with the designer of the company from which you order the production of the headset. Moreover, in most specialized companies, drawing up a design project is done free of charge!

Insufficient working area

The work area can be called the basis of the entire kitchen - this is where food is cut, washed and cleaned.

Mistake No. 12. If you make the work area small, then a lot of time will be spent on rearranging and rearranging products to free up space for the next stage of preparation.

How to calculate the required free surface space?

• The first thing you should focus on is the amount of work performed daily. If there are several people in the family, then most likely the housewife will prepare lunch and dinner for the whole family every day. This requires a large stove with 4 burners. Options with two or three burners seem cheaper, more compact and prettier, but such equipment will greatly complicate cooking.
• The easiest way to determine the size of the work surface is to experiment - lay out the food, add a few more cutting boards and space “just in case.”

A sufficient working area is the main task in organizing a kitchen space. The main thing is convenience, and beauty and cheapness are secondary.

Which kitchen is better to choose: materials of manufacture?

Today, quite a lot of materials are used to make kitchen furniture, the main ones being wood, chipboard, MDF, glass, aluminum, and stone (usually artificial). To improve technical and decorative characteristics, MDF is covered with special facing materials: plastic, laminate, PVC film, enamel, special varnish.

You can familiarize yourself with the pros and cons of the main cabinet/cladding materials used for the manufacture of kitchen furniture, facades of sets, countertops, aprons, sinks, as well as the characteristics of fittings from various manufacturers in the tables below.

When choosing between glossy and matte colors, pay attention to the fact that fingerprints are more visible on glossy facades, while water is more visible on matte ones. When choosing between dark and light colors, remember: dirt is more noticeable on dark facades.

1. Do not combine materials from different price categories. Cheaper kitchen elements age faster.

2. You can improve the performance characteristics of furniture by choosing more practical and high-quality coating materials for the body, countertops and facades: the long service life of such materials in the long term provides significant savings. For example, if the headset body is always made of chipboard, then for MDF facades enamel or plastic coating is preferable to film.

3. Particular attention should be paid to the selection of material for the countertop; it must be of high quality, since this surface can withstand the main workload.

How much does a kitchen cost?

As you already understood from the above, the main points that affect the final cost of the kitchen are:

When preliminary calculating the cost of the kitchen, do not forget to take into account the cost of delivery, assembly and installation. For example, delivery in Moscow usually costs from 0 to 5,000 rubles, and assembly and installation - 10-12% of the total cost. Prices can be checked with the manufacturer in advance.

Hood and storage systems

Since you cannot do without fumes, waste and the need to have a lot of necessary things, it is worth considering in advance the presence of closed storage systems and providing for the correct location of the hood. A separate hood looks beautiful, but it is better to give preference to a built-in one, since dust will accumulate on its surface.

It is inadvisable to waste such precious time in our age of total busyness when it can be avoided. Closed storage systems will make it easier to keep the kitchen in order, eliminate clutter, every necessary thing will have its place, so if necessary, you won’t have to look for it, raking out a bunch of items, trying to get to the farthest corner of the closet.

Ready-made solutions or custom-made?

There are two ways to equip a new kitchen:

Choosing a kitchen is a very important moment, since it will serve for many years. When deciding on how to purchase it, compare the pros and cons of ready-made and ordered furniture and set your own priorities. However, regardless of whether you buy a ready-made headset or order it from a manufacturing company, do not skimp on the quality of materials and workmanship.

What is important to pay attention to when choosing a seller?

When you decide to order the production of a kitchen based on an individual design project, pay attention to the choice of manufacturer. The following points will help you decide which company to choose:

In addition to objective factors determined by the list of services and contractual terms, an important criterion for successful cooperation with a manufacturing company is the competence of its employees. If the designer becomes confused when considering non-standard planning solutions or refuses to dialogue with the customer, there is no point in continuing cooperation.