Planning a kitchen renovation is exciting. It's a chance to splash out on those fancy countertops, bring home a million different paint charts, and spend hours poring over different door handle designs.
A kitchen upgrade can also add value to your home and make the room more usable for you and your family. However, it's easy to get so caught up in the design of your renovation that you ignore practical concerns and make major mistakes.
Keep reading for details on four common kitchen renovation mistakes that you definitely don't want to make.
1. Not Creating Enough Storage
How long have you spent looking at drawers, cupboards, and other storage solutions? Not long? It might be time to go back to the drawing board.
Storage is an essential component of your kitchen. There's no point in having a great cooking space if there's nowhere to store food. You should consider draw dividers, cabinet shelving, Lazy Susans, pantry pullouts, and other smart storage solutions when designing your kitchen.
Make a list of everything you'll want to store, and ensure there's a dedicated space for everything from spice racks to mugs.
2. Losing Out on Counter Space
Without a decent amount of counter space, your new kitchen will barely be usable. If you're planning a big redesign, it's worth looking at plans which allow you to maximize counter space.
That could mean choosing small, under-counter appliances, investing in island counters, or moving non-essential items like washing machines into other rooms. The more counter space you have, the more you'll use your new kitchen.
3. Ignoring Your Kitchen Workflow
When designing the kitchen of your dreams, it's easy to forget that you'll actually need to cook in it. Think about the steps you usually go through when cooking a meal, and make sure they'll be easy to complete in your new kitchen.
If you tend to do lots of chopping while frying at the same time, make sure there's counter space next to your hob. If you like to wash up as you go along, don't put the sink right next to your workspace - unless you like the taste of soap.
4. Choosing Appliances Last
How will your appliances fit into your new kitchen if you choose them last? They won't. Appliances should be the first thing you settle on, allowing you to design the rest of the kitchen around them.
Planning a kitchen renovation? Be sure to avoid the common mistakes above.