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6 Biggest Design Faux Pashomeowners make when remodeling their kitchens

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Design & Remodel Tips

IntroductionDesign is all about personal taste.

If you like the look of bright blue countertops and pastel pink cabinets, then that’s exactly the design scheme you should plan for your kitchen.

But regardless of personal style preferences, there are certain features of your design scheme that should always be present in your kitchenremodeling plans. These are the features that often go forgotten by many homeowners until after their kitchen is finished, and then they realize they’ve made quite a big design mistake!

Our designers are here to help ensure that you don’t make these same mistakes, that’s why we put together the 6 Biggest Design Faux Pas Homeowners Make When Remodeling Their Kitchens, and how you can avoid them.

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Table of Contents4 Leaving the Layout6 An Obession with What’s Trendy8 Thinking Granite is Your Only Option10 Misuing the Ceiling11 Dwelling on the Details12 Forgetting a Focal Point13 Bonus Design & Remodel Tips


1. Leaving Out the LayoutDesigners and craftsman agree that the layout of your kitchen is one of the most important considerations when it comes to picking a style that works for your kitchen.

Layout determines the function of the whole space, and your kitchen design plans should always be centralized around your kitchen’s function. The design scheme you choose may be beautiful, but if it’s meant for a different layout than the one your kitchen has, your kitchen may not function properly, and you could be left with a crowded space that just doesn’t work for you or your family.

A kitchen’s layout is defined by the shape of the room itself, the number of walls within that room, how the cabinets and countertops are placed around these walls, and the amount of open space inside the finished kitchen.

There are many types of kitchen layouts; we will be discussing the three most common.

Galley Layout

A galley kitchen has two parallel walls or countertops opposite one another with empty space for traffic between the two walls. This layout aims to make the most of every square inch of open space, making it popular for smaller kitchens

L-Shape LayoutAn l-shape kitchen is characterized by cabinets and countertops on two adjoining walls that are perpendicular, hence forming an “L” shape. L-shape layouts are the most common for kitchen layouts because they maximize corner space for both small and medium sized kitchens.


U-ShapeThe u-shape layout takes the l-shape and adds another wall of cabinets and countertops on the kitchen’s third wall. If you have an l-shape kitchen, you can mimic the look of a u-shape by adding an island or peninsula, which will give you extra storage and more food preparation space.

Adding an island or a peninsula can change the layout of your space; so if your design plan includes adding an island or peninsula, keep in mind that your new kitchen design should work with your new layout.


2. An Obsession with What’s “Trendy“

Trends are great. They let us know what new designs are popular in homes today, and can offer some new products or product information that can help you design a kitchen with style and enhanced function. But they’re called trends for a reason-- and that’s because these new styles tend to leave the front page of design magazines as quickly as designers give us a new trend to follow.

Also, trends can be opinion-based, and oftentimes, not everyone will like the new kitchen design ideas. When looking at trends, it’s important to stay true to yourself and to understand your personal style preferences rather than worry about “what’s in.”

If you want to add a trendy touch to your kitchen, do it with smaller items that don’t need to be installed into the space. A trendy set of dinnerware can be tossed after a year, but your new kitchen design should be staying for years to come, so it’s imperative that you pick a design scheme that you will be happy looking at everyday for quite a long time.

Are you stuck in a 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s kitchen? While that kitchen may be both sturdy and functional, the style is so outdated that you feel forced to remodel the space. The next time you step into your kitchen and take a look around, notice the design elements that are present, and ask yourself, “Was this a trend back when my kitchen was installed?” If so, you may want to reconsider the use of popular trends in your new design scheme.

For example, minimalist kitchen designs offer ultra-simple contemporary styles that have really grown in popularity over the past few years.

Minimalist kitchen designs focus on colorful products with very little additional style or decorative accessories. Clean, straight lines, simple hardware and plain cabinet styles are the main features of minimalist kitchen designs. While this trendy option may seem like your style now, minimalist kitchens will minimize your storage space, and you don’t want to grow out of your kitchen within the first year.

UNDERSTAND YOUR PERSONAL STYLE PREFERENCES RATHER THAN WORRY ABOUT ‘WHAT’S IN.’

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Here’s our tip for trendy styles: keep your color scheme simple and stick to neutrals when it comes to picking your cabinets and countertops.

If you want to add in some trends, pick a fun color, like Magenta, and use it as an accent color in your backsplash, or purchase a trendy new decorative accessory, light fixture or kitchen gadget to put on display in your kitchen.


3. Thinking Granite is Your Only Luxury Option

Granite is the most popular luxury countertop choice among homeowners, and it’s easy to see why--Granite is gorgeous! For quite some time, Granite countertops were advertised as the premier option for luxury stone countertops in home and living magazines, on television and even in kitchen remodeling showrooms.

But the aesthetic benefits of beautiful, natural stone countertops may be outweighed by the potentially harmful drawbacks. Don’t be fooled by what you see on television or in the magazines. We’re here to give you all the facts you need so you can make the most informed decision about luxury countertops.

Granite countertops are composed of naturally mined stone, and while this can seem attractive to homeowners, natural stone countertops are not as durable as engineered stone materials, such as Quartz countertops. Because Granite is not as durable as Quartz, it is more brittle than engineered stone countertops and cannot stand up to heavy everyday use.

This means that you could crack, chip or even break off a large piece of your Granite countertop just by dropping a heavy pan onto its surface! While Granite is beautiful, it is not a maintenance-free material, like Quartz or Solid Surface countertop materials. Its naturally porous surface makes it possible for spills to seep through, which turn into permanent stains on the underside of the countertop. This also creates a breeding ground for bacteria and mold to grow inside the countertop--where you’ll never be able to clean. To avoid this, countertop installers seal the Granite countertops before they’re installed in the kitchen. But this sealant deteriorates over time, meaning that you’ll have to reseal your countertops every year, or every other year to keep the surface sanitary. Not only is this an added cost but the sealants used are made with harsh chemicals.


These reasons alone should persuade you enough to gravitate away from Granite, and toward another luxury countertop option. But wait, there’s more! This popular kitchen material could be hazardous to you and your family, as it may emit trace elements of the colorless, odorless radioactive gas known as Radon. Radon poisoning can cause serious dam age to anyone who has been in close contact with it (think to yourself: “how often do I use my countertops?).

While this could be a dangerous and harmful substance, Granite is not as porous as many other stones, and therefore does not pose a large risk. If you have a Granite countertop already, you can request information from your state’s radiation protection program and test your countertop for Radon.

If you don’t have a Granite countertop, there are other luxury countertop options for you to choose from!

Have you considered engineered Quartz countertops?

Made by Cambria, Zodiaq and Silestone.Quartz is the third hardest material on the market today, and when its engineered with other natural and man made materials, it turns into the strongest countertop material you can put in your kitchen! Not only is Quartz durable, its nonporous material never needs re sealing, and it is completely safe and hygienic. If that wasn’t enough, Quartz countertops come in a wide variety of unique colors and patterns, to give you the unique kitchen of your dreams.


4. Misusing (or not using) the Every kitchen has a ceiling, but often, we forget about incorporating this large element into our overall design scheme. This is a huge and commonly made mistake by homeowners, and even sometimes designers.

The ceiling can be a major style feature because of its simple, or lacking design, and its massive size.

Minor changes to your design scheme that keep your ceiling in mind can have a large impact on the look of the whole kitchen. Imagine giving the effect of vaulted ceilings or a larger space, just by using your ceiling to its fullest design potential.

Simple elements and adjustments, like raising your cabinets to the ceiling or adding crown molding above your cabinets to reach the ceiling can add some serious style to the space. These changes will automatically draw the eye upward, which gives the effect of added height to your kitchen with very little work involved.

Recessed lighting in your kitchen should be a functional must-have, but adding some decorative fixtures to these recessed lights can add color to the room.

This also attracts the eye and directs it upward toward the ceiling, giving your

kitchen a more expansive feel. Lighting fixtures of varying heights hanging from the ceiling also help turn the ceiling into a part of the kitchen’s overall design scheme. Not only do these decorative fixtures bring color and style into the space, but they also add varying heights, which automatically make your kitchen appear larger.

If you have an island, or plan on adding an island or peninsula to your layout, think about adding a suspended ceiling with hooks spanning either part of the island or spanning the whole island. This will add varying heights to your kitchen’s design, giving the eye more places to look, which make your kitchen appear larger, but also cozy. Not to mention, these hooks are a great place to store your pots and pans.

You could even install a shelf or lower the suspended ceiling and use it as a shelf to display some of your favorite decorative items.


5. Dwelling on the DetailsWhen it comes to design, we can get caught up in the little details of the space, like decorative accessories such as crown molding and corbels. Decorative accessories add an immense amount of style to your space, and the details are what add that imperative personal touch to your kitchen’s overall design scheme.

But don’t give all of your attention to these details, or you could miss the big picture, and your kitchen could end up looking too busy.

This is a very common design mistake we see homeowners make regularly, mostly because they think style is all about the added touches of decor. When you spend too much time thinking about the little details and accessories during the planning stage, you can quickly forget about the kitchen as a whole and easily make one of the other design faux pas that are listed here.

The details and decorative accessories should be considered and incorporated into your design scheme at the last step while planning your new kitchen remodel. Once your cabinets, countertops, backsplash and wall color have been picked out, you can enhance these major features with minor details added to accent the room.

Be careful not to to go overboard with any of the decorative accessories--too much crown molding can make your kitchen look smaller, and excessive wainscoting will make your kitchen appear dated.

It’s the minor details that breathe life and style into the space, but these details only work when paired correctly with your cabinets, countertops and wall color.

IT’S THE MINOR DETAILS THAT BREATHE LIFE AND STYLE INTO THE SPACE.

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6. Forgetting a Focal PointEvery room in your home should have a focal point- -the coffee table in your living room and the bed in your bedroom are examples of common focal points. Focal points bring the room together, add function to the space and give the eye a place to rest when you first enter a room.

The kitchen is no different, but often homeowners forget to include a focal point into their design scheme. Have you ever walked into a kitchen, or looked at a kitchen photo online and feel that something was missing, but you just couldn’t point it out? A kitchen that lacks a proper focal point can seem unfinished, and can give you that anxious, unsettled feeling every time you enter it.

Plus, focal points are not only important for the kitchen’s overall design scheme, but they’re also imperative for the kitchen’s function. They help to create a natural traffic flow around the kitchen, and create functioning work zones for a more productive space.

If you have the space for an island, this should automatically be your kitchen’s focal point; it creates a centralized space for the eye to gravitate toward, and helps to create the natural work zones and the necessary traffic flow in the room.

If your design plan does not include an island, you can create a focal point using a light fixture, like a beautiful chandelier, or combination of hanging light fixtures. These will bring a beautiful, custom touch to your kitchen’s style, and create that centralized spot that’s so important for any room’s design scheme.

You may have a u-shape kitchen, or maybe your kitchen doesn’t allow for a large focal point in the center of the room. That’s no problem at all--focal points don’t have to be in the center of the room, but should be in a spot that’s easy to see when you first walk into the room. You can install a large hood with corbels above your stove or use a different colored or elaborate backsplash pattern to create your focal point on the farthest wall in your kitchen.


Bonus Design & Remodel TipsTip #1Maintenance-free cabinet doors maintain color longer than wood doors.

Wood cabinets are not the only option you have when it comes to picking your cabinetry materials. Maintenance-free, or laminate kitchen cabinets have gotten a bad reputation over the years, but the maintenance-free cabinet doors available today are nothing like the ones your grandmother had in her kitchen.

Not only are they more affordable, easier to clean and care for, and more durable than traditional wood doors, but maintenance-free cabinets can even hold their original color longer than wood doors.

Wood doors can warp and fade over time,

which can cause the color of your cabinet doors to change and fade as well. But maintenance-free cabinets don’t have this problem. They won’t warp or fade regardless of the amount of use and abuse they endure, and will look just like they did the day they were installed, for years to come.

Also, wood cabinets have natural variations in them, making it difficult to ensure the same color throughout. This may be preferred for kitchen designs that focus on natural elements and colors, but if you’re looking for a consistent color throughout your cabinet set, maintenance-free is the way to go--especially if you like the clean, traditional look of white cabinets.


Tip #2Consider Refacing Before Replacing

You may really hate the way your kitchen looks right now, and crave a completely new design scheme. But this does not mean that you have to rip out your kitchen and fully replace all of your cabinetry.

Just because the design is outdated, or the look doesn’t speak to your personal style, doesn’t mean that your cabinets must be removed and replaced with all new ones. In actuality, many older kitchens are built with sturdy wood cabinet boxes, which can be easily refaced for a complete kitchen transformation without the added time and cost.

Many homeowners forget about the amazing benefits of refacing, and some believe that refacing is a temporary option that just won’t offer the same “wow” factor as a full kitchen remodel with all new cabinetry. But this could not be farther from the truth! Refacing is a permanent solution to an all-too-common kitchen problem: the design dilemma. About 80% of the visible space in your kitchen is made up of cabinet doors and drawer fronts. So, refacing your existing cabinetry can give you the stunning and dramatic kitchen transformation of your dreams, without a nightmare price tag.


Free In-Home Design Since 1979, our family of experts has designed, manufactured and installed over 50,000 beautiful kitchens, so youcan be sure we’ve seen a few design mistakes made by homeowners over the past thirty years, and know just how toavoid them!

To learn more about refacing, and how you can incorporate any of these six design ideas into your kitchen designscheme, call Kitchen Magic today to schedule your Free In Home Estimate & Consultation. We’ll send a kitchenspecialist out to your home, equipped with samples, and full of custom design ideas to give you the unique kitchentransformation of your design dreams!

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6 biggest design faux pas - kitchenmagic.com · 3. thinking granite is your only luxury option...

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