18 Tips To Avoid Kitchen Design Disasters

Renovator Auctions been in the business of building and home improvement supplies for quite a few years now, and you would not believe all the kitchen design disasters we’ve heard about. So, we’ve decided to share some of the kitchen design wisdom our experience has taught us.

1. Kitchen designs come and go, but one element that every kitchen should have is the ‘kitchen triangle’. Imagine a triangle in your kitchen – the sink should be at one point, oven/stove top at another point, and the fridge should be at the last point. And while large kitchens can look amazing, a good working kitchen should have sink, stove and fridge all within a few steps from each other.
2. Unlike the kitchen pictured above – make sure floor tiles are not over-polished. Slippery tiles can be amazingly dangerous when preparing food.
3. Never put the kitchen sink in a corner.
4. We all love minimalist, but we also love our kitchen gadgets. Make sure your kitchen design allows for as much storage and cabinet space as possible.
5. Boost your bench tops areas. Even if you’re not the keenest cook in the world, a good working kitchen needs a lot of preparation space. It makes cooking, packing shopping and getting ingredients out of cupboards a lot easier if your fridge, oven and pantry have bench tops close by.
6. Never have a kitchen design which allows people to walk through your kitchen. Apart from having family members interrupting you while you’re cooking, it’s simply dangerous to have children and others around when you are using steaming water, hot cooking pans, knives or other kitchen utensils.
7. Have a fridge on the outer limits of your kitchen so family members can access cold drinks, and other bits and pieces without upsetting your cooking flow.
8. A good kitchen design will allow for ease of use. For example, a high microwave cabinet might seem like a good idea – but try reaching up and getting a heavy, boiling dish out of it.
9. Cupboards need to be placed so they don’t open into one another and drawers need to be able to work freely and easily.
10. Don’t install a small, cheap range hood. Good ventilation is a must in all kitchens. You don’t want your bedrooms, lounge areas, or cupboard space holding onto the smell of last week’s cabbage dish.
11. Unless you want to wander out to the recycling bin every ten minutes; allow enough room in undersink cupboard spaces for recycling as well as rubbish bins.
12. Don’t skimp on the downlights – cooks need bright lights to see what they are creating.
13. Pantry and cupboard lighting can also be a good kitchen design practice, especially if your kitchen doesn’t have good natural lighting.
14. Always allow for more electricity switches and outlets than you think you’ll need. You don’t always know which bench top will be the best for food preparation and utensils. Make sure your kitchen design allows for using different bench top spaces for different purposes.
15. Unless you are renovating for a quick house flip, avoid dramatic design trends. A few years ago red splashbacks were the biggest things in kitchen designs – the fashion quickly changed and red décor is now extremely dated. Go for neutral colours which can be accessorised to match latest fashions.
16. Even if they are fully qualified trades people, don’t contract friends or relatives to renovate your kitchen. If it all goes wrong it can be a disaster. Only hire very well experienced kitchen professionals who guarantee their work.
17. Unless you prefer to create in your own zone, cooking dinner is more bearable if it’s social. Allow for a wide preparation bench to allow children, your partner and friends to sit on a high seat and chat to you while you cook.
18. The Best Advice you’ll ever be given – NEVER HAVE A WHITE FLOOR IN A KITCHEN. It will always look dirty and you will be forever cleaning it.

Not simply a building materials and home improvement supplier, Renovator Auctions has a professional kitchen design and installation service available.

For all your kitchen design ideas, come and pay us a visit at Renovator Auctions Western Sydney showrooms, 28-34 Orange Grove Road, Liverpool (Warwick Farm), phone: (02) 9822 7883, fill out the form on our contacts page, or email us. For even more inspiration and tips like and follow us on our popular Pinterest and Facebook pages.

* Any items mentioned or shown in pictures might not be available at Renovator Auctions at the time you visit.

*This blog is general in nature and is ONLY meant to give readers an overview of the subject matter. DO NOT rely on this information for your specific needs. If you are planning to carry out any renovations to your home or business we highly recommend that you arrange for an accredited professional to visit your premises to advise on your SPECIFIC requirements.